Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-05
ICKED ALLIES
FACING ENEMY
Complexion e of Foch's De-
fensive Lines Greatly
Changed
DRIVING AT NILLERS
Germans Follow Traditional
Policy of Frontal AT.
tack First
DRIVING AT NILLERS
By WALTER DURANTY
Special Cable TO Epening Public Ledger
Corrrfoht, 1918. by Ner York Times CO.
With the French Armies, June 3

* With the French Armies, June ;.
r.. The battle continued with terrific in
tensity Sunday night and Monday. A.
before, the principal German effort was
est, which the enemy realizes is the
most dangerous obstacle. In this opera
tion he followed his traditional policy
as at verdun, of first attacking frontaliy
and then, when checked in the center.
trying each flank successively Thus.
: the first attempt was to penetrate the
Forest along the valleys from Longpont.
4 Corey and Troesnes.
On Saturday night and Sunday came
the drive, further south, between the
Ourcq and the Marne, to turn the OBJ
ssacie Now follows a similar turning
movement in the direction of Compiegne,
through Carleoont and Moulin-sous-
has been maintained directly against the
forest.
Hill Retaken Five Times
Near the former village the hill of
nve times before the Germans accepted
failure one ftheir crack divisions
was here at grips with the French
nnal charge they drove the Germans
headlong down the northeastern slopes
Of the hill Disregarding grenades. they
used bayonets at close quarters and so
terrorized the enemy that he was un-
able to renew the assault
Opposite the forest. the village of
Faverolles was retaken by a brilliant
French counter-attack, while at Troes-
mes a force of cavalrymen fully main
tained their reputation Their fighting
qualities won ungrudgtng approval
from the elite infantry divisions beside
them. general said that the charge
of dismounted cavalry a TroesneS was
so magnificent that II inspeired a neigh
boring battalion to emulation, and the
combined forces regained ground a mi'e
and quarter deep.
Further south, between the Ourcq and
Chateau-Thierry, the enemy's pressure
was vigorous and consistent. but he ap-
peared to be suffering from his previous
failure. and did not develop attacks of
great Importance.
Foch's Strategy
~ The fact Is the Germans are now
facing the consequences of FCCh's STRAIT
: egy, while the French troops are fighting
with superb courage that supreme crises
~ have evoked from them throughout the
war. Fast as the enemy replaces his
used-up division with fresh troops. he
n cannot advance further. AS at Verdun.
4 the French watchword is They shall not
Y Meanwhile death from the air. that
4 cruelest of foes to infantry morale. is
1ourly more vividly present over the
tons of bombs were dropped by the
French alone on enemy Concentration
points yesterday; Near soissons and at
Front French bombardiers played havoc
Z, with marching troops and conveys of ar
tillery and supplies.
ANC oht NllO mas not experienced the
peculiar horror of an air raid can
imagine the effect of bombs that fall
without ceasng, the sound of hostile
engine overhead growing steadily louder
a. the pilot circles downward 10 make
pedo '''' '''''' W.
In considering the operations since
+ May % one cardinal fact should be re-
remembered:
1t is only in the st.three days that
the Allies have accepted battle, and all
Il an ,t,..I Is..,.,,,
enin OF ground was only preliminary to
the great struggle now in progress.
Foe Faces Picked Men
In the intermediate period the enemy
advanced, amid loud fanfares Of triumph /
from his official communioues. against
Z original attack. At the outset they were
only holding divisions or better-clGss
troops, that had been sorey tried al
ready in the former battle. Now the
Germans, exhausted by their effort. are
AZ grips with the flower of the French
army and they are beginning to ap-
( preciate the difference.
Here are extracts from letter found
on prisoner belonging to one of the /
kaiser's best divisions:
q The day has been hard. We have
4 bullets from every side. Our losses are
serious ! hope We shall soon be re-
tieved We have only. sixty-ive men
left lof company, Of 25h), none of
whom has eaten hot food or slept for
four days. Surely we shall soon be re-
lieved. but don't think we shall leave
the battlefield. and Yet we have been
: engaged only four days.
If you only knew what sights We
see you would understand what your
peaceful life is worth What do they
say about the offensive at home? Just
more prisoners l suppose. II you could
reaiize what 1t means to take prisoners
who defend themselves like madmen,
you would talk differently"
-- Clouds of Gas
An officer of one Of the French divi-
sions holding the Chemin- -des- Danes
Z gave your correspondent an Illuminating
account of the opening phases of the
battle. His men are mostly drawn from
Z the agricultural districts of Normandy
( and Brittany, and had acquitted them
selves magnificenty in the former bat
3 Tie, After rest and recuperatCn they
had been sent to the, Chemiu-de Danes,
where they met the fun brunt of the
German drive. An officer said
You can judge the volume Of the
enemy gas bombardment from the fact
! that when at dawn on Monday we looked
2 across the Ailette valley before us we
thought at first he had been using smoke
clouds, Sc dense was the haze of poison
over the humid marshes. The ground
precluded the use Of tanks. but this gas
mist hampered our mitraileuse defense
Z very greatly.
II know masks are sufficient TO save
HE, but one is inconvenienced neverthe-
less. and you can appreciate the diff
Guilty OF aiming through goggles against
an object that Is hidden by the fog of
gas and smoke until at closest quarters
In addition, the enemy forces were of
hrst-class quality and three or four to
Z one more numerous. According to their
Z system of interadvance, fresh support
troops continually took the place Of
h the storm lines. Their progress was so
rapid that despite our resistance the
y Germans traversed between the Chemin-
"a oes-Dames plateau and the Aisne.
our orders were TO hold on to the last
a eisd the men fulfilled. them utterly. They
s dted where they stood rather than re-
4 treat before the enemy masses that
Y swept forward like a tidal wave In
TWO hours cur batteries fired a day and
haifs supply of munitions, but thanks
y to the proximity and number of his sup
= ports. the boche- pressed on regardless Il
losses, and the gunners were killed be-
y aide their guns
Reformed Behind River
In the afternoon we reformed our line
4 we're too few, and we were forced TO re-
y tire. though in good order and main
E 4atntng laision with the British. We had
1one our best, but in war there are
times when you are forced to admit that
the enemy Is stronger than you. The
& vance much as possible and avengs
our dead most dearly We made the
boche pay heavily for their progress.
Let me give you an illustration OF
the soldiers spirit. Two laison run
nsrs, sturdy Britons both. were cut eff
:, Them 10 surrender. Instead they threw
s fhemselyes into the Aisne and swan
+ nrross under fire. Either they had held
+ tneir rifles above their heads or had