The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-10-26
|LA0N IN SIGHT
! Of FRENCH ARMY:
TEUTONS ROUTED
Army of the Crown Prince is
Broken and Split into Rem
nantS
THOUSANDS OF GERMAN
PRISONERS ARE TAKEN
In Haste to Retreat Enemy Leaves
Large Supplies of Munitions
Behind
(By Associated Press.)

!
With the French Armies in France,
Oct 2G.-Thursday the French had
reached the canal and I.aon, eight
miles away, is in sight Following up
the victory Of Tuesday, the French to.
day took Monkey Mountain, the vii.
lagc of Pinnon, the forest of the same
name, as well as the village of Pargny,
Fiain.
Certain decentralization in the Ger
man command is shown by contra
dictory orders found on prisoners. The
question is asked whether another re-
treat is intended.
Crossing the battlefield near Vau-
rains and Saint Guillain farms, tho
correspondent obtained ample cvi.
dencc of the extent Of the splendid
French victory. Hundreds Of prison
crs were marching to the rear with
out escort. Damaged German machine
guns lay everywhere, while scattered
around We're heaps of ammunition.
cannon and immense quantities of
military material.
Many Captured Germans.
! Many Germans were captured in tho
enormous cavern of Fruty. The ap.
prOaches were battered severely and
large holes had been torn in the roof,
demonstrating the power and accu-
racy Of the French artillery. Not an
inch of ground here about had been
left unchanged The cavern has gal
leries about one kilometer 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 entrances Warily and
found them full of Germans waiting
| for the moment of attack. Hand gren-
AIDES and smoke bombs soon brought
them out with their hands raised.
Tanks Are Used.
MEANWHILE the tanks had advanced
with the infantrymen until the second
German position was reached, Destroy
ing on the way many nests OF ma.
chine guns opposing the progress of
the French troops. One tank was op.
posed by determined German officer
, with a large body of men, who poured
bullets upon the armOred sides of the
machine. Finally the French officer
in command descended from the tank
and with his revolver forced the whole
group to surrender.
Another tank found battery OF
field guns facing it. AS soon as tho
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.
Proceeds Rapidly.
Today the French advance proceed
ed rapidly, and the units reached the
various objectives with regularity.
After taking the village of Pinnon the
patrols entered the forests OF the same
name. The found many German can
non abandoned. but with the breech-
blocks gone. Dead horses, killed by
the German gunners, lay beside the
cannon. The Germans had found IL
impossible to get the weapons away
over the marshes adjoining the AlSne
canal, over which most Of the bridges
had been destroyed making a retreat
of artillery impracticable
Left Munitions Behind.
Hundreds Of machine guns were
captured by the French and many Oh
them were turned on the t1eelng Ter
mans, who had left plenty OF ammu-
nition behind 1t is reported that a
hundred and fifty cannon have fallen
in,o French hands, but the number is
uncertain, owing to the condition OF
the battlefield and its width.
The same uncertainty applies to the
numHer Of prisoners, hundreds Of Ger
mans heing encountered on all parts
Of the field, marching wearily back to
thc French lines. The sight of the
towers of the Cathedral OF LaOn ON
the horizon, few miles away, spurred
the French soldiers to a wonderiul
burst of endurance and sWl1tness.
They went on doggedly in pursuit OF
the Germans. leaving parties behind to
clear out cellars and caverns, which
gorged hundreds of den0rallzed prls-
oncrs, who seemed astonished at the
vastness of their defeat
Casualties Low.
With all this severe fighting on
battlefield where the Germans held
strong positions. and where they ac-
ceptcd the challenge of the french
army to a standup combat. the trench
casualties were remarkably low.
The French troops of all branches
are iubilant over the victory Inc
artillery, infantry and airmen pralsed
each others work One patrol ue-
clared that the fighting had turned IN
to war of movements. Where the
Germans will make stand cannot yet
no foreseen. What is known now as
tho line of their retreat is over diff
fcult and boggy terrain. where tne
movement of guns is possible only
with great precautlon.
The correspondent spoke to several