SERIOUSNESS OF POSITION MUST NOT BE MINIMISED

Evening Post, Volume XCV, Issue 140, 13 June 1918, Page 7

SERIOUSNESS OF POSITION MUST NOT BE MINIMISED

GERMAN DETERMINATION TO WIN THROUGH

(Received June 13, 9 a.m.)

LONDON, 12th June. The German advance at Ribecourt menaces the French hold on Mont •Renaud, which is the key to the Oise Valley, and endangers the whole salient marked by the Oise, Ribeeourt, and -Soissons. The German success in the centre is attributed to the unexpectedly large number of tanks employed, some of which slipped through the Flench anti-tank barrage! The success of Foch'a counter-attack in the centre, recovering three and a-half miles of country, however, shows that the fighting qualities of the defenders is still unimpaired. The seriousness of the position must not be minimised, as Yon Hutier's present objective is strictly limited—namely, to straighten out the battlefront between Montdidier and Soissdns. The Gorman losses are manifestly very great.

It is estimated that three hundred thousand fresh troops have b«m thrown Into the battle in the last twenty-four hours. It is impossible to summarise the French suffering and heroism, but it. is a typical episode that the party of dismounted cavalry defending Plemont lias beaten off fourteen assaults upon the hill. The latest German tanks are lightly armoured. They weigh about forty tons, have a speed of nino miles per hour, and carry a 2j-inch gun mounted forward, in addition to half a, dozen machine-guns. Unlike the British machine, the caterpillar movement-band is under cover, except when in contact with the ground.

The German losses may be justified if Yon Hutier's objective is gained or if Foch is compelled to weaken the high defence in order to hold the Oise Valley. All critics agree, if Foeh is compelled to put in his reserves, Ludendorff will launch a staggering attack in the direction of the Channel ports. It is estimated that Yon Hutier has twenty-five reserve divisions, most of which have already been used once. The fact that Yon Hutier is continually putting in fresh shock divisions in massed formation shows the German determination to carry tho enterprise through.