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Show WAR NEWS OF j THEEEK. At last we have an explanation of the retreat from the Aisne to the 1 Marne General March, acting chief of staff, informed the members of th Isenato military committee today, that I the Germans had given the allied commanders com-manders another surprise. Th allies thought they could hold the Champagne Cham-pagne front with seven division? The Germans, at night, brought up many divisions and threw 20 divisions 'against the defenders, thus outnumbering outnum-bering them nearly three to one. But if General Foch had available reserve, within 24 hours aftr the firs' attack, he should have been able to oercome those odds. Then General March givrs us a surprise. sur-prise. He relates that the German, making new use of gas. developed an offensive which compelled a hasty retreat re-treat of the French and British. While the front lines were battling, the Germans, Ger-mans, using nine-inch gas shells, drenched the allied rear ground to a depth of seven and eight miles, so i that when a retirement was forced. I the soldiers of General Foch found I their second line eight miles to the rear untenable. We must give the German credit j for initiative and ingenuity. He is con Istantly "putting over" surprises on the allies, although he has been rated as dull in imagination. We are somewhat cheered by the report re-port that thf Crown Prince shows evidence evi-dence of stopping long enough for a breathing spell at the Marne. Thr Standard yesterday foretold such a I possibility, as the result of the big i advance made without a stop. Given a few days in which to read-Just read-Just his forces, and General Forch maj be in position to hold the enemy a : the Marne, also on the Somme. II he dees, then the next blow will com. at Verdun or just west of Verdun. The ,Crown Prince would 1 1 K to wipe out the stain of Verdun which is upon his escutcheon j Though the war news is serious, today's to-day's reports from Paris are a relief from the constant stream of bad messages mes-sages which has been flowing out of the war zone all week. |