The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-10-26
BIC TANKS score
French, Gland Cruisers" Raze
Machine Gun Forts.
Germans Staggering Under Pc
tafn'S Smashing Victory.
LEFT BIG CANYONS BEHIND
Prisoners Flock to French
Lines Without Escort.
Cavern RedOubts DivuIge Hun
dreds of Surprised Captives.


With the French Armies in France
Thursday, Oct. 25.-By the Associated
Press-The French have reached the
Aisne canal and Laon, eight miles
AWAY is in sight. Following up the
victory of Tuesday the French today
took Monkey mountain, east of Vaux-
alilon, the village Of Pinon and the
forest of the same as well as the viii
lage of Pargny- Filain.
Certain Generalization in the Ger
man command is shown by contradic-
tory orders found on prisoners.
Crossing the battlefield in the vi
cinity of Vaurains and Saint Guillain
farms the correspondent obtained
ample evidence of the extent of the
ers in large groups were making their
way to the rear, marching without
escort. Damaged German machine
guns lay everywhere, while scattered
around were heapS Of ammunition,
cannons and quantities of military
material.
| Ready to Attack, but Surrender
Many Germans were captured in
the cavern of Fruty. The approaches
were battered severely and large holes
had been torn in tn roof demonstrate
! ing the power and accuracy of the
French artillery. Not an inch of
ground herea bouts had been left un-
| changed The cavern has galleries
about one kilonreter in length with
| many exits most of which had been
| damaged greatly by the French guns
/ When the French infantry dashed
forward in the darkness they ap-
preached the entrance warily and
! found them full of Germans waiting
for the moment of attack with hand
grenades and smoke bombs. This at
tack soon brought them out with their
| hands raised in token of surrender
Meanwhile the tanks had advanced
with the infantry men until the sec
ond German position was reached
! destroying on the way any nest of ma
| chine guns~opposing the progress of
| the French troops. The tanks ad-
vanced several kilometers during
which they met and demolished sew
eral machine gun nests. One tank
| was opposed by a determined Ger
man officer with a large body of men
who poured bullets upon the armored
| sides of the machine without effect.
| Finally the French officer in COM
| mand descended from the tank and
with his revolver forced the whole
| group to surrender.
| Another tank found a battery of
| field guns facing it. AS soon as the
| tank opened fire half of the artillery
| men threw up their hands while the
| remainder bolted only to fall beneath
a hail of machine gun bullets from
| the monster.
Today the French advance proceed
| ed rapidly and the units reached the
| various objectives with regularity. Az
l ter taking the village OF Pinon the pa
| trolls went forward and entered the
| forest of the same name. They found
many German cannon abandoned bus
| with the breach blocks gone. Dead
| horses, killed by the German Suuners
| lay beside the cannon. The Germ ans
j had found it impossible to get the
weapon away over the, marshes ad-
| Joining the Aisne canal over which
| most of the bridges had been destroy
| ed. making a retreat of artillery I'M
| practicable.
ga ntured bv the French and many of
them were turned on the fleeing Ger
I mans who had left plenty of ammuni-
ton behind. 1t is reported that l9o
/ cannon have fallen in French nahus'
but the number is uncertain oWlns 10
the condition of the battlefield ana
its width. The same uncertainty ap-
oIias 10 the number Of prisoners hun
dreds of Germans being encountered
on all parts of the field marcnlns
YEARLY ba ok to the French me- IN ~
The sight of the towers OF the
Catbedral of Laon. few miles away
snurred the French soldiers 10 Won
= darfuI efforts of endurance and swift
ness of movement. They went on ue-
terninedly in pursuit or the CerIiih lls.
Having Da rites behind to clear out
oo1la,s and caverns which disgorged
hundreds of demoralized prisoners
who seemed astounded at the Vastness
of their defeat.
with all this severe fighting on a
battlefield where the Germans had
! strong positions and where they ac-
cepted the challenge of the Freneh
army to a stand-up combat the
French casualties were remarkably
low. - ~
! The French troops If all branches
are iubi1ant over the victory. The ar
= tiIlerv. infantry and airmen mutually
praise each others work. One colonel
commanding a regiment which par
ticipated in the battle at the hardest
point declared that the fighting had
= turned into a war of movements
f Where the Germans will make 8
stand can not yet be foreseen. What
= / is known now is that the line of theil
retreat is over a difficult and Doggy
terrain where the movement of gun:
is possible only with great precaution
} The correspondent spoke to severa
3 prisoners. none of whom quite realized
r the extent of the disaster to the army
I of the German crown prince who had
made such elaborate preparations II
meet the French attack. All this
1 wounded Germans seemed delighted
I with the swiftness and skill with
:. which they were treated by the French
surgeons