Show I PSYCHOLOGY PlAYS STRANGE PART PARTIN IN FIGHT Victory Hinges on Proper Move at Just Right Right- Moment l t By Fly Henry Wood United Press Pres St Staff ff Correspondent WITH TIlE THE HE FRENCH CH AR AFIELD May Ia In In every great battle batI battle bat bat- I tle tic there comes always R a n nc cal i moment when victory often depends I d on I I tho the momentary genius or inspirational flash of one or the other commanding generals History alone alono will ill establish what was the psychological moment in tho the great rat French battle hattle before Noyon Noon which defeated ted L s of driving a n wedge be between between between be- be tween the English and the French armies and then while one German army by a n. rapid march to the coast j hould should completely pen IHm In and crush the Fn English JIh army a second German column column col col- col- col umu should march on Paris Until ho however history establishes tills this psychological moment the writer will champion and support the candidacy candidacy candi candi- dacy of the following particular moment mo mo- ment Following the breaking of ot th the English English En En- glish front In the vicinity of St. St Quentin Quentin Quentin Quen- Quen tin on March 21 1918 all nIl of oC the German German German Ger Ger- man armies In the immediate vicinity began besan a general advance toward towar the west for the te very evident purpose not only of or separating the lie En English and the French armies but of oC filtering into tho the valley of or the Oise for a march on Paris by hy wa way of or ne Crell and As a consequence during the afternoon afternoon afternoon after after- noon of or March 2 22 22 a French arm army corps under the tho command of one of or the most dist distinguished French generals whom Fre Fr ich military etiquette will not allow to be bo named was ordered to support the tha broken English Eng right wing by es establishing establishing es- es Itself on the Crozat canal between Tergnier and Saint Simon In the meantime the Germans were advancing advancing- rapidly too rapidly too rapidly rapid in fact to make It possible for the French generals general's generals general's gen gen- eral's cral's arm army to reach the tho positions It must attain before It could relieve o tho the two English divisions that it was to ro- ro place The rhe contest rapidly developed de into one of oC whether or not the Germans could succeed in crossing crossing- the tho Somme before the French arm army could attain the positions assigned it Late In the afternoon of March 22 it became quite apparent that unless something most extraordinary happened to delay the advance of or the Germans the I- I French rench arm army could not arrive in time to check their progress The moment was the tho most crucial ono one that had yet et arrived Failure to stop the Germans Immediately Immediately Immedi Immedi- meant almost an open march for them on Paris The situation was hurriedly reported to the French commander in chief on tho the evening of or March 22 The further furth r Information was conveyed to him that the German army was concentrated in great numbers at at Ham for fOl the continuation continuation of ot the advance ance on Paris Without an nn instants instant's hesitation and I with the same samo flash of or genius with which he saved Verdun by conceiving I and putting Into instantaneous execution execution execution tion in an n endless chain of or automobile I transports between Verdun and Bar- Bar leduc tho the general turned to his chief of ot staff and gave substantially the fol following following to- to lowing order Every Ever airplane squadron within striking distance on the French front whether it be e a fighting or a bombarding bombarding bombarding bom bom- barding squadron will proceed immediately Immediately Imme imme- to Tam Tarn and bombard and machine machine machine ma ma- chine gun un the German concentrations there The telephone order flashed out Im Immediately Immediately immediately im- im mediately alon along the entire French front frontI I and within a few moments scores o of airplane squadrons numbering hundreds hundreds hundreds hun hun- of machines were headed for fOl lIam Ham Throughout almost the entire night U arrived there In what was practically a continuous stream raining raining raining rain rain- ing down bombs and pouring In a constant constant constant con con- stant hall hail of oC machine-gun machine fire into tho the German army that was read ready to advance ad ad- vance The full effects of or this deluge deluse from Crom heaven a heaven a deluge delugo without precedent Inthe Inthe in inthe the worlds world's history history was was only learned afterward from prisoners Enormous losses were Inflicted on tho the German troops the entire army thrown into dismay and confusion contusion and two divIsions divisions divisions divi divI- especially practically but out of ot action Above e all the advance t anC of the tho German Invasion was delayed and wh when n only on the morning of ot March 23 33 3 the Germans Germans Germans Ger Ger- mans at last succeeded In crossing the Somme the French army was in position tion the exhausted English had been relieved and the French were able to toI begin the battle before Noyon that tha I resulted eventually in the completo complete checking of or the tho German plans for tOr the of or the allies on th the western front Although h throughout the entire re reI remainder remainder re- re of or the battle before Amiens both tho the French and the English continued continued con con- I to use this newl newly developed I tactic of bombing and machine gunning with airplanes the advancing ad German army yet et tho the conception of or it came cam I purely purel from the French commander In chief chier at a moment when the whole thole fu future future tu- tu ture Issue of or the war la lay lav at stake |