The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-12-30

ed Noyon, touched the Lassigny high
lands and extended to Montdidier.
Foch Called to Command.
| In the midst of the disaster France
and Britain. with America, decided up
on q momentous step-General Foch.
victor of the Marne and OF the User
was called to supreme command. He
came when the first fury of the Ger
man storm had worn itself out. In
the last days Of March the Germans
had finally been halted just east Of
the main Amiens-Paris railway and
ust north of the Lassigny heights, the
lost union between British and French
armies had ben restored. But tire.
mendous defeat had involved the loss
OF 100000 prisoners. mainly British.
/, and more than 1900 guns. Luden-
dorf had not merely regained the
ground lost In the great retreat Of
1917. but had approached Amiens and
broken new ground which had not
| seen the invader since September,
1914.
While Foch reorganized the situa-
! ton in Picardy a new German blow
fell in Flanders. Failing to stir the
Third British Army, which under
Byng held the ground north of the
Fifth and about Arras. the Germans
had turned north and breaking the
front OF Horne's First British Army in
sector held by the Portuguese had
flowed over into the region south OF
Ypres. taking all the famous fighting
round. the "Whitesheet" Ridge. Pas
scaaenda ele Ridge and finally Mount
KENNEL. the key to Ypres itself.
Once more. as in 1914 the German
drive was headed for Calais and in
the last week Of April. Haig issued a
final appeal to the British army
fighting with its back to the WALL.
In this critical situation the line held,
French reserves arrived, the situation
stabilized itself, following a bloody
defeat of the Germans on April 20,
which, in reality closed the German
offensive efforts in Flanders.
Race Of U. S. Troops.
From April 20 to May q a long
pause ensued. The Allies had suffer
ed frightfully, the British loss alone
exceeded 100000. there was still no
chance of taking the offensive and
the Allies uttered despairing appeal
to America to drop all other prepare
lions and send men. The campaign
became. in Lloyd Georges words. a
race between Wilson and Luden-
dorff" 1t was to be won by the for
mer but not before September could
Foch expect large American numbers,
sufficient to give him the advantage
in this respect.
After a delay incident to reftting
their machine, the Germans struck
again. this time against the French at
the Chemin des Danes and again won
y 70 20
enormously strong positions north of
the Aisne were taken in a day, the
Germans pushed south across the Ais
ne and the Vesle, turned westward
and began q new drive to Paris, one
flank resting upon the Marne. the
other upon the Aisne below scissors,
which they had retaken.
A new and deadly crisis ensued.
French numbers were failing, Ameri-
can numbers were still small but In
this emergency the Marines and two
regular infantry regiments immediate
ly available were put in about Chateau
Thierry and along the roads north OF
the Marine leading to Paris. They
were for the moment the sole barrier
on the German road to Paris, but the
Germans were already weary with
their efforts and in the first days of
June the lines again stabilized them
selves with Scissors and Chateau Thi-
cry in German hands.
Itaiy's Great Defeat.
Meantime to the westward the Ger
mans in the first days of June strove
to force their way southwark alons
the Disc toward Paris, with Com
piegne as their immediate objective
In this effort they. for the first time,
encountered a severe check. indeed, to-
ward the close of the engagement
Mangfn a counter-offensive on their
flank, which regained ground. This
was, IN my judgment, the turning point
in the campaign; 1t was the first
measurable failure Of Ludendorf and
the initial return to the offensive Of
Foch, inconsiderable, to be sure.
Another month passed while the Ger.
mans renewed their strength for what,
it was now clear must be the final
blow, since American troops were ar
irving in great numbers, the season
was passing and the German public
was becoming FESTIVE. In this time
Austria was thrown against Italy on
the Piave and suffered a disastrous
defeat, which had great moral effect
on both sides of the firing line AS it
turned out this was the beginning of
the long series Of Allied successes
never again to be interrupted, but at
the moment, 1t was the first CLEAN Of
sunlight after three months of agony
Finally, on July Is, Ludendorff
flung his remaining reserves agairs,
the French and Americans holding
the line from Chateau Thierry to the
Argonne. His purpose was to break
through east and west of Rheims, en-
velop and take that town and its de.
fensive positions behind, clear both
banks of the Marine and begin a wide
swinging advance upon Paris, 1t was
the final effort to win the campaign
and the war by Napoleonic victory,
the Peace Storm" following the
Kaiser Battle" to use the German
phrases of that boast.
Foch Begins Campaign.
But by July Is, the supreme effort
had failed on both sides of the City
of Rheims, completely failed between
Rheims and the Argone, where Gou-
raud won a notable victory, measure