Salt Lake Telegram | 1918-10-19 | Page 3 | Snowstorm to be Disaster for Foe

snw TO OEDinil fon FOE By J. W. T. Mason United Press War depart. NEW YORK, OcL Ths beginning of cold weather along tha westsrn battlefront and tha progress of ths Americana toward tha Luxemburg exit ex-it from FTanc are causing Voa Hln-denburg Hln-denburg to speed up hla retlrementa at the risk of losing control over hla (losing (los-ing troops. ' The present rats of abandonment of territory In Belgium and northwestern Franc far exceeds the rapidity of any previous retrograde movement sine Von Hlndenburg started to withdraw his line to tha German frontier. It I exceedingly dangerous for tha Germane to move backward ao precipitately bs-caus bs-caus of the possibility of confused congestion on a large scale developing Into a rouL DANGER OF WINTER. It Is Juat such a condition of terrify', lng hast against which Von Hlndenburg Hlnden-burg haa- been strategically working sinoe his methodical relinquishment of Germany's conquered territory be gee. Nevertheless, there ars growing vt denoee that the delays in the retiring; movsment for the purpose of giving encouragement to the German troops hav been overdone. If anow were to fall In France and Belgium before tha Germans got back to their boundary,, the difflcuitlea of removing th artillery artil-lery would be very great; ths Infantry itself would have a lessened degre oc ' I efficiency In rearguard combat, and the concealment value of machine gun , positions In tha revealing whiteness of tha anow would be much decreaeed- YANKEES PROGRESS. While tha approach of winter la thud endangering Von Hindenburg's strategy, strate-gy, the American progress toward Sta nay Is exercising an even more potent Influence upon the eudd-n rapidity of the German retirement. Not only would a successful advanca by General Pershing Per-shing cut off the German retreat by way of Luxemburg, but also tha constant con-stant vigor of the American aaaaults la compelling Von Hlndenburg to aa- aemble most of hla active reeervea be- t' hind tha twenty-mile front from tha Argonne to east of the Jdeuee. This means that whether or not thaAmerl- t cans succeed in cutting the Luxemburg i line of communications," they are forcing forc-ing Vorl Hn den burg to uae a far great . i er proportion of his forces along tha ' Argonne-Meuse line than ha can legit J mately afford. To find these troops ha is compelled to weaken his retreating f front in western France and Belgium, thus making It Increasingly possible) i for Marshal Foch to break, through , I there. Under the highly dangerous ' conditions, the Germans are compelled 1 to risk speeding their ahuffle Into a run to get back home In tha a.utckeai time possible.