Mexico Missouri message., 1918-09-26
British Smash the Wotan Line
and French and Yankees
Drive Huns North.
GERMANS QUIT VESLE RIVER
Continue Their Retreat From Lys Sec
tor, Where Americans Fight on
Belgian SoiI-8olsheViki Are
Defeated In Siberia and
Northern Russia.
BY EDWARD w. PIcKARD.

The whole western front, from Ypres
to Reims, was ablaze all the week, and
throughout all the long stretch the Ger
mans continued their retreat. The ar
mics of the allies followed closely on
their heels, hammering at them day
and night and giving them not mo-
ment's pause for reorganization of
their wearied forces. 1t was another
week of uninterrupted allied success,
and the withdrawal of the Huns was
extended to include the Vesle river
sector, between Soissons and Reims.
Until Wednesday there had been little
activity there, except continuous artil-
lery work and some sharp fighting be-
tween the Americans and the Germans
In the region of Fismes and Fismette.
But in the first days of the week air
plane observers reported evidences of
n coming retreat by the enemy, and
this developed on Wednesday. The
American and French patrols pursued
the Huns promptly and by Thursday
had reached the crest dominating the
AiSne, across which river the Germans
seemed likely to take the main bodies
of their troops.
This retrOgrade movement was made
necessary by the successful advance of
General Mangins army north and
northwest of scissors between the ALL
ette and the Aisne, threatening the
Chemin des Danes and flanking the
enemy line toward FismeS. With the
aid of Americans, Mangin was moving
| steadily down the Aisne plateau and
! in the direction of LaOn, and it ap-
| peared doubtful that the Huns would
be able to remain long south of the
| Hindenburg line through Anizy and
Craonne. They we're driven out of
Clemency, Bray, Missy-sur-Aisne and
many other towns in this region, and
the French as early as Wednesday
night were in the outskirts of Coucy,
one of the important German bases on
the edge of the st. Gobain forest. Be
tween there and Chauny the enemy
was forced from a series of dominat-
ing heights that he has relied on to
protect La Fere. To the northwest
of Chauny equally important victories
gave General Humbert possession of
Guiscard and Maucourt after he had
forced the retirement of the enemy
from Mont st. Simeon and the Canal
du Nord. This latter action was a
desperate fight, for the German posi-
tlons were protected by wilderness OF
wire entanglements and by innumer-
Oble machine-gun nests. Captured Off.
GERS said they had orders to retreat ia
the region of Bethuncourt, northwest
or Chauny. There were indications
that the Huns planned to make a stand
on line through Ham, but the French
advance was so swift that their abil
ity TO do this was doubtful. The
French First army was moving IRE
stshhly on Ham from Vesle and the
Canal dn NOrd.
At Fresnes the French and Ameri-
can advance reached the old Hinden'
burg line. had Ham practically flanked
and was rapidly approaching Laon
The last named city has been one OF
the most important of the German
bases in Picardy and the heart of the
present Hun operations II is a greai
center of railways and highways and
its capture by the allies, it was said
must mean the further retirement Of
the enemy.
-A-