New Britain herald., 1917-10-26
GERMAN Command
IS DEMORALIzED
French Etill Forging Ahead at
Aisne Canal, Huns Fleeing
MANY PRISONERS TAKEN

a Squad of Germans to Surrender at
the Point of Gun-Disaster to
Grown Princes Army.
With the French Armies in France,
Thursday, Oct. 25.-The French have
reached the Aisne canal and Laon,
eight miles away, is in sight. Follow
ing up the victory of Tuesday the
French today took Monkey mountain.
east of Vaux Aillon, the village Of
Pinon and the forest of the same
name, as we'll as the village Of Parg-
ny-Filain.
Certain decentralization in the Ger
man command is shown by CONTRA
dictory orders found on prisoners.
The question is asked whether an
other retreat IS intended.
Crossing the battlefield in the vicin-
ity of Vaurains and Saint Guillain
farms the correspondent obtained am
pie evidence of the extent Of the
splendid French victory. Hundreds
Of prisoners in large groups were
making their way to the rear march
ing without escort. Damaged Ger
man machine guns lay everywhere.
while scattered around were heaps of
ammunition, cannon and immense
quantities of military material.
Many Germans were captured in
the enormous cavern Of Fruty. The
approaches were battered severely and
large holes had been torn In the roof.
demonstrating the power and acou-
racy of the French artillery. Not an
inch of ground hereabouts had been
left unchanged. The cavern has gall
leries about one kilometer long with
many exits. most of which had been
damaged greatly by the French guns
When the French infantry dashed for
ward in the darkness they approached
the entrances warily and found them
full of Germans waiting for the mo-
ment of attack. Rifle grenades and
smoke bombs soon brought them out
with their hands raised in token of
Meanwhile the tanks had advanced
with the infantrymen until the second
German position was reached, de-
stroying on the way any nest Of ma
chine guns opposing the progress OF
the French troops. The tanks ad-
vanced ~esevEraf 'kI1ometers during
which they met and demolished many
machine gun nests. One tank was
opposed by a determined German Off
GER with e. largo body of men who
poured bullets upon the armored sides
Of the machines without effect. Final
ly the French officer in command de-
scended from the tank and with his
revolver forced the whole group to
surrender.
Another tank found battery of
field guns facing 1t. 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 detectives with regularity.
After taking the village If Pinon, the
patrols went forward and entered the
forest of the same name. They found
many German cannon abandoned but
with the breach blocks gone. Dead
horses, killed by the German gunners.
lay beside the cannon. The Germans
had found it impossible to get the
weapons away over the marshes ad-
joining the Aisne canal. over which
most Of the bridges had been de-
stroyed, making the retreat of artil-
lery impracticable.
Hundreds of machine guns were
captured by the French and many of
them were turned on the fleeing Ger
mans who had left plenty Of ammuni-
ton behind. It Is reported that $50
cannon have fallen into French hands,
but the number is uncertain owing
to the condition of the battlefield and
it's width. The same uncertainty ap-
plies to the total number of prisoners.
hundreds Of Germans being encount-
cred on all parts Of the field marching
wearily back to the French lines.
The sight of the towers of cathedral
of I.aon on the horizon few miles
away spurred the French soldiers to
wonderful efforts Of endurance and
swiftness Of movement. They went
on determinedly in pursuit of Ger
mans leaving parties behind to clear
out cellars and caverns, which dis
gorged hundreds Of demoralized pris-
onerS who seemed astOunded at the
vastness Of their defeat.
With all this severe fighting on q
battlefield where the Germans held
strong positions and where they ac-
cepted the challenge of the French
army to a stand-up combat, the
French casualties were remarka bly,
low.
The French troops Of all branches
are iubilant over the victory. The ar
tillery, infantry and airmen mutually
praise each others work. One colo
mel commanding a regiment which
participated in the battle at its hard
est point declared that the fighting
had turned into war of movements.
Where the Germans will make a
stand cannot yet be foreseen. What
| is known now is that the line of their
retreat is over q difficult and bosgy
| terrain. where the movement of guns
| is possible only with great precau-
| ton