Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-10-24
Center of German Line Is Pene-
trated and Village Captured
After Desperate Fighting on
Both Sides.
PETR0GRAD ANNOUNCES
VICTORY IN RIGA GULF
Claims Large Number of Ene-
my Ships Put Out of Action,
But Cannot Account for
Their Whereabouts.

tsS hosslss JouRssL spseiAS LEAseo wIsrI
While the allied troops were busiy
engaged in consolidating positions
won Monday in Flanders, the French
forces of General Petain struck
mighty and unexpected blow against
the German line northeast of Scissors
Tuesday morning and made some OF
the most important gains of terrain
since they threw back the army of the
German crown prince which was le-
seiging Verdun.
The stroke was made over a front
of about six miles from the east of
Vauxiallon to Pargny- Filain. Under
rainy and generally unfavorablu
weather conditions the French push.
cd forward all along the line, aided
!! by audacious aviators who flew over
the Germans positions at an altitude
of about $50 feet, using their ma
chine guns and penetrated the Ger
man line at one point to depth of
two and fifth miles.
Strong Positions Taken.
Numerous important positions fell
into the hands of General Petain's
men and in addition more than $500
Germans, an enormous amount of war
material and twenty-five heavy and
field guns were captured.
The greatest depth of the drive was
In the center of the line, where the
village of Chavignon was captured
after a violent struggle which result
ed in the enemy fleeing pell NELL
Some of the best troops in the army
of the German crown prince were en-
gagged in endeavoring to hold back the
onslaught, but their efforts were un.
availing under the enthusiasm of the
French to win positions which would
place them more advantageously to
press on later toward Laon
For about week the French arti-
tery had been hurting tons of steel
into the German line in front of them
In preparing for the drive and when
it was started sad havoc already had
been wrought by the guns In ad-
dition to the prisoners taken by the
French. the Germans also suffered
heavy casualties
British Hold Gains.
III bpNu liit bIltiSI anu
French troops are holding all the
gains made In Mondays drive north
east of Ypres, except at one place on
the southern fringe of Houtholst for
est, where the Germans in a fierce
counter-attack forced a slight retire
ment by the British,
The latest adyices concerning the
naval activity in the Gulf of Riga be-
tween the Germans and the Russians
show that although the Russians lost
the battleship slava and large tor
pedo boat destroyer, the Germans
were the heaviest losers Two of their
dreadnaughts, one cruiser, twelve tor
pedo boats. one transport and numer
Gus mine sweepers were put out OF
action by the Russian fleet While
the exact fate of these vessels has not
been ascertained by the Petrograd
government II is announced that at
least six of the German destroyers
were sunk.
Further Germans attempts to
land forces on the Esthonia coast to
the north of Werder have been re-
pulsed by Russian detachments.
Bombardments on other Fronts
On the other fronts no important
engagements are in progress, except in
the nature of bombardments. On the
Julian front of the Austro-Italian thea
ter the artillery activity again has
become intense.
The British merchant cruiser
Omara. a vessel of 1897 tons has
been sunk by submarine and Brit
sh destroyer has been lost in a col
lision. There was no loss of life on
Drama, but two officers and twenty
one men are reported to have been
saved from the destroyer.