Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-07-31
EXACT HEAVY TOLL .
FROM PICKED FORCE
OF GERMAN ARMIES.
Americans Rest Tuesday
Night on Slopes Near
Town of Nesles.
PRUsSlANS HOLD POSITIONS
IN WOOD, THROWING SHELLS
Indications Are Enemy Is Turn
ing to Offer Frontal Bat :
tie in Force. 4
CANNOT FIND WEAK SPOT
Foe Keeping Eye on Two Anchor
Points Which Threaten Crown
Prince With PiuCer NJananror
CANNOT FIND WEAK SPOT
Foe Keeping Eye on Two Anchor
Points Which Threaten Crown
Prince With Pincer Maneuyer.

American troops fighting north Of the
Ourcq River in the Soissons- Rheims
salient have enlarged their brilliant
victory Of Monday at SerS:-. where they
cut to pieces divisions OF Ciermany's
picked troops and took and held the
village against counterattacks. --s-!.
Notwithstanding continued heavy
opposition by guns, machine guns and
large numbers of the enemy soldiers
from the Middle Western and Eastern
States drove their line northward from
Sergy Tuesday for distance of about
two miles and were resting at night
on the slopes approaching the woods
beyond the town Of Nesles. Where
they stood at last accounts, the Amer
leans formed the apex OF the long
line running across the salient. |
While the bitter lighting was in
progress between the Americans and
Germans. the French troops on seoth
sides of the lighting front also inoSeds
forward for soodly ssains northeastshfsi
Fere- -Tardenois and east of Serky.ig I.
In the Nesles forest. the Gernians
are holding strong positions, from
which they are shellinS. but thus tar
ineffectively. the menacing allied line
before them.
Prussian Guards and Bavarians were
in the thick OF the lighting throughout
Tuesday, but again they were outman-
euvered and outfought by the Amer
leans and again suffered heavy casual Z
ties.
The Germans apparently are on the
eve of attempting to end their retreat
from the Soissons- Rheims salient and
turning and Offering frontal battle in !
force to the entente allied armies.
The day of rear-guard actions seems
drawing to 4 close. Violent counterof-
fensive measures against their antago-
nists already are in progreci by the
Germans over most of the battle front.
and seemingly. for the present at least.
the allied advance has been materially 4
slowed down.
Further gains have been made by
the allies, including the Americans, but
only after the bitterest kind OF fighting.
And these gains have been considerably
less in extent than those of previous
days. before the Germans stiffencd
their retreatinG armies by rushing
numerous fresh divisions to their aid
and adding greatly to the aggregate
strength of their lighting force within
the fast-disappearing pocket between
SCISSORS and Rheims,
GERMANS BEND ALLIED
LINE, BUT CANT BREAK IT
AS result of violent counterattacks.
delivered with huge effectives. the Ger
mans have been able to force the fall
ing back by the Americans and French
on several positions. but nowhere were
they able to find a spot weak enough
through which they could penetrate
= all inc
giving ground only under absolute
necessity. the allied troops everywhere :
have exacted a huge toll in men killed,
wounded or made prisoners from the
Germans in their every effort partly
TO retrieve their losses of ground.
Particularly heavy has been the
lighting in the center of the salient
and on the right and left anchor points
of the salient resting, respectively.
southwest of Rheims and south of Sois-
sons. Ii is still on the two anchor
points that the Germans are keeping
a most watchful eye, fearful that the
allied troops may yet press back the
line and threaten the armies OF the Z
German Crown Prince with the pinccr
snaneurer. for the Germans arc not yeti
far enough out of the pocket to have
passed the danger OF such contin- 3
gency. a1
ONE TOWN CAPTURED AND
RECArTURED SEVERAL TIMES
III the center OF the pocket. north
Of the ourcq River. the Germans, in s
counterattack. drove the Americans
cut of Cierges. but this slight gain was
more than overcome later by the peae-
tration of the Americans northward &
from Sergy. BeugneuX. lying on the
west side of the pocket northwest OF L
Fere- n-Tardenois. also was taken by 8
the Germans. but later the French and &
Americans recaptured It,. and with
Grand Rozoy In their possession, they i
still hold vantage points for small 8
turning movement toward Fere. which,
II successful. would give them a good
ly number of prisoners.
Southwest of Rheims the Germans Il.
delivered a violent attack against the
French from both sides of St. Euphraisc.
Their effort to capture the village, 4
however. was futile, although they
pushed their line slightly forward on ss
the west Side Of It, ~ q S8;
Southwest OF Ypres the Austraitan :,