Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-10-26
PETA|N'S ARMY ONLY
8 MILES FROM LAON
Latest Drive Brings French
Within Sight of Important
Railway Junction.
CAPTURE MUCH WAR BOOTY
Battle Between Austro- German
Forces and Italians Grow
ing in Intensity.
CAPTURE MUCH WAR BOOTY

The French forces IN the Aisne re-
Gion continue to develop their success
of Tuesday. when they made rapid
advance over front of about six miles
capturing important German positions
and thousands Of prisoners
Following UP minor successes on
Wednesday, the French again attack cd
Thursday along tho entire line, forcing
the Germans to abandon Monkey Noun
tain, east Of NauXai!lon. the village
and forest of P!non, the village Of
l'argny-Filain on the extreme east OF
the line, and numerous fortified farms
and other points OF vantage. The latest
drive OF the French brings General Pc
tains army within sight of the import
ant railway junction of Laon, the OBJ
jective sought for. which now is a scant
eight miles distant. Large quantities
or war stores were abandoned by the
enemy In their retreat. and additional
guns and prisoners were captured The
Number of prisoners taken since the
drive began now exceeds $4,000, more
than 200 of whom are officers. Two
thousand of the prisoners were taken
Thursday.
An indication of the rapidity with
which the drive has been carried out is
the total number Of guns the Germans
were forced TO leave behind them.
These amount 20 l20, among them sew
eral howit2ers. not to mention several
hundred small caliber pieces. such as
Minenwerfcr and machine guns.
! On the twenty-fve- mile front run
ming from Monte Romber 20 the Balm
sizza plateau the battle between the
AuStro-German forces and the Italians
apparently is growing in intensity.
with the Austro-German forces the ag-
Eressors, hut with the Italians stub
bornly resisting everywhere
ITALIANS DO NOT
CONCEDE ANY LOSSES
Although the German War Office as
scrts that gains have been made at
various points along the line. the
Italian official communication does not
conccde any losses except on the east
bank OF the lsonzo south of Monte
Rombcr. To the contrary. this com
riunication asserts that on the Balm
sizza plateau, where the Germans had
announced successes, and on the west
slope OF Monte San Gabrielle. enemy
attacks were repulsed. and that the
Italians even took several hundred
prisoners.
Not alone does the German War
Office assert that the Italian line bar
ring the way TO the valley OF the
Flitsch basin and to Tolmino was
overrun. and that positions also were
captured on the Bainsizza plateau, but
that large quantities OF booty were
taken by the Austro- German forces.
and that more than $4,000 prisoners
fell into their hands, including di-
visional and brigade stafts.
While the operations on the Ypres
sector of the front in Flanders continue
10 he carried out mainly by the artil-
lery. with the British and French guns
hurling the greater weight of metal
the Germans have launched another
strong counterattaclt south OF the
tioutholst forest. where the British and
French armies have joined hands.
Again this attack met with repulse.
FRENCH SHOOT DOWN
TWENTY-FIVE GERMAN PLANES
In intensive air fighting Wednesday
night. the French airmen shot down or
forced TO land in a damaged condition
twenty-five German planes
The retirement of the Germans on
the northern Russian front continues.
The enemy now is back as far as the
Rodenpois- -Turkaln line, approaching
the Dvina River region. Behind them,
the Germans are destroying everything
on the ffteen-mile front over which
they are retreating.
On the Gulf OF Riga. the Germans
have attempted a further landing on
the Wcrdcr Peninsula in order 10
harass the Russian right wing. but
we're stopped by the Russian fire. Pos
sibly in view OF the operations of Ger
man naval units at the head of the Gulf
(Ccnlinucd on Second Page.)