The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-09-27
YANKS CAPTURE
z TOWNS, 5000
HUNS IN DRIVE
Americans and French Advance
Seven Miles in Cham
pagne.
GO over TOP DURING FOG


of German Positions With High
Explosives and Gas-Petain's
Troops Occupy All of
Enemys Line.
Headquarters of the American Army
in France, Sept. 27.-NorthWest OF
Verdun the First army attacked the
enemy on front of twenty miles and
penetrated his line to an average
depth of seven miles, General Persh-
Ing reports.
Pennsylvania, Kansas and Missouri
troops, serving in Major General lig-
gett's corps, stormed Varennes, Mont
bIainviIe, Vauquois and cheppy after
stubborn resistance.
Troops of other corps, crossing the
FORCES brook, captured the Bois de
FORCES and Wrested from the enemy
the towns of Malancourt, Bethincourt,
Montfaucon, Cuisy, NantIIois, Zept-
zarges (SeptsargesO, Dannevoux and
Observation-Disclosures
The prisoners thus far reported num-
Der over five thousand.
Paris, Sept. 27.-American and
French troops at dawn Thursday
launched a new and powerful offensive
In the Champagne sector against the
Germans.
The drive was over q front of about
fifty miles from the Suippes river,
east of Reims, to the Meuse, north Of
Verdun. 1t is still in progress.
Late dispatches say the Americans
in the first sweep advanced to depth
Of seven miles between the Meuse and
the Argonne forest.
West of the Argonne the French
penetrated four miles into the enemy's
positions.
Over the entire front the German
first line trenches have been carried
by storm.
Sixteen Villages Captured.
Sixteen villages are already report
ed to have been captured-twelve by
the Americans and four by the French.
Many other towns are in allied
hands, but have not yet been identi-
fed in dispatches.
The Americans attacked on front
Of about twenty miles, on the right
wing of the line stormed. They have
captured, among others, the towns Cf
Gercourt, Cuisy, Montfaucon, Cheppy
and Verennes.
The French troops, attacking on the
American left. have made an advance
west of the Argonne.
The French have taken SevrOn and
Navarin farm, positions which the en-
emy had held since 1914. The Ameri-
can troops attacked west of the Yer
dun region in this sector. The Ger
mans, anticipating the attack, seeming
ly had withdrawn a part Of their
forces.
The French on their end Of the front
apparently met with stronger resist
ance, but reports from the war Office
were that they had occupied all the
enemy's first line.
The battle line passes through the
Argonne forest, about nine miles south
of where there is wide break in the
wood ard hill country.
Attack After Heavy Smelling.
From the fact that French are op-
Grating in Champagne and the Ameri-
cans are to the east, it is apparent the
Americans have taken over part of
the battle line in the Argonne and east
ward to the Marne in the region north
of Verdun.
General Gourand, who smashed the
German offensive over part of this
same front on July 10, is in charge of
the immediate operations, though Gen
erals Pershing and Petain responsible
only to Marshal FOch, are the chief
planners of the new drive.
The French and Americans went
over the top at 5 80 in the morning
after nearly eleven hours Of terrific
shelling of the German positions with
high explosives and gas.
The Germans appear to have with
drawn from their first lines at part
of the front as soon as the attack de-
veloped.
Dispatches tell of gigantic cOncen.
tration Of artillery behind the Franco
American line of attack.
The weather is favorable to an of.
fensive.
Go Over Top in Thick Fog.
At dawn, when the first infantry
waves left their trenches there was 8
thick fog. The French war office, iI
reporting the beginning Of the drive
says 1t was launched "in cooperation
with the American army operating
further to the east" This shows the
Americans. as in Lorraine, are again
operating as a separate. independent