r
,
V T r ? - "f" ' 1 f '
The Weather.
Showers Sunday; cooler in northeast
portions. Monday partly cloudy in east;
thundershowers In west portion, light
northeast winds becoming: variable.
VOL. CI-NO. 322.
WlLMnSTGrTOK, K. C SUNDAY MORNING, AUGUST 11, 1918
v WHOLE KUMBBR 39,500
'ERMAN FOR
M FULL RET RE A T
L TA JT PAGES TODAY
JLL JDiJ PS3- kJ' 1XVL.I; onesection , ;
:
ARE
j; RUSHING BLOW DELIVERED BY
BRITISH, FRENCH AND AMERICANS
I
BETWEEN
ermans Streaming Back To
ward the Somme and the
Nesle-Noyon Canal.
Allies take montdidier
thaulnes, Paris Reports, Has
I Been Reached By French
Patrols.
IS SERIOUS FOR ENEMY
Hapid Allied Advance Makes
Escape Difficult.
(By the Associated Press.)
Crushed by the impact of the British,
French and American offensive on the
battle line from Albert, northeast of
Amiens, to the Oise river, north of
Compieijne, German fores are stream
ing back toward the Somme river and
the Nesle-Noyon canal. So far as can
be determined, the enemy is in full re
treat all along the front a grains t
which the allies flung themselves on
Thursday morning. It ia reported from
Paris that French patrols are in Chaul
nes. the principal German center west
of the Somme.
Montdidier, at the tip of the German
salient in Picardy, has been taken by
the allies, who cut off large numbers
of the enemy when they sought to beat a
retreat from the city. Thousands of
prisoners were taken there by the al
lies, it is reported.
North of the Somme, stubborn ene
my resistance at Chipilly spur, a height
which dominated the whole valley of
the Somme in that region, has been
broken and the Gei maltg iwi t.fe- of the
river have joined their comrades in
retiring.
South of Montdidier, the French have
plunged through the German lines on
the hills west of the Matz river and
are reported to be in the valley of the
stream at Marqueglise.
When the situation is studied on a
map it enn be seen that the Germans
are in a serious position east of Mont
didier. The allies have closed in on
Chaulnes and have had the railroad
junction south of that town under ar
tillery fire for two days. If Chaulnes
is lost to the Germans, they will be
forced to make a long, perilous march
eastward over country roads toward
Xoyon. The rapid progress of the
French below Montdidier has placed
even this road under fire and made it
almost impossible as an avenue of es
cape for the harassed enemy.
In the center, the Germans are re
ported to be in full retreat. Allied air
men have seen roads filled with Ger
man motor lorries and have been active
in bombing these lines of transport.
The m-idges of the Somme river south
of Peronne are under Are and the one
at Peronne is reported to have been
broken. This will throw new. compli
cations in the German high command's
task of extricating its shattered arm
ies from the field where they have been
defeated.
It now appears that the German lines
In Picardy must have been stripped
when Crown Prince Rupprecht sent
troops to the rescue of the German
crown prince's armies south of the
Aisne three weeks ago. Paris news
papers remark on the fact that the
captives taken are, for the most part,
rather old and it is said that they
are members of reserve divisiosn.
Crown Prince Rupprecht, however, is
known to have a large number of
splendid troops which will probably be
thrown into battle at once. So far
only two of these divisions have come
in contact with the allies but they
have been unable to check the onward
rush of the victorious armies of Haig
and DeBeney.
The number of prisoners captured
during the first three days of the of
fensive is very large. It is hinted at
Paris thit it exceeds by far the figure
given out in the official statements.
Two divisional headquarters, with their
staffs, are said to have been taken.
The guns and war materials lost by
the enemy constitute a very heavy
loss.
Since the American forces occupied
Fismette, the northern suburb of Fis
mes, on the Vesle, there have been no
reports of further attacks, in that re
gion, it is believes, however, that the
allies there are gathering themselves
for a new assault which may have its
effect on the great battle going on fur
ther north.
Although there have been rumors of
heavy fighting south of Arras, there
as been no confirmation of them as
er Nothing is known of the situa
tion in F'anders, where on Friday the
Germans were reported to be with
drawing from their advanced positions.
Wm. H. Newman Dead.
New York, Aug. 10. William Hi New
man, former president and a member
f the board of directors of the New
rk Central Railroad, died today at
hls apartment in the Hotel Biltmore;
ar a long illness. He was 71 years
0l(i Mr. Newman, who was nresident
of the road from 1X9S to I9ft5 nra'i horn
n Prince. William miintv Virginia ni
besan hi srailroad career as-a station
ent at Shreveport, La., in 1869. He
"affic manager for the Southern sjrr
"n's lines. ?r
ALBERT AND THE OISE
Many Germans Taken When
French Capture Montdidier
French Advance to Depth
Of Six Miles on 20-Mile
Front; Take 8,000 Germans
(By the Associated Press.)
The French have driven the Ger
mans before them for an important
gain east of Montdidier in Picardy.
That city, which was the apex of a
German salient that now has been
wiped out, fell to the French first
army at midday Saturday. Before
nightfall, according to the French
war office statement, the victorious
French forces had carried the bat
tle line onward to an average depth
of six miles on a front of approxi
mately 20 miles.
In the three days of engagements
that culminated in the taking of
Montdidier, the French took 8,000
prisoners. Their captures also in
cluded 200 guns and an enormous
amount of material.
FRENCH PATROLS
REACH CHAULNES
Town is Principal Railway Cen
ter of Germans West of
the Somme.
DRIVE SIX MILES DEEP
Pertain' Men Continue to Advance
Eastward After Capturing MOnt- '
dldier Official Statement
on Operations.
With the French Army in France,
Aug. i.0.; (Havas Agency) French pa
trols are in Chaulnes, the principal rail
way center of the Germans west of the
Somme river. Many thousands of pris
oners were taken when Montdidier
was captured.
FRENCH OFFICIAL STATEMENT
ON OPERATION S IN PIOABDY.
Paris, Aug. 10. The French, ad
vancing eastward after their capture
of Montdidier at midday have advanc
ed their lines to an average depth .of
six miles on tne front extending from
Andechy, which is seven miles north
east of Montdidier to Elinoourt, -lying-10
miles southeast of the captured city,
according to the war office statement
issued tonight. The text follows:
"On the Avre battlefront, our attacks
continued al day with increasing suc
cess. After the morning's operations,
Montdidier, outflanked on the east and
the north, fell into our hands. Contin
uing our victorious advance on the.
right of the British forces, we carried
our lines nearly seven miles, to. the .east
of Montdidier on a front running from
Andechy to LaBoissiere and. Fescamps.
"Still enlarging our action southeast,
we have attacked .German positions on
the right and reft of the road from
Saint Just-En-Chaussee to Roye on a
front of more than 13 miles. We con
quered Rollot, Orvillers-Sorel, Reasons-Sur-Matz,
Couchy-Les-Pots, La Neu-ville-Sur-Ressons
and Elincourt, real
izing at some points an advance of
nearly seven miles.
"In three days of battle, French
troops have progressed nearly 14 miles
along the Amiens-Roye road. The
number of prisoners taken during the
same period exceeds 8,000. Among the
enormous material abandoned by the
enemy, we have counted, up to the pres
ent time, 200 guns.
"Eastern front, Aug. 9: In Albania
there have been patrol encounters that
yielded us some prisoners. Our avia
tors have bombed enemy camps in the
region of Pogradek and British avia
tors have dropped bombs on the rail
roads in the region of Ceres."
SUDDENNESS OF ATTACK
OVERWHELMS GERMANS.
With the French Army in France,
Aug. 10. 5 p. m.) The French at
tacked this morning in the section east
of Sfontdidler, between Courcelles-Ep-ayelles
and the Matz. There was no
artillery preparation before the at
tack. The Germans were on the alert, but
were completely overwhelmed by the
suddenness of the attack. By 8 o'clock
tanks were .in Resson-Snr-Matz and by
11 f o'clock the French hd taken Mor
temer, Cuvily and Marqueglise. At
some points the advance was nearly
flvejmiles.
The dash of the French trobps was
splendid. Their first objective was so
quickly taken that the hour of attack
on the second objective had to be ad
vanced. BERLIN ADMITS THAT THE
; ALLIES HAVE GAINED GROUND
Berlin, Aug. 1 (Via London) "In
tb center of the "battlefront the; enemy
tuejs gained ground beyond ; Rosieres
ndT Haaest,,r.:aya-tnei.t)mcia4;icom-i
Enemy Forces Are Caught Be
tween the Jaws of a
Human Vice.
MUCH MATERIAL TAKEN
French, Despite Four Years of
War, Have Lost None of
Former Dash.
GERMANS ON THE ALERT
Expected Attack But Were Un
able to Check It
London, Aug. 10. Montdidier fell to
the French first army, which had been
operating south of Montdidier, accord-
ing to the British war office announce
ment tonight. Many prisoners and
great quantities of material were taken
by the French.
The general line reached by the al
lies in the Albert-Montdidier sector
.now runs trom Lihons co Fresnoy-Les-Roye,
Lignieres and Conchy-Les-Pots.
The statement added that the number
of prisoners was increased.
The text or the communication fol
lows: "The attack launched yesterday, even
ing, in accordance with the allied plan
of operations, on our right by the
French first army south of Montdidier,
was developed.! by our. allies,,. fchjs morn
ing with complete succesa." Enveloped
from the north and from the southeast,
Montdidier fell into the hands Of the
French, before midday, together with
many prisoners and great quantities of
material."
GERMANS CAUGHT BETWEEN
JAWS OF FRENCH VISE
With the French Army in France,
Aug. 10. (Noon.) The Germans at
Montdidier are caught between the
jaws of a vise which were closing in
this morning. Converging attacks from
the north yesterday and from the south
this mdriring had succeeded in virtually
encircling the town.
They had also rendered useless to the
Germans the Montdidier-Chaulnes rail
way, which was the only line feeding
the front- at the bottom of the Mont
didier pocket. The forces remaining
there were in danger of not getting
out without heavy losses.
The booty taken during the past two
days .has been so large that it has not
been possible to make an inventory of
it as yet. It includes an enormous
amount of shells of all calibres and
arms of all description.
The attack extended to the eastward
this morning, giving an unexpected de
velopment' in the French participation
in the battle. The wounded men com
ing, back from the front are radiant
with enthusiasm, shouting to their
comrades, "The Boche is on the run."
The French have captured 21 cannon
since last night, including six 8-inch
guns at La Neuville-Sur-Ressons. The
Germans had moved the most of their
heavy guns to the rear and defended
their positions at Montdidier principally
rith machine guns.
In this new battle of the Somme, the
French are showing that after four
years of war they have lost none of
their dash and courage. They have
also proved that the Germans are not
always able to plead surprise as an
excuse for defeat.
The French successes north of Mont
didier were partially due to surprise,
but the Germans were aware of the
impending attack south of the town.
They were defeated, just the same.
Attacking at 6 o'clock last evening,
the French troops conquered the
heights of Assainvillers and Rubecourt
in two hours. This morning they
struck along the line down the front
through the region of Mery, southeast
of Montdidier, and moved their line
ahead more than four miles, taking
Faverolles by storm.
COMMANDER OF U-BOAT THAT
SANK LUSITANIA IS DEAD
London, Aug. 10. Lieutenant-commander
Schweiger, who commanded the
submarine which sank the' Lusitania,
is dead. His death occurred in Sep
tember, 1917, according to reports 1 re
ceived here. Schweiger, in command
of the U-88, was in the Bight of Helgo
land with another submarine. Both U
boats submerged and the other com
mander felt a chain sweeping along the
side and . believed he had run into an
unknown British mine field. Ak terrific
explosion followed. - The second boat
rose rapidly and signalled for the other.
There was no reply. The U-88 has not
been heard from since. 4
FRENCH PENETRATE DEEP
INTO THE AUSTRIAN LINES
Rome, Aug. 10. French troops pene
trated deep into the' Austrian entrench
ments oh Monte Sisemol this" morning,
capturing 250 prisoners," according . to
an , official statmeent issued by the -war
: I a-:'.
ENEMY MYSTIFIED
UNTIL AMERICANS
WERE DISCOVERED
Were At a Loss to Know Why
Resistance Was So Stiff At
Chateau-Thierry.
THEY HIT A BRICK WALL
Brilliant Work of Americans
Told in Letter From Officer
Of the Marines.
Washington, Aug. 10 A graphic eye
witness account of the fighting near
Chateau-Thierry, in which American
divisions, including the marine bri
gade, tooK part early, in June was made
public today by the navy department.
It is in the form of a long letter from
an officer of the marines to Major
General Barnett, commander of the
4corps, and the story told is of peculiar
significance as, In the opinion of many
officers here, it was the stand of the
Americaas alog this Jjpe which saved
Paris. The name of the writer is not
disclosed.
Americans were rushed to the line in
motor trucks to support the hard
pressed French, and on June 1, the ma
rine brigade deployed on a support
position, the battalion commanded by
Major Thomas Holcomb hurrying into
line as the men climbed off the trucks.
The Germans, were coming on and on
June 2 the French dropped back, pass
ing through the American lines.
"We had installe dourselves in a
house in LaVoie Chatel, a little vil
lage between Champillon and Lucy-Le-Bocage,"
the writer says. "From one
side wehad observation of the north
and when the Germans attacked at 5
p. m. we had a box seat.
"They were driving at hill 165 from
the norrh.ahd northeast and they came
out on a wonderfully clear day, in two
columns across aA-sijheat field. We
could se .the twofM brown columns
jadyancmg ln perfiyder; until two
thirds of the column judgtdTweref
in view
"The rifle and machine-gun fire was
incessant and overhead shrapnel was
bursting. Then the shrapnel came on
the target, at each shot.
"The white patches would roll away
and we could see that some of the col
umns were still, there, slowed up, and
it seemed perfect suicide for. them to
try. You couldn't begrudge a tribute
to their pluck, at that.
"Then, under deadly fire and a bar
rage of rvfle and machine gun fire, the
Boche stopped. It was too much for
any m-jn. , They burrowed in or broke
to the cover of the woods and you
could follow them by the ripples of the
green leaves as they raced for cover."
The writer declares the rifle fire of
the marines amazed the French who
saw it.
"That men should Are deliberately
and use their sights and adjust their
range," he says, "was beyond their
experience. It- must have had a tefling
effect on the morale of the Boche, for
it was something they had not counted
on.
"As a matter of fact, after pushing
back the weakened French and then
running up against a stonewall de
fense, they were literally up in the
air,' and more than stopped. We found
that out later from prisoners, for the
Germans never knew we were in the
front line, when tney made that at
tack. They were absolutely mystified
at the manner in which the defense,
stiffened up until, they found that our
troops were in line."
The letter tells in detail of the
days of. fighting that followed. It de
scribes a daylight charge against a
machine gun post and of scouting raids
up to June 6, when the whole brigade
swung forward, to strafghten out the
line. This action resulted in the cap
ture of Belleau wood.
Major Sibley's battalion of the sixth
marine regiment led the way here
with Holcomb in, support. The woods
were alive with machine guns. That
night, word came back tha Robertson
with 20 men of the 79th company had
taken Bouresches, .breaking through a
heavy machine gun barrage to enter
the towi. Robertson," fighting with an
automatic in . either hand, was hit
three times before he would allow Mm
self to be taken to the rear.
Speaking of individual actj of brav
ery, the writer , says Duncan, a com
pany commander, "before he was
mowed dewn, ,Jlftd hii pipe in his
mouth and was carrying a stick." Lat
er, he adds, "Dental Surgeon Osborne
picked up Tuncan and with a hospital
corps man had just gained some shel
ter when a shell wiped all three out."
Private Dunlavy, killed later, cap
tured an enemy machine gun in Bou
resches, which he turned on. the foe
with great effect, while at another
point 'young Timmerman chiarged a
machine gun at the point of a bayonet
and sent in 17 prisoners, at a clip."
When the enemy , made a stand at
one point s in the -woods, Sibley's bat
talion was withdrawn and for an hour
50 American aijd French batteries ham
mered the wood. Hughes, with the
tenth company, 'thejo. went In . and his
first message J was, that the wood had
been cut to mince meat, Overton, head
ing the 76th company, finally charged
the .rCck plateau,7 killing or capturing
every gunner- ahd ' all the guns with a
few casualties. . ' . . v
The 8ind' cbmpahy lost all "its offi
cers .and MajdV Sibley and his adjut
ant, Lieutenant .Bellamy, re-organized
it under, fire, and charged a machine
gun' nest at ; the "most, critical time in
air the fightingr ; -J ' ... j
"I wonder if JeVer an outflCrthe let
4ConUan4 on Pig'Two)v
AMERICANS PLAY
A BRILLIANT PART
IN NEW ADYANCE
They Race to the Front in Or
der to Be in Battle on
Schedule Time.
FIGHT BESIDE BRITISH
Allied Forces Now Beyond Their
Objectives North of the
Somme.
With the British Army in France,
Aug. 10. North of the Ancre the Brit
ish have firmly established their posi
tions and are pushing out patrols to
ward Braye.
The Germans throughout the day
were retiring all along the line, en
deavoring to save whatever they could
as the French launched their new at
tack against Montdidier.
The French attack today resulted in
tfte taking ' of Montdidier. This move
ment is considered as most significant
as the allies have now penetrated far
into the enemy lines in the Amiens
district. The Germans are retreating
rapidly cut of the pocket of which
Montdidier was the apex.
The Americans and British have now"
advanced beyond their objectives north
of the Somme. The whole of the Chi
pilly spur is now in their possession
after Igbtin the most desperate
character.
The casualties of the Americans
were 'not more than was to be 'ex
pected, considering the bitterness of
the flgHting.
Details of the brilliant battle which
the Americans and British made for the
spur are now available. In drder to go
over the top at the appointed ttmp
yesterday afternoon, the , Americans
were forced to raakea, rapid mar?h,
in the last - part -of whie&--,they ran.
9&mm
vancing British, French and American
troops on the Amiens-Somrae battle
field, the Germans throughout: the day
retired all along the line, attempting
to save whatever they could as the
French launched a new attack on
Montdidier. The elements of the Ger
man divisions became badly confused
in their operations through; trying to
hold up the allies in their several at
tacks. It was a victorious day for
the allies who smashed all the Ger
man resistance.
In the American attack, the German
infantry held for a while and then
broke and the Americans kept going,
at some peaces without the assistance
of the tanks. The ground, pitted with
deep - gullies, was uneuited for tank
warfare.
There were no' trenches, but a thin
smoke screen blowing across the
ground indicated where the enemy's
positions ' lay. At the same time the
German artillery became active and
dropped shells in the direction of the
American trpops, which inflicted a few
casualties. The Americans, however,
ran on and reached the smoke line
just as it lifted. There they found
themselves at grips with the enemy.
Meanwhile,, certain American units
had reached positions in front of a
wood 7'hen the Germans opened fire
with machine guns. Many of these
enemy machine gunners came up from
deep dugouts after the American bar
rage had ceased and they placed their
guns in prepared pits. The Americans
faced a hail of bullets.
WILMINGTON PROMISES
RELIEF FOR NORFOLK
This City, With Salisbury MdU, Will
Ship ISO Tons of Ice Dally to
Virginia Port.
Norfolk, Va., Aug. 10. Temporary
relief for the ice famine was in sight
tonight .when Wilmington, N. and
Salisbury, Md., promised daily ship
ments to aggregate 150 tons. Govern
ment officials also announced that it
would immediately take steps to bring
down several cargoes of Hudson river
natural ice to lessen the daily de
mands of the naval and army bases
and depots. The return of warmer
weather added to the distress of hun
drds forced to cp without cool drink
ing wa,ter.
Urider the order restricting the use
of electric current to essential indus
tries there was continued improvement
in transportation situation today. Con
gestion continues, but is much less
acute.
CHINA REFUSES TO RECEIVE
THE VATICAN'S APPOINTEE
Peking, Aug. 10. (By the Associated
Press.) The Chinese government has
declined to receive Monsignor Petrelli,
recently, appointed papal nuncio to
China, on the ground that he is a per
sonal friend of Admiral von Hintze,
German secretary of foreign affairs,
and late minister to Peking.
Contract For Wooden Ships.
. Washington, Aug. 10. -Contracts for
18 wooden cargo vessels and 16 wooden
barges were let last reek, the shipping
board announced today. Fourteen ves
sels of J.500 tons each win be built,
four, o'.them ,by John H. Fahey, jJack-.
sonvilJeFla,., who recently bought he
Hlnyer Steering Dunn Company's yard.
Six, of the barges alsb will be built by
Mr. Fahey . j
NOW IS THE
STRIKE THE
THE GREA
German Peace Offensive .
Will Have No Bearing On
The Attitude of America
Washington, Aug. 10. Hints that
the Germans are preparing to
launch another, "peace offensive"
reaching the state department from
various sources and evidences of
indirect and cautious feelers al
ready put "out, led to an authori
tative statement tonight that Gen
eral March correctly stated the at
titude of the American government
today when he said in a conference
with newspaper men that now Is
the time for the greatest effort at
the battlefront.
It 5s known to the officials that
"more Teutonic- peace talk" would
have been forthcoming if the big
March drive of the Germans had
succeeded to a point where they
could claim at least a partial vic
tory. Now that they are reeling
under a stunning defeat on that
same western front officials say
the "peace drive" may be expected
becaase somethingmust be done to
keep the German people behind
their government by the pretense
that it is willing and anxious to
make peace, but that the enemy
will be content with nothing short
of 'the annihilation of the central
powers.
Officials here, therefore, are pre
pared for the resumption of efforts
at an inconclusive peace based on
the cunning German plan, as prac
ticed at Brest-Litovsk on the help
less Russian.
GERMANS TRY TO
. REGAIN POSITIONS
Launch Repeated Counter-Attacks
Against Fronco-Americans
Near Fismes.
THEY ARE BEATEN OFF
Desperate Fighting. Takes Plaee in
the Region of Fismette Village, .
in Which the Americans
Are Victors.
With the American Army on the
Vesle Front, Aug.-10. In attempting
to dislodge the French and the Amer
icans from positions north of the
Vesle river, on both sides of Fismes,
the Germans launched repeated coun
ter attacks, which began just before
dark Friday night and continued un
til Saturday morning. There was des
perate fighting in the region of Fis
mette, where the Grman attacks were
rpulsed by the Americans who were
clinging to the- outskirts of the vil
lage. In the region of Bazoches, the Ger
mans made several vicious attacks,
but the allies successfully fought them
off-
The Germans began with airplane at
tacks, the aviators attempting to
bomb infantrymen north of the Vesle
and bridges over which other troops
were passing. French and American
anti-aircraft guns beat off the German
flyers, however.
Just after dark, the Germans
launched an artillery attack which
steadily increased in volume until
nearly daylight, when the Franco
Americaris counter-attacked with such
force that the Germans were forced
to lessen the volume -of their fire.
During the night, . the Germans at
tacked Fismette three times and once
after daylight Saturday.
From the region southeast of
Braisne to Fismes, the Franco-Americans
put down such, a-terrific barrage
that the Germans Were stopped.
Saturday morning the Teutons start
ed another attack along the same line
but heavy artillery quickly ' checked
this assault. The enemy used much
gas in attempting to dislodge the
Americins; from Fismette. Infantry
men plantifully supplied with machine
guns also made futile attacks.
The Americans discovered Saturday
that the Germans, in counter-attacking
Friday night and Saturday ' morning,
used "glass ball" shrapnel containing
stones of marble shape, some of them
a half inch in diameter and others
three-fifths of an Inch. American of
ficers said .that this was their first
acquaintance with shrapnel of this na
ture. ,
A peculiar wound inicted on an
Americtn soldier led to the disco very
that the Germans , were using glass
missies. The. French and the Ameri
cans made a search of the district
along the Vesle and found one -un-exploded
shell and it has been turned
over to the ordnance experts for exam
ination. Aeqnirjng Camp Property.
Fayetteville, Aug. 10. C. Fr Pilat,
construction engineer, and T. T. White
and W. A. Pierce, of the real estate
bureau of the war . department, arrived
in Fayetteville today K end - together
with John G. Shaw, local attorney,
started4 preliminary, work toward the
acquirement of land for the . location
of the laige artllleiTi training ground
and cantonment to be established near
,iHL city. -
TIME TO
GERMANS
TEST BLOW
Keep the Enemy Running,"'
Says March in Statement tor
Newspaper Men.
SUPPRESS PEACE TALK
Says "We Have the Enemy'
Guessing Now Instead of ;
Guessing Ourselves.'
REVIEWS WAR SITUATION
Describes Effect of the Allied
Operations.
Washington, Aug. 10. "Thie is the
time, for the greatest effort; to keep ':
the enemy running."
General March, chief of staff, Bum- )
marized thus today to newspaper men ' 1
the situation in France. Standing be- .
fore the great military maps at tie j
war department that show clearly juBt '
where the German is being beaten
battle front was rapidly being straight-
ariArl nut fmm PhAlma tst Vw aoo
"They have not yet," he Baid, "gotten
back to the original Hindenburg line "'
where the German began his advances
this year. We still have some territory '
10 gain, so wnen statements appear
that indicate the war is over at this 1
point, discourage it.
inis is tne time ror the greatest
effort, keep the enemy .running. Thfit
is the reason the UnitedStates Is being
called upon for ' increased man-power, '
that is the reason we want the age n.
limits for the draft lowered and raised
!'It is no time to talk about the war,
being over.. It iB .the tithe-to-hit hard. K
3 Tfee .greatest ' advantage of the
whole thing has beeii the change of the
sive, wnicn is a great military asset.;
"We have the enemy guessing now
instead of guessing ourselves."
From a confidential report General
March read the following account of
the situation on the British-French
front south of Albert: , j;
"Allied troops found little opposition
and have captured more prisoners than ,
it is tificci Vl o fm tViAmn ti Vi o nrllo i t
eluding a German general and his staff,
showing elements of surprise attack. ,
British report their prison camps back
of Amiens so' full that it is impossible -to
hold more. Allies have captured all
the artillery in this sector."
Describing the effect of the allied
"Surveying the battle line broadly,
you see that there have been a number
of places where we have been nibbling
along the Vesle river front, acquiring
a foothold on the northern bank, but
have not yet attempted to go up the
slopes on the north side where German
intrenchments are supposed to he. V
That part of the line has remained sta-,
tlnnarv. ' '
"As the line has become stationary,
Foch has kept up his pressure on tn
enemy, working on the perfectly sound v
principle,- that when you get an enemy ;
going, yon keep him going; never give- :
mm . cnance xo recuperate or minK
It over, keep on hitting him. t
1 1 r . - MA. ,11. - 1 a I A. 1 . - .
kjii Auguoi sin, a corn uiiiea oriusn
and French force, commanded by Field t.
Marshal Halg, attacked on a front of
zo mnes, east or Amiens, 'inis terrain .
is flat, almost level, and while some
time ago there were small clumpsof
woods, all of thee undoubtedly had been' '
leveled long ago by artillery fire so we
can count tnat country as pracucariy
level with very little natural Imnedl- '
ment to an advance. There are a few. ,-;
valleys perpendicular to the front of
our advancing armies instead of paral- -lei
to It, so that the advancing troops ' .
can go right through the valleys., " -"The
enemy were apparently taken
tj y oux i inc aiiu uiouc oqoiiiiai a v r.
sistance In the center, confining their -r
strong resistance to the flanks. Hit- -ting
the big salient on a 13 mile front,
we pushed It in an average of eight
miles, and .reduced It from, an outer C;
salient to an Inner salient. That gives .
the Marne salient and places the enemy ; '
I in a w4 nrtnitinn Thfl nHvanm nf th ..
British and French at this point comes,
up so that they are getting Into con-
tspl, , or threatening, the railroad line
of communlcalons which at that point
I III! lilt 1 1 Will Lll C OU.LriAt.UlU.ACL I.V
Chaulnes.
"On the Flanders salient, the enemy
on August 9th was withdrawing on the
southern sector ox the salient, south ot . -Merville
and British occupied that ter-,
ritory. The general effect of these
movements , Is straightening out the
line everyiVhere.'.' ,
.Answering a question as to tne na
division's record, eneral March said; ,
"The Rainbow, division had its com
bat training In the Lorraine sector,;''
north of Lunevllle. It left that post- ' .
on to arrive east of Rheims. where v
on July 15 it helped break the malnA
American counter offensive was launch- -ed
on the Marne salient, the division
appeared there shortly In relief of oth- -er
units. ,Our reports Indicate the fol
lowing: .
"In eight days of battle, the 42nd dl-' r
vision, has forced the passage of the;
Ourcq, taken, prisoners from sir enemy
divisions, met, , routed, v 1 decimated ; a ,
- t - - x si a " T
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