ions that had been
taken by the respective armies engaged in the struggle for the
supremacy of western Europe. General von Kluck, still in charge
of the First German Army, was in control of the western section
from the Forest of the Eagle to the plateau of Craonne. He had
forced his men to almost superhuman efforts, and by midnight of
September 11 he had succeeded in getting most of his artillery
across the Aisne, at Soissons, and had whipped his infantry into
place on the heights north of the stream. That, with his exhausted
troops, he succeeded remains still a tribute to his power as a
commander. But the men were done. Further attack meant rout. His
salvation lay in his heavy field guns and howitzers, an arm of
the service in which the French army, under General Maunoury (and
General Pau, who had taken a superior command during the turning of
the German drive at the Marne), was notoriously weak. Still there
was little comfort there, for the British army was well supplied
with heavy artillery, and the Fifth French Army of General d'Esperey,
also coming up to confront him, was not entirely lacking in this
branch of the service.

General von Buelow's army was combined with that of General von
Hausen, who fell ill and was retired from his command. Against
this combined army was ranged the victorious and still fresh army
of General Foch, lacking two corps, which had been detached for
reserves elsewhere. One of these corps apparently went to the aid of
General Sarrail, whose stand was still a weak point in the Allies'
line. General Sarrail, however, was now better supported by the
movement of General Langle with the Fourth French Army, who advanced
toward Troyon and confronted the combined armies of the Imperial
Crown Prince and the Duke of Wuerttemberg. This released General
Sarrail to his task of intrenching and enlarging the defenses about
Verdun, the importance of which had become more poignant than ever
before in the events of the past week. The far eastern end of the
line remained unchanged.

The credit for the crossing of the Aisne lies with the British
troops. The battles of the Marne had thrust Sir John French into a
prominent position, wherein he was able to achieve a much-desired
result without any great loss of life. But the battle of the Aisne
was different. It was a magnificent effort boldly carried out,
and, as was afterward learned, it could not have been successful
had the onset been delayed even one da