Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-13
Special Gable TO Erening Public Ledger
Copvrioht. 1918, By Ne,o York Times Co.
With the French Armies, Aug. 13.


With the French Armies, Aug. 13.
FOR the moment the battle is sta
tionary, so the Germans are throwing
III reserves and the French repairing
roaos and bridges and bringing up
guns and supplies. The main enemy
e1ort is directed toward checking the
Allled turning movements from the
northwest against Won Hutier's defen.
sive line, which has been established
approximately between Roye and
Lassigny.
Nothing emphasizes better the
changed character of the fighting,
Which has become essentially an affair
OF inaneuver as contrasted with the
front assaults Of trench warfare.
Ihus MOntdidier fell like a ripe plum
IN consequence Of the French advance
10 the north and south of that town.
A similar maneuver Is now in prog.
ress against the Roye and the Massif
or Lassigny--the former the main
pulwark of Won Hutier's center.
Franco-British progress beyond and
south of Chaulnes would inevitably
turn his flank and roll back his whole
army. 1t was by such a turning
movement that the French foSCes in
this region were compelled to retire in
the last week of March. The desire
to avoid such a contingency is the
explanation of the bitter German coun.
ter-attacks against the British right.
Similarly, Humbert's left is encoun-
tering strong resistance in its progress
along the Matz, where villages in
Allied hands were heavily bombarded
yesterday morning. If the adavnce
along this valley goes only little
further 1t will turn the Lassigny mas
sif from the northwest and force the
enemy's retirement by overthrowing
his center.
In both cases the German defense Is
facilitated by the existence of former
trench lines and deep wire entangle-
ments, some dating from the first
trench fighting of the fall of 1914.
To sum the situation up, the enemy
is pursuing exactly the same tactics
as in the Marine salient. He realizes
that a further retreat is likely to be
imperative, though he is doing his ut.
most to avert the necessity, and in
the meantime he is holding his ground
desperately to permit the evacuation OF
his vast stores and artillery.
As in the salient, the work of the
Allied airmen is of inestimable value,
Between 1900 and 1000 bombs were
dropped Sunday on the knot of roads
in the center of Iassigny-an area of
perhaps half a mile or more through
which the retiring columns, conveys
and artillery camions had to pass.
Continued on Page Two. Column Seven
have seen for myself splinters of one
such bomb sweep an area of 100 yards
in circumference.
A Ruin Incredible
Montdider itself was a ruin incredi.
BILE. At first sight of the hill, 100 feet
above the Avre, which formerly
crowned the prosperous township of
several thousand inhabitants, one
would have thought it merely a chalk
slope, unusually SCARED by sheltire.
Whitish stones lay piled in heaps
from the crest down to the river, but
never was there a wall or roof that
might indicate a human dwelling. A
closer view showed individual mounds
Of rubbish that once had been houses.
At the entrance Of the town l passed
what seemed to be cross road, until
the eye caught the fragment of n
twisted iron-all that was left of the
former important. railroad. OF the
station nothing, save the chaos OF
shattered timbers and upheaved ma.
sonry, remained.
Under German camouflage screens.
swaying gently in the breeze. picked
my way through a wilderness of
mounds and holows where one long
piece of wall, rising, perhaps, fifteen
feet above the surrounding wreckage,
marked the site of the fine old church
of Saint Peter that had stood In the
center of the town on the main street.
Now the whole region is as tranquil
as though the war We're hundred
miles away. Nothing save the muf
! fled beat of a piledriver, where engi
neers are constructing solder bridges
over the Avre. breaks the cleared
silence. Yet the activity everywhere
is incessant, as the roads are being
| cleared and reprepared for traffic
water mains re-establshed and con
voys brought up to supply the battle
| that is moving eastward.
Despite the swiftness of the retreat
the enemy found time to block the
roads - already well-nigh impossible
| through abandoned material and mum
| berless shell holes-with trees out
| down from the roadsides. All these
| obstacles must be dealt with before
| the forward move can go smoothly
Yet the latest information tells us OF
an Allied advance, hardly less rapid
| than before.
MoreuiI Wrecked by Shells
August 10. - Your correspondent
passed today on the heels of the con
quering French army through Moreuil
across the Avre and on toward the bat
| tlefront to the point of the Anglo
| French junction, where the famous
British Colonial Corps is driving evei
| harder against the boches.
OF all the ruined towns ] have yet
seen Moreuil presents the most la
mentable spectacle. The wood frame
work Of houses stands naked like &
skeleton where the covering of tile.
| or plaster has been rent away by
shellfire. The effect of desolation in tn,
town, whereof not single house es
capped injury, is overpowering-fa,
worse than the wholesale destruction
of Dormans and the villages of th'
Marne valley.
/ crossed the fifteen.yard-wide Avr'
on a bridge thrown up by the French
| engineers two hours after the attacl
started last Thursday. Morizel. tn
tiny suburb of Moreuil west of TIL
river, had ceased to exist. 1t wa
] 30