The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-09-10

London. Sept. 9.--The battle OF
ST. Quentin. now in full swing.
bids fair To ne short one.
by n brilliant stroke Of general.
ship. Foch has once more out
witted Ludendorff. As a result
the great central bulwark Of the
Hindenhurg line seems doomed to
fall to the French before another
night settles upon the battle
field.
shortly before midnight, when
the Paris war Office issued ffs late
eeamuntque, General Hnmheff'n
army was standing in semi
circle before St. Quentin a. fol.
lows:
Less than Ave miles to the
southwest of Etreillers.
Exactly FIVE miles further
southwest at Roupy.
About four miles to the south At
FSsfgnx -Le-tsrand.
All three places are In French
hands
Less than two miles to the
north OF Etreillers, the British
face st. Quentin from the west,
six miles and quarter from the
bastion.
1t was there. to the west of st.
Quentin, and northward as far as the
western approaches OF LIE Catelet.
that NJ Ludendorff was planning and
making his chief defense.
Upon the French moving northward
from the Disc region he had evidently
not counted. Humbert's forces were
a apparently just sufficient keep UP the
contact with the British right. The
French he thought, were simply
creeping along" but could present no
real menace to st. Quentin. For was
there not the Somme and the Crozat
canal backed upon which the Red
Germans have called the
poilus ever since the Franco Prussian
be easily STAYED of?
The main menace to St. Quentin. 80
the willy Ludendorff argued. came
from Rawlinson's army east OF the
Somme.
desired him to think.
Sunday night. while all the world
was watching the British and wonder
ing how much closer they were get
ting to St Quentin. and while Luden-
dorH- was feverishly organizing the
western and northern derences. roch
seized the psychological moment ana
old Humbert to go ahead.
Greater and greater became the
pressure of the French and what had
seemed like mere contact forces
suddenly proved to be great army.
with one fixed objective:
St Quentin
The Crozat canal was forced.
Astride the Somme the French push
ed northeastward with relentless,
dash.
Again the painstaking plans OF the
cts y knA
upset Instead of a great British
frontal attack in which the Germans
were to make their first real stand.
and show those Britishers a few
a swift, unlooked-for French
assault in the flank threatens to force
the fall of the nerve centre OF the
line and bring about q
cavern of the whole German front at
a moment when the Germans are Just
getting ready for a stand.
At the same time the French smash
ed forward against La Fere from, thraA
and tonight that keypoint
in the Hindenburg line is virtually IN
their grasp. Cavalry patrols already
are skirting the southern and western
most suburbs. The town is in flames.
Driving solidly against the La Fere-
ST. Quentin line, the French captured
today. In addition to the three places
Grand Seraueeafe. Gias-
tres, Remigny. Fort de Liez Qess than
three miles northwest Of La Ferel
and the wood to the northwest. ~ we'll
as Hill 1903. Montescourt and Lixa-
ROLES. A couple OF farms also were
taken. # @s
Between one and four miles pro-
gress was made by the poilus In this
sector in the last twelve hours
South OF the Disc the brickworkS
and the railway station OF Servats
1.-TWO miles south of La Fere) were
captured.
Northeast Of Scissors the French
added to their gains in the Lazarus
region. and between the Aisne and IL
yesle French and American aoas
s~r1%-.