FRENCH VIEWS OF SITUATION

Grey River Argus, 31 May 1918, Page 3

FRENCH VIEWS OF SITUATION

SERIOUS BUT ,NQT PERILOUS GERMAN 'SUCCESS I>UE TO ■•■■-'■ SURPRISE ATTACK. A STAND BEING" ORGANISED (United i. Service) (Rec. May 3Q*'9.|d p.m.) ..'■ /LONDON,, May .29. The great surprise.', that^has taken place; in- the Champagne' region' lias brought about a desperat .race . between our reserves and the advancing Germans;.-.-. • ' „' ■■■ ■'.;■ ;-.:■■ ■••■.•-, *r' ■ The "most optimistic messages from Paris^'do not anticipate an. immediate Stemming . of the, tide. -\«. .- •-.-»-, ..,-:■_., M. .Marcel Hutin says that fortyeight hours is the time required to bring up the necessary .reset yes..,/ He adds that. a-. stand is now. :being organ^' ise.d. - : . .■,-• ■ " . •■ ' --•■• .•■ ■■■ ■- ' Some commentators regard the Vesle iinc as definitely lost, and discuss the possibility, of the enemy . reaching, the JMarne. ■ . . "La Petit Parisien" considers that the situation is grave and. serious, but not. perilous. No vital communica- ; tions are threatened, and no. cleaveage of the Allied armies is likely. Paris is gravely impressed, but not panicy. ■ ■ - "L'Honune Libre" states that Allied reserves are already arriving and the enemy is paying dearly. ; | A semi-official commentator* states that what happened was that a sur prise was affected which resulted in •■ ■ '— v .# ■

the French troops evacuating, all positions on the Chemin des Dames, thus, necessitating a general retirement in order to avoid a- massacre of. the whole of the outnumbered f orce. ii ; General von Boheni immediately and rapidly made the development a success, by throwing in increasingly; more powerful forces, failing in both wings but succeeding in the centre.