The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-11-04
Germans Vacate Positions
in Northern Franc. Retir-
ing About 13 Miles.
TEUION LINES
ARE SHATTERED
Italian Guns Bonlbarding
Invaders Along New Line
Across the River.
ASSOCIATED PRESS SUMMARY

ASSOCIATED PRESS SUMMARY
blowing up the bridges as they re-
tfeated, the Germans on the xAssne
'front.' in northern France have given
up their precarious hold on the Che
min des Danes plateau and retired
To the north bank of the Ailette river
along a front of approximately ID
miles, closely followed by the French.
This retirement by the German
crown prince has been in prospect
since the recent successful drive by
General Petain, southwest of Laon,
which carried the French to the banks
of the Oise-Aisne canal, at the west
erly end of the Chenin des Danes,
and gave them artillery domination,
of large section of the German lines
TO the east.
As appears from today's Paris of
ficial statement, the Germans are
now on the north bank of the Ailette.
a maximum distance of mile back
of their previous position, while the
Trench have moved up to the south
bank of the river. There is no hint
in the official reports from either
side as to whethe> further retire.
ment by the crown prince is in pros
Dect. .-He~was virtually compelled by
the superiority of the new Frenih lpo-
sitions to fall back at least as far as
he has. The probability seems that
he will take up a position In the
heights just north of the Ailette,
which command the approaches to
Laon, the keystone of the German
western front at its southwesterly
bend.
The hills on the northern bank OF
the Ailette generally are not as high
as those on the south, and the crown
prince may have gone back to the
line of the river Ardon, which runs
southwest from Laon and joins the
Ailette north of Chayignon. 1t is inn
probable that the Germans did not
retire across the Ailette, as not to
do so might place them in worse
position than on top of the ritge.
The retirement might include Laon,
the reputed southern citadel of the
Hindenburg line of last March; bus
if the front of the Ailette is given
up, a line FROM st. Quentin through
La Fere, Laon and Montaige to Neuf-
chatel-sur-Aisne, along the railroad
between La Fere and Neufchate,
might offer a good hating place. A
retirement only to the northern bank
of the Ailette, between Chavignon and
Craonne, might not affect the line
from Chavignon north to st. Quenton,
but a further retreat would involve
the present line as far as La Fere at
least On the eastern end of the
Chemin des Danes, if the retirement
is not made secure quickly, there IS
a possibility of a French blow in
Champagne which might straighten
out the entire front from Craonne TO
Verdun.
General Cadorna has halted on the
wxtern bank of the Tagliamenro,
momentarily at least, to face the on.
coming Austro- Germans. The east
ern bank of the river, Berlin reports,
has been cleared of Italians from the
Fella river, where the TagliamenJo
turns westward, near Tolmezzo. to
the Adriatic.
italian guns are bombarding the
invaders along the new line, but
apparently no attempt has yet been
made by the Austro-Germans to force
a crossing of the river. There are no
indications as to the whereabouts or
the Austro- Germans reported driving
through the Carnic Alps early in the
week in an attempt to turn the flank
of the Tagliamento. Reports from
Switzerland say the Germans are hur-
rying troops and guns into the Tren-
tino. This might mean either to
strengthen the Austrians there or 10
start a drive south from Trentino in
an attempt to cut off the ItaliaSs now
on the Venetian plains.
Italians are holding intact the front
along the Tagliamento river, despite
several attempts of Teutons to cross.
The new front is shorter than the old,
and is therefore, theoretically, easier
TO defend. Close attention is being
paid to the Trentino front, where a
heavy blow is not unlikely.
Berlin announces the completion of
withdrawal of the line from Chemin
Des Danes. The Paris account shows
n retreat along a 13-mile front. The
line was withdrawn mile to posi-
tion commanding the approaches to
Iaon.