Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-07-01
destroyed number Of German tanks
which tried to advance upon them They

uestr0yeo numbef OF OernAu tAuk1
which tried to advance upon them They
were still holding out at o'clock that
morning. but were cut of by a German
turrflNg movement between the Bois des
Buttes and the Bots Dedmund
The remaining troops of the Eighth
division then fell back to the south side
of the Aisne, closely followed by the
enemy, who entered the village of Pom
tavert and also crossed the river east
of that place, penetrating into Germl-
court wood
The crossing Of the Aisne by the
German regiments was made less diff
cult than It should have been, as It
was impossible to blow up all the
bridges effectively in so short a time.
There are no fewer than thirty-four
brigades across the Aisne, the Miette,
and the Aisne Canal. and one Of them
was the main stone bridge Of Berry-au-
Bac.
The rapidty of the German advance
enabled them to gain some bridgeheads
In time to cross The Sherwoods. who
had been in support south of the river.
rushed up to the bridge at Percherie,
but found the enemy already there. and
though they defended that bridgehead
the enemy crossed further to the west
and so forced the Sherwoods to draw
back to the edge of Germicourt wood.
where they held out until Lao against
several attacks. Flights of German air.
planes came over, flying low and at
tacking our infantry and transport
Kite balloons appeared above his lines,
and observers looked over all the Brit
ish ground directing the fire of the
enemys artillery on any spot where
they saw bodies OF men Battalions Of
the Twenty-fifth British Division moved
forward in support, but by this time the
Twenty-frst division on the right. which
had been fighting with the most des-
perate and heroic courage, had been
forced out of important positions. It
was necessary for the Eighth Division tc
take UP new line between Bouffigne-
reux and Roucy. and every living man,
including the Lewis gun class, was called
in to hold this new line at all COSTS
Garrison Fought to Last
The Germicourt positions had been
turned from the southwest, and the gar.
rison, which included some British with
French troops. fought to the last with
most noble courage. Incessant attacks
developed, the enemy sending men for
ward continually in kind Of dribbling
| tide, creeping up from the folds in the
ground, rushing field guns into the near
wood and establishing machine gun posi-
tions at close range.
BY this time the British had hardly
any artillery, as it had been surrounded
north of the Aisne. and the French 75s
on their left had suffered the same ILL
luck The British, fighting continually,
Withdrew slowly to the river yesle
where they Joined up with the French
On May % the exhausted British
troops received support, and later in
the day the battalions were intermingled
with French regiments, but the line
between Faverolles and Treslon was
still held by mixed troops from many
different units of the British divisions,
who held out two hours against re-
peated attacks. British officers rode up
and down the line in full view Of the
enemy, rallying and inspiring their men
until re-enforcements came up, and their
great gallantry was OF comfort to the
men that day.
After that the British troops who re-.
mained, fought with the French for
nearly fortnight more, until the Ger
mans were definitely brought to a dead
halt on the Marne. During that time
the French poilus and their officers
showed a fine spirit of comradeship
with the British. and the French army,
as whole, knows now that the Brit
ish divisions fought like heroes from
nrst to last. not yielding ground until
utterly overwhelmed by numbers. and
the British army knows that the French
troops, faced by the same great odds,