The Carlisle independent., 1918-09-12
British Smash the Wotan Line and French and Yankees
 Drive Huns North.
GERMANS QUIT YESLE RIVER
Continue Their Retreat From Lys Sec tor, Where Americans Fight on Belgian Soil-Solsheviki Are Defeated in Siberia and
 Northern Russia.
By EDWARD w. PACKARD.

The whole western front, from 9pres to Reims, was abiaze all the week, and throughout all the long stretch the Ger mans. continued their retreat. The ar mics of the allies followed closely on their heels, hammering at them day and night and giving them not a mo- ment's pause for reorganization of their wearied forces. It was another week of uninterrupted allied success, and the withdrawal of the Huns was extended to include the Vesle river sector, between SoiSsons and Reims. Until Wednesday there had been little activity there, except continuous artil- lery work and some sharp fighting be- tween the Americans and the Germans in the region of Fismes and Fismette. But in the first days of the week air plane observers reported evidences of a coming retreat by the enemy, and this developed on Wednesday. The American and French patrols pursued the Huns promptly and by Thursday had reached the crest dominating the Aisne, across which river the Germans seemed likely to take the main bodies of their troops.
 This retrograde movement was made necessary blythe successful advance of General Mangin's army north and northwest of Soissons between the Ail- ette and the Aisne, threatening the Chemin des Danes and fianling the linn orI ha aid of Americans, Mangin was moving steadily down the ASne plateau and in the direction of Laon, and it ap- peared doubtful that the Huns would be able to remain long south of the Hindenburg line through Anizy and Craonne. They were driven out of Clemency, Bray. Missy-sur-Aisne and many other towns in this region, and the French as early as "Wednesday night were in the outskirts of Coucy. one of the important German bases on the edge of the St. Gobain forest Be tween there and Chauny the enemy was forced from a series of dominat- ing heights that he has relied on to protect La Fere. To the northwest of Chauny equally important victories gave General Humbert possession of Guiscard and Maucourt after he had forced the retirement of the enemy from Mont St. Simeon and the Canal du Nord. This latter action was desperate fight. for the German posi- tions were protected by wilderness of wire entanglements and by innumer- able machine-gun nests. Captured off cers said they had orders to retreat to the region of Bethancourt, northwest or Chauny. There were indications that the Huns planned to make a stand on a line through Ham, but the French advance was so swift that their abil- ity to do this was doubtful. The French First army was moving ire sistibly on Ham from yesle and the Canal du Nord
 At Fresnes the French and Ameri can advance reached the old linden burg line. had Ham practically flanked and was rapidly approaching LaOn. The last named city has been one of the most important of the German bases in Picardy and the heart of the present Hun operations. It is great center of railways and highways and it's capture by the allies, it was said, must mean the further retirement of the enemy.
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