THE GERMAN RETIREMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16914, 29 July 1918, Page 4

THE GERMAN RETIREMENT.

A German retreat in the Marne salient has definitely begun. French forcr; have reached a point ten miles north of Chateau Thierry, which is little less than halfway to Soissons. Further east the French have completely cleared the north bank of the Marne and advanced i about the same distance. They have, therefore, regained a substantial portion of the lower end of the quadrilateral occupied by the enemy between the Aisne and the Marne. The Germans must now quickly disclose whether it is their intention to evacuate the whole quadrilateral or to attempt to hold the upper portion, where high ground would facilitate defence and rivers afford some natural protection. Pursuit will bo close, and it is still possible that General Foch may be able to execute a dramatic stroke and cut off portion of the large German forces ; within the quadrilateral. There is some evidence that the enemy's original intention when General Foch's attack developed was to abandon the Marne salient, but second thoughts favoured resistance, and to make this possible very large forces were thrown forward. The withdrawal of these has become for the Germans a matter of some difficulty. They have succeeded, by drawing heavily on their reserves, in keeping the neck of the bottle open, but the character of the fighting is i unfavourable to them and as an increasing proportion of the restricted salient comes under Allied artillery fire the enemy's losses are mounting far beyond the value of the ground at stake. Moreover the necessity of maintaining a large array for defensive purposes in the Marne quadrilateral is affecting the enemy all along the western front. An evidence of this is the ease with which the French have advanced in the Champagne, reaching at many points the positions occupied by them before the German offensive. Another is the inactivity on the British front, whore the enemy is attempting nothing more ambitious than local attacks of the nature of that repulsed by the New Zealanders at Hebuterne. The British have the initiative in most of the spasmodic fighting that is taking place, just as their French allies are shaping the battle to General Foch's plan in the Marne salient and the Champagne. So seriously is the German power of offence limited by the effort to hold ground south of the Aisne that the official view is probably that expressed by the Berlin newspaper which says that retirement may be necessary to prepare new blows. It is by no means certain, however, that retreat would restore to the enemy his old freedom of action, as his losses in the unsuccessful offensive and the subsequent defensive fighting have been extremely heavy. In the meantime his immediate problem is to effect the withdrawal, and with the Allied forces pressing on three sides and Allied aeroplanes raining bombs on the few roads over which transport must pass ho may find this by no means easy.