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Show ELEVENTH i mm I , Belief of American and Allied Military Officials j ' in Washington. ! Chancellor's Desperate Effort Ef-fort Made to Escape Military Disaster. WASHINGTON. Oct. 9. Germany's plea ! Tor an armistice is founded, both Ameri can and allied military officials here be-i be-i lieve, upon recognition in Berlin of the fact that the German army "organization in France is slowly disintegrating under the terrific campaign of Marshal Foch. These officers regard the move of the German chancellor as a desperate elev-enthhour elev-enthhour attempt Lo escape serious mill-' tary disaster and they would not be sur-j sur-j prised if President Wilson's condition j that there can be no talk of an armistice except when coupled with agreement to withdraw immediately from all invaded territory were promptly accepted. The answer to such a move, it was suggested today, would be to leave Marshal Mar-shal Foch the" dictation of the terms of t ha armist ice. should the situation ever reach that stage, as the supremo commander com-mander uan be trusted to see that no military advantage to the enemy resulted. re-sulted. Tn the meantime. Marshal Foch hour by hour is surrounding the German forces with new perils as his strategic conceptions are developed. Hun Waning Power. . Evidence of the waning- resisting power of the German forces in France was plainly plain-ly seen by observers here in the sweep forward of the Anglo-Arperican forces i ; north of St. Quentin. Apparently there has been no material lowering of the j fighting; quality of the enemy soldiers. but there is every evidence that the complex com-plex military organization upon which defense of the !png battlefront depends is i breaking under the strain. Signs of con- fusion have been noted repeatedly. Worn-put Worn-put divisions have been called upon ' to -heck the assault of fresh allied troops and have been cut to pieces. These are signs only, for the enemy front still offers a grim obstacle to the advancing armies and the battle is growing grow-ing daily in fury instead ot lessening. Rut Uie signs are there. They mean a vital weakness at the heart of the great machine; the absolute lack of the. men ' and war equipment to meet the combined nssauit indefinitely: Two Salients Develop. In the line between Verdun and the V sea. two salients are developing. Tha firs: has its apex along the Laon front, where the enemy still clings to ?t. Go-bain Go-bain forest and part of the Chemin-des-Pames ridge. The second has its greatest great-est depth before Lens. Between these i wo pockets the Anglo-American drive, supplemented by the French advance east of St. Quentin. has thrust a blunt wedge which not only has engulfed Cam bra i, but has torn its way through the whole Hindenburg defense zone into open country coun-try beyond. On the north the British forces pressing tn on Lille from the west and north form the northern jaw of a possible pincer movement against the whole Douai salient. sa-lient. The Germans began a retirement on the Lens-Armentieres front some lime ago which they have checked, fearing ! . probably the envelopment of their Douai j . - front unSess that also could be relieved . ' . .simultaneously. The capture of Cambral now threatens this front from the south I as well, and it is believed here that the .; enemy must move immediately out of the '; whole Liile-Douai region. ! Critical Situation. ; The situation looks to be even more ;; . critical on the Laon front. From the ; north the British break-through almost '' certainly will give the allies command I of the Olse valley In a matter of hours, with open ground before them in a move-! move-! rnent southeastward on Laon Itself. To The southeaat the French troopa under General Gouraud already are across the Aisne and are turning the enemy's position posi-tion on the Sulppe still farther east with the American Second division aidln. The Sulwe line offers little hope of prolonged pro-longed resistance, as It Is supported hv few strong hill positions, and the occupation occu-pation of the Alsne vailey in the near fu-j fu-j ture seems a certainty. That would leave I the enemy along tne front, in St. Goiiain ! , forest and the heights to the southeast ,! in a difficult position between the Olse ;-- ,; - and the Alsne linee. Pincer Movements. Encircling both these pincer . move-ments move-ments stands tha t great trap tipped on the Meuse Jaw by the American First ; . army and in Belgium by the Franco-Belgian Franco-Belgian push that has reached ftoulers and caused the enemy to prepare for early e acuation of the Flanders coast. At both extremities of this line there art ; strong indications that new blows a:e 'j about to be struck. j It has been reported unofficially that I an entire French armv has been moved io Belgium lo supplement the Franco-j Franco-j Be! irian effort there. Officers here have noted that recent reports have made no I mention of this a rrny and a re In'i ined to believe that a new drive In Ilelgium is to be expected at any mompnt. ! On the other extreme of the line to- - day's ad vices show that Genrrra 1 Fer- shing has been cleaning up the ground ! . immedfatelv east of the Meuse. where , enemy positions sta nd on the flank of his lins of oonimnnlf fit ion. with the most adaned forces near Brieulles. This may , - h a tactical move to prepare the way for ; nw American drive on the Meuse front. |
