The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-08-02

ing slowly must now be hurried if the
enemy is to escape a terrible pounding
from the allies heavy guns. The ad-
vance Of the allies to within easy can
non range of the BaZoches and like
wise of Fismes, the German base on
the Vesle, will tend to disarrange all
plans the enemy may have formed to
hold his opponent at bay until the
defenses along the Vesle could be
thoroughly organized.
Battering their path through strong
German defenses, allied troops have
made substantial gains on either side
of observation-disclosures. Fierce fighting
continues on both sectors with the en-
envy being forced back steadily.
Taking advantage of the two sal
tents driven into the German lines,
General Foch launched heavy attacks
and the results already have proved
the value of the positions, West Of
Fere the salient has been widened,
while east and southeast the Germans
in the small pocket between Sergy and
Romigny are in a fair way to being
cut eff completely.
COmbats of the greatest intensity
marked the allied forward NOV ement
Thursday and Thursday evening. The
Germans used every natural advantage
to the full and had protected their
positions with plenty of barbed wire
and hundreds of machine guns.
Take 200 Prisoners.
Sevenhundred prisoners were cap
tured by the French, British and
Americans, bringing the total for the
second Marine battle to over $4,000
Between July Is and July so, 33,400
Germans were captured by the allies,
besides many guns, great numbers of
machine guns and large quantities of
material of all kinds.
Surging forward between the Ourcq
and Plassier Huleu, west of Fere,
British and French troops captured
CramCiselle and Cramaille, and i'm
portant heights and are approaching
the hills around the headwaters of the
CriSe. From their new positions, the
Franco British forces outfank the
German line northward to Scissors,
which has been virtually unchanged
since the first days of the allied count
er offensive. They also threaten the
strong enemy position in the woods
north Of Fere.
At Craimelle, the allies are within
seven miles Of BaZoches, one of the
two German bases along the Ourcq,
the other being Fismes. 1t is reported
unofficially that the Germans have be-
gun a retreat from Launcy, two miles
north of Grand RoZoy.
U. S. Troops Victors.
East and southeast of Fere, Ameri-
can and French troops carried the bur
den Of the day as successfully a S their
comrades to the west. Here the sa-
lent driven in earlier in the Weel by
the Americans, was utilized as the
starting point of a further advance.
This, with the French blow on the
eastern flank which resulted in the
capture of Romigny places the Ger
mans in the V-shaped pocket south
west of Ville-en-Tardenois in a most
difficult position from which they will
have trouble escaping.
The Americans, in desperate hand
to hand fighting in which the enemy
only gave up 4 position when he was
overwhelmed, by sheer force, ad-
vanced northeastward from Sergy al
most to Cambry and eastward from
Sergy to the Meuniere wood, the north
ern part of which they occupied
French troops gained Cierges, west
of Meunierre wood, and pressed on,
completing the capture of the entire
wood. A line drawn eastward from
Cramaille held by the French, leaves
st. Gemme, the apex of the V-salient
east of Fere, six miles to the south
Thus the Germans would have to re-
tire maximum of six miles to place
their line east of Fere on a horizontal:
with that to the west
Germans Fiaht Hard
Apparently the German crown
prince has resolved to hold his present
line at all costs and to go northward
to the line Of the Verle only before
n.