THE BATTLE OVER.

Taihape Daily Times, 10 September 1918, Page 4

THE BATTLE OVER.

The Foch offensive is continuing to produce sensational victories; Mangin Iras forced the Crown Prince pack, who hoped to repeat IS7O visit to Paris, is being compelled to clamber back over rivers and hills to a place of temporary safety, somewhere behind the Chemin des . Dames. He has taken several complete batteries of heavy guns, all intact, together with many thousands of shells to use in them. Mangin is exploiting the new idea of not bothering so much about bringing up his heavy artillery; he is taking what ho wants from the enemy as ho goes. It is easier; he just turns the guns to face their erstwhile owners and so hurries the retreat of those who are lucky enough to escape being killed, wounded or taken prisoner. We cannot help thinking that Mr. Percival Phillips is either wrongly reported, or that he is practicing a little facetious camouflage, in saying that the battle is over, and that the armies of the Allies are settling down to trench warfare. He may have remarked that the battle is over, regarding what is taking place now as a flight, not a battle, but he cannot have said that the Allies are settling down to trench warfare before Douai and Cambrai, because all other reports, official and otherwise, indicate nothing of the kind. No one will accuse Mr Frank Simmonds, the "New York World” man, of being even an embryo optimist over the war and he says that Douai and Cambrai must fall, and that the line of St. Quentin— Laon cannot be held; the Germans must go to the Belgium frontier, back to a line running via, Maubcnge, Mezieres and Ycrdun, and he is very doubtful whether under their extreme demoralisation the Germans can even hold a lino of -the Meuse. Clemenceau gives some help in making us understood that the end of Foch’s enterprise is not yet. He says in his newspaper, “the degree of Foch’s victory will only become known after the attacks the American reserves have made possible. ’ ’ He is speaking of the future, not of the past; we shall know after the attacks , the Americans have made possible. Frank Simmonds gives feome clue to what may happen,.: in telling us that it is doubtful, whether .the German can even hold a line away b acJ h on the Mouse. If there is any doubt in the German mind he has sufficient experience of Foch’s men to cause him to shy at the Meuse and to go straight back to the Ehine while yet there is a way open. If the attacks the American reserves make possible include a thrust past Mens and Namur, to the Valley of the Meuse to Liege, close by, the door to Germany wilF be closed, and to get home the army in Belgium -would need to risk the consequences of trespassing on Dutch territory. There are no present indications- that Fnch is finished but there are strong indications that ho is only midway in his enterprise.