Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1918-10-17
GREAT FLANDERS :
SMASH HURLS HUNS
BACK FIVE MILES
Allies Strike Hard Blow in Drive
on Client.
I'm ALSO AT C0URTRAI
British and French Shock Troops Join
< BeIgians in Smash on Wide Front
-RouIers Is Captured
by Allies.

London, Oct. ia terrific attack,
delivered by picked allied troops in
Flanders, has swept the Germans back
FIVE miles over q wide front and may
cause the collapse Of his whole defens-
i've system here Although official re-
ports were lacking, advices from the
front indicated the allies were close
to Lille-in fact, may even now be at
the outskirts of that enemy buttress
in the north.
Among the towns reported captured
is Roulers, while it is said that French
troops alone have taken more than
1900 prisoners.
The allied attack appears to nave
been on a front of more than 70 miles,
the heaviest onslaught being delivered
at the north end. Roughly, the bat
t1efront extends from the region OF
Roulers southwark to DOuai.
The offensive, launched after the
Germans had Withdrawn many troops
to the Cambrai-St. Quentin front and
over to the Champagne and Argonne,
may be one of the most telling of the
war Any pronounced gains here
would mean the German evacuation Of
Bruges, the submarine base, Client
end other Belgian cities
In the capture of Roulers, it is re-
ported, the allies pressed on and have
advanced their line eastward to Isge-
hem and Leadelede, which lies only
four miles northwest of COurtrai, an
important German rail head.
Laon and lie Fere Captured.
London, Oct 14-Laon, the anchor
Of the whole German battle line on the
west front, has been cast off by Luden-
dorff under Foch's terrific pressure
from four sides, and the whole Ger
man southern front is in precipitate
retreat.
The city is in allied hands. The
French have entered it's outskirts and
not single German is left in the town.
Only two lines of retreat are still
open to the huge German force in the
LaOn pOcket-eStimated at quarter
Of a milliOn--that to HirSOn and to
MeXieres. The Germans cannot stop
now until they have fled to the ap-
proaches Of these places, which means
that their flight must continue for be-
tween 80 and 50 miles northeastWard.
With the southern pivot gone, Lille,
the northern hinge, practically "hangs
in the air." and the retreat must pres
emily extend over the whole 10O-mile
front between the north of Reims and
the North sea.
DOuai the "crutch" south Of Lille on
which that stronghold has been lean
ing for weeks, is falling. 'Unofficially
the British are reported fighting in it's
suburbs
La Fere Also Captured.
La Fere, which was to LaOn what
Douai has been to Lille, has been Oc-
cupied by the French. 1t lies little
more than twelve miles northwest of
Laon. The French there are driving
hard and fast after the Germans,
the north, may at any moment sweep
across the Disc and dash to the LaOn-
railway via Guise to cut off
part of the mass of troops now clog
ging this avenue of escape in it's flight.
Almost due west of Laon Gouraud's
army north of Reims has crossed the
Aisne and is smashing against the left
flank of the German Laon army, threat
ening to cut the other rail Of retreat
between Laon and Mezieres.
While the Baden prince is frantical-
ly trying to hurry an armistice to eff
feet the evacuation in safety, Fochs
armies are hammering hot on the foes
heels all along the front.