Ogden Daily Standard | 1918-09-12 | Page 3 | Greatest Fight of War Coming

GREATEST FIGHT OF WARMING Events Shaping for Operations of Crucial Importance Full Retreat Expected. WASHINGTON. Sept. 11 Behind jthe apparent lull in the battle in France, events are shaping for operations oper-ations of crucial importance, In the opinion of officials. They beliovo a week's time will see cither the greatest great-est battle of tho war in progress along the old Hindenburg line or the enemy in full retreat toward the Belgian frontier. fron-tier. There is not little doubt that it was: lack of fighting effectives that forced the enemy to abandon all he hadi gained in his drive of this year and narrow his front. Unofficial estimates esti-mates from France say the Germans have left behind them during the withdrawal with-drawal more than 300.000 prime fighting fight-ing men, killed, badly wounded or prisoners. This is in addition to the heavy losses in tho frontal attacks by which the enemy early in tho summer sum-mer drove his way toward Paris and tho channel ports. With such losses and American troops pouring Into "France at tho rate of 200,000 a month It would not bo a surprise, officers say, if the German leaders have beon compelled to fix upon a much shorter front than the old Hindenburg line. Unofficial reports from Dunkirk indicate in-dicate that tho preparations to evacuate evac-uate Doual, northern cornerstone of the Hindenburg arch in France, arc well advanced. The allied airmen also) aro said to have seen th,e enemy airdromes air-dromes and aviation stations fifteen miles bej'ond Doual being hastily evacuated evac-uated of heavy material. From other sources como reports that the civilian civil-ian populations of tho towns in German Ger-man hands in this region aro being i driven out, a step which always pre-! cedes a withdrawal by the enemy. j There is little doubt In the minds of officers here that Douai could bo held only at great cost if the British are sent forward to take IL . - - nn