The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-08-01

l Just what the lull may portend was no, apparent. Possibly the enemy is already
 on the move after the decisive defeat he
 met in the battle which began Saturday
 and centered on the American positions
 along the north bank of the Ourcq. Here the American Third division and the
 now famous Forty-second division, the
 Rainbow division, composed of former national guardsmen of many states, have made good their positions against the
 enemys best fighting units. They. have met, outfought and forced backward by their fierce ardor picked Prussian and
 Bavarian divisions brought fresh to the field with orders to hold the line of the Ourcq at all costs.
 ENEMY DEFENSE BROKEN l That line has been broken. The Ameri- can spearhead driven forward again and
 again finally broke the fighting edge of
 the enemy defense. When supporting
 columns surged forward across the Ourcq
 to consolidate the ground so valiantly won and held by the first rush, the enemys hope of clinging to the present line dwindled. Holding the apex of the allied line at the center. Sthe Americans had paved the way for the dashing cap ture of Chalmont Hutte, to the westward by the Franco British forces. Allied guns now dominate the enemy's lines from this height. foretelling new inroads to this position and the strong probability that he will be compelled to fall back to the yesle line.
 The victory was given new significance today by General March, chief of staff Putting aside the reserve with which he hitherto has commented on the wider aspects of the battle General March told the newspaper men at his midweek con- ference that each army was now bent on the destruction of the other; all lesser strategic objectives having been swept away on both sides. The mission of ca ch is to xiii; to destroy the fighting power of the other. It is the ultimate military objective that both are now seeking and there can be no halting short of the goal
 DISCLOSES SIGNIFICANCE
 General March heretofore has talked at these conferences in general terms. NHOh IS tufHeu LioHi tHe pm dotted 1aU where the turn and sway of the battle was outlined in detail, therefore. and for the first time disclosed the true signifi- canoe of the struggle in the narrow con- fines of the e-Marne field, his words carried conviction to his hearers.
 Whatever the enemy's objective was at the start of the drive" he said. pick ing hts words carefully. and whatever our hope was in the counter offensive on the flank of this salient it is now per fectly evident that those aims have been set aside.
 ssThe objective of each army is
 other nrmy-cach one of them
 srssst- fO Kill as many of the other
 possible.
 'rns holding back of the jaws of tlis salient by the Germans at Sois- sAns and near Rheims has made it pracs t8eally impossible for us to expect a tag, They have had two weeks now to withdraw from the dangerous points down near the Marne.and the objective of each army is the other army" LINE NOW ONLY 54 MILES
 The chief of staff had prefaced this new conception of the great struggle with careful outline of the battle showing that since last Sat- urday another 10 miles had been cut out of the length of the battle line by allied successes. It is now barely 54 miles around the flattened salient in which the enemy has massed virtu-