The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-10-15
German Forces Are Expelled
From st. Gobain Forest
and La Fere.
ITALIAN TROOPS ACTIVE
Americans Engage In intense ArtIi
lery Duel Between Are and Meuse
Rivers, Blasting Machine Gun
Nests to Bits.

Paris, Oct. 15.-The whole Laon
front is crumbling. The French
have captured a dozen additional
villages. The railways leading
from these are intact and great
masses of shells and other war
material have been seized.
The German retreat Is being
carried out with difficulty, owing
to the b~ombardment Of railroads
by a%irplanes.
British troops are reported to
have o~utfIanked BouchaIn and TO
be advancing on Densin, from
which town they are only three
miles distant.
American forces are advancing
In the direction OF Dun sur Meuse,
In the Argonne sector, according
to the Intransioeant.
London, Oct. 15.-German forces
have abandoned Laon, La Fere, and
the whole ST. Gobain region. The
French, after reoccupying Laon, have
pressed on until their line now runs
from the Disc river above La Fere to
the eastern end of the Chemin des
Danes.
Italian troops participated In the adj
vance and are now engaged on the
hills north of the Ailette river. At this
particular point the German lines have
been pressed back or have been with
drawn so that a sharp angle has been
created.
Allies Reach Hundlnp Line.
French and British forces have vir.
tually reached the Hunding line east
of Cambria and st. Quentin. British
units are reported at Solesmes, while
the French further south are within
four miles of Guise.
The Hunding line runs from Ant
werp to Client and thence to Journal
Condo, Valenciennes, Solesmes, Guise
Rethel, Vouzieres, Dun sur Mouse and
then down the base of the st. Mihiel
salient to the Moselle, where 1t joins
the old front running through Lor
raine and the Vosges to the Swiss
frontier.
On the Champagne front General
Berthelot is less than five miles from
Rethel, while further east Genera
Gouraud has taken Vouzieres, but has
not penetrated much further north Of
that place. Americans fighting in the
Argonne region are through the Kriem
hide line, but their progress there II
slow.
British Threaten valenciennes.
Douai is virtually reached by thu
British. while to the north the line
turns off sharply to the east. Shoult
Douai fall, the British will be able t,
advance on Valenciennes.
The Disc river has been crossed b,
| the French to the east of La Fere a
| Origny.
In Albania the Italians have car
tured Kavaya, a town IL miles south
east of Durazzo.
Allied forces have occupied Nish
the Serbian stronghold, the Germal
| official statement admitting hat tn
Teutonic armies had retired to tn
heights back of the city in face o
the terrific Allied thrusts.
Americans Wreck Machine Guns.
With the American First Army, Oci
15.-An intense artillery battle II raj
ing between the Aire and the Meust
1t continued throughout the night an
was growing In violence. The Amer
can guns apparently dominated tn
situation. The solid Of machin
gun nests which oppose our advanc
between the two rivers vas rapid
being blasted to bits.
Heavy German attacks east of tn
Argonne were broken up by Amer
can counterattacks.
The Yanks met the Bochcs midwa
between the two lines, welding th
bayonet and tearing the enemy wave
to shreds.