The Robesonian., 1918-07-29
FRANC0-AMERICAN
TROOPS CONTINUE
PRESSURE ON
GER M A N S
They Have Crossed Ourcq
River and Penetrated One
of Great Germon Supply
Bases-Summary of War
News.

The Franco-American troops, con-
timing their pressure on the Ger
mans in retreat from the Marine, have
roached and crossed the Oourco river
and penetrated the town CT Fere-En-
Tardenois, one Of the great German
,nnply bases for tho enemy troops in
side side the Soissons-Rheims salient.
Meantime on the center of the allied
right wing, southwest of Rheims, At
tacks by the French have forced the
enemy to give further ground and en-
abled the French to capture several
towns of strategic value and to draw
their front appaeciably nearer the
b;ch road which rlns northwestward
from Dormans to Rheims.
On the extreme wings of the grad
uslly decreasing pocEet-near Sols-
sons and Rheims. the enemy, heavily
reinforced, is holding teraciously to
his ground, realizing that successes
thare would result in a general crunl-
bling of his plans of defense against
The locking up of his entire armies
inside the big bag. In addition to the
jprge number of troops for reinforce
.nent that have been thrown on these
two sectors, the German long range
Guns from the region north of Sols-
SONS and north and notheast of Rheims
ave keeping both wings of the salient
under heavy enfilading fire.
Under the battering tactics Of the
Americans and Frenchmen the Ger
man line on the south has now been
,lriven back more than twelve miles
from the point south of Chateau
Thierrv, where the allied troops locl--
ed the door to Paris against the enc
nv July Is and themselves became
the aggressors in what has turned OUT
70 be one of the greatest battle OF tie
war.
The crossing of the Ourcq, even if
only by advanced elements OF the al
lied forces. presages a general cross
ING later on. The French official COM
nunications thus far during the bat
tie have been remarkably conserva-
tive in their estimates of the gains
that daily have been made and it is
indcatd in unofficial dispatches tEat
allied troops are considerably IN az
vance of the line as announced ofn-
cially.
Where the Germans are in retreat
from the south the cavalry has been
brought into the fighting and numer-
Gus tanks and machine guns IN protu-.
sion are everywhere marrying the er-
envy whose losses are heavy. Mean
time airplanes are flying over the
retreating hordes dropping bombs,
while the big allied guns from the
sides of the salient are keeping up
their intensive firing from all angles
into the densely congested area.
The retreat of the enemy has by no
means become rout, and so long as
the picked troops around scissors =!
Rheims are able to keep well open the
mouth of the bag through which the
Germans are falling back, it is eX-
rected that the greater portion OF ne
armies of the crown prince will be
successful in reaching in order the
line where it is intended 20, them to
turn and make stand.
Just where this stand will be made
is problematical More than half the
pocket has been recaptured ny the
American, French, British and ltal-
ian troops opposing the enemy, and
there has been no sign of letup IN
the retrograde movement. If, as some
of the military critics have suggested,
Crown Prince Rupprecht OF Bavaria
purposes to start an offensive against
the British in France and Flanders IS
a diversion against the big battle now
In progress, no signs of it are appar-
ent at present. What little fighting
there has been in this region consisted
Of patrol raids, in which the British
took a number of prisoners and ma
chine guns.
Evidently impressed by the threat
Of the British premier that if they re-
mained on strike until Monday they
would be liable to military service,
majority of the dissati tisfied munitions
workers in England will return to
work i'm aJ; "a,