The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-10-23
French Achieve Most ImpOr-
tant Victory of Months.
Advance Two Miles and Take
5000 Prisoners.
SLAVS SWEEP RIGA FRONT
Sudden Offensive Regains PO-
SitiOnS in 4 Lost Sectors.
Expect Heavy Offensive Blow
by Allies in Flanders.

Paris, Oct. 23.-Frencn troops
achieved one of the most important
victories of recent months fighting
/ early today when they swept forward
| for nearly two miles over a front of
two-thirds of mile, capturing Allie
mant, Vaudesson. Malmaison fort.
! Premier Painleve announced the
drive "as most important success"
| Three thousand German prisoners
were taken in the drive, he stated,
with twenty cannon. French forces
now have reached the brick yard at
! chavignon, overlooking the Laon
plains.
The new French assault is the first
| drive on the Chemin des Danes sector
| that has been made by General Petain
| in more than a month. Allemant is
eight miles northeast of scissors and
about three miles southwest of Anizy
| lie Chateau, where the battle line
makes sharp curve northward
around Coucy and up to La Fere.
| Malmaison is situated about two and
a half miles to the west of Allemant.
Both towns are on the highway to
| Laon.
! Petrograd, Oct 2S-Suddenly as
, suming the offensive, Russian troops
on the Riga front swept forward over
the enemy front line trenches in the
Althazar Manor and Lember Castle,
all of which places were occupied, to-
days official statement asserted. The
enemy evacuated Nuremberg after the
engagement
On the Werder sector. Russian
forces repelled an enemy attempt to
land forces near MoisekuH Monar,
eight miles north Of Werder.
Over the Top Early.
Paris, Oct. 23.-An attack was made
by the French early this morning on
the Aisne front northeast of scissors.
The war office reports that, consider
able progress was made along the
whole battle front and that numerous
prisoners were taken.
The statement follows:
This morning at 5:15 o'clock after
artillery preparation for several hours,
our troops assaulted the powerful
German positions in the region of
Allemant and La Malmaisen (north-
| east of Soissons). On the whole front
of attack we made good progress and
we took number of prisoners.
Northwest of Rheims there was
heavy artillery fighting in the night.
Three surprise attacks against our
, small posts west of Bermericourt and
Neuvite were without result,
In the Argonne an incursion into
German trenches at Cheppy wood en-
abled US to inflict losses in enemy and
bring back prisoners.
'On the right bank of the Meuse
(Verdun 'front.' the artillery action
!, became violent late in the night in the
region north of Hill 344"
Anticipate New Blow in Belgium.
| London, Oct. 23.-Another COM
bined general offensive blow by Brit
ish and French troops beyond what
used to be the Ypres sector was fore
i cast in descriptive dispatches from the
British front today. Yesterdays 10
cal attacks by the allies were held to
be the first of two preliminary steps
to such a concerted drive, designed to
widen the edge of the wedge which
Haig has been steadily pushing thru
I the German lines since July 81.
Mondays Attack n Preliminary.
The point of the British wedge now
rests near Passchendaele on the ridge
/ Yesterdays local attacks were de-
signed to widen the angle of this
point to the north. Next London ex-
poets Haig to achieve the same widen
ing by local attacks on the south
Then will come the general assault.
The first German counter-att OK
: which was successful enough to slow
: up the British advance in at least a
month. was reported from across the
5 Ypres-Staden railway. In Haig's two
previous drives the Germans either
| did not risk counter-bIow or else de
livered it with such feeble strength
! that it failed completely to reach
British positions.