Show Behind Behind the War News Major Maior Eliot By Maj George Fielding Eliot Ellot The American crossing of the Sarthe river and capture of Le Lc LeMans LeMans Mans invite our attention to toward toward toward to- to ward this great rail center which lies some miles from Paris If you will look at a railway railway railway rail rail- way map of France it will become become become be be- come clear why Le Mans is now of great strategic importance The Germans still find the floating flank of the army their point of greatest danger This flank cannot be anchored In any position which the army alone is capable of defending The wide American sweep across the Mayenne threatens this flank with imminent envelopment as the army tries to pivot back backon on its hinge east and southeast southeast southeast south south- east of Caen The only hope of saving the army is to bring the whole or a good part of one of the other German armies in France into line with it and thus extend the floating flank to the Loire river making a solid German front from the Bay of the Seine Seme to the Loire But in carrying out such a scheme continued German possession possession possession pos pos- session of Le Mans is vital Whether the German reinforcements reinforcements reinforcements reinforce reinforce- ments come from the direction of Paris or from the south across the Loire a at t Tours or Orleans the railway lines by which they must move and be supplied pass through Le Mans as they move forward Into the area between the Mayenne and the Sarthe rivers If the fast- fast moving Americans who have ha captured Le Mans can hold it while the bulk of the army is still sUll held fast in combat on the front between Vire and Troarn 1 it is difficult to see how that hat that army j could be extricated This wide sweep around round the tM German flank seems to be only a part of the allied plan The Theother Theother Theother other part is developing in the tM hinge area near Caen where troops of the Canadian 1st army are driving south of Caen in a move which is 15 obviously intended intend intend- ed to cut the German army anny in two and complete the isolation isolation isolation isola isola- tion and eventual destruction of ot the left wing of that army This Canadian thrust will tend to draw German troops toward it and may afford an opportunity for a new push by British armor southeast from Caen into the open country toward Falaise This has been tried before and nd failed owing to desperate German German German Ger Ger- man resistance and bad weather but the weather is fine now and the German resistance may maybe maybe maybe be by pressing engagements engagements engagements en en- elsewhere A British drive toward Falaise Falaise Falaise Fa Fa- Fa- Fa laise would t ten tend e n d to link linkup linkup linkup up with the Canadian drive and would reach out toward to meet the possible possible possible pos pos- sible advance of the Americans in that direction Within the circle of steel thus formed would be found most of the dIvisIons divisions divi dIvi- of the German army Of course all this has not happened yet It is quite likely likely likely like like- ly that all of it will not happen At the tho moment it is a threat a a threat which the tho Germans must take very seriously They will wilt try everything they know and and they know a great many battle tricks in which our men are not as yet thoroughly experienced ex ex- to to avoid the destruction destruction destruction tion of 1 to 4 German armies in France They will try local counterattacks of course such as the one they launched late Monday afternoon on their extreme extreme extreme ex ex- left flank near le Ie Roussel But their major effort effort ef d- ef- ef fort will probably be to try to bring into action another German German German Ger Ger- man army to help the endangered endangered endangered The movement of great bodies of troops is so dependent on rail transport that possession of the major rail centers may be decisive as to the ability of a large force to enter and to operate operate operate op op- erate within a given region That is why as the battle of France extends in area and scope we begin to look deeper and deeper into France and such railway centers as Le Mans Nantes Angers Tours and Orleans Orleans Orleans Or Or- leans come more sharply into focus Of these the most immediately immediately immediately im im- mediately important right now is undoubtedly Le Mans Developments Devel Devel- in that direction should be closely watched as al they may maybe maybe maybe be of f th this the highest military sigr sig 1 Y |