Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-15
Ludendorff Orders Retirement
on Five-Mile Front Between
Albert and ArraS Where
Pressure Has Been Heaviest
on His Front Line
EXTENT OF RETREAT
NOT YET DETERMINED

Battling Confined Principally
to Strong Local Actions,
With Allies Pressing Hard
on Heels of Teutons Who
Give Up Positions
Paris, Aug. 15.-Allied troops,
among whom the Americans
have borne a creditable part,
have captured $1,000 prisoners
and more than 100 guns dur
ing the past four weeks. This
lis a greater number than the al!
lies have taken in four weeks
since the beginning of the war.
Allied success in Picardy appar-
entity has compelled the Germans TO
lealign their positions between AL
bert and Arras. Many troops have
| begun a retirement on a tive-mlle
front. but complete details of the
movement are lacking.
-Four weeks ago to-day Marshal
Foch took the initiative on the
western side of the Marne salient
and a week ago the French and
British hit the German lines east and
southeast of Amiens. In the four
weeks the allies have reclaimed
! nearly 1900 square miles of terri
tory, improved their positions to the
detriment of the enemy. freed the
important railways running east and
north from Paris and unofficially
have captured 10000 prisoners and
100 guns. These are the physical
gains; the future holds the others.
Between the Ancre and the Disc
the fighting still is confined TO local
actions at various points. The Brit
ish and French have improved their
/ positions slightly north of the
Somme. northwest of Roye, south of
Lassigny and along the Disc. En-
emy troops have shown no disposi-
| ton to counterattack elsewhere and
! have confined their retaliatory ef-
| forts to artillery bombardments.
Extent Uncertain
! The extent of the German with
! drawal north of Albert is not yet
| clearly defined and its effect upon
the situation as a whole is prob
/ lematical. Field Marshal Haig an
/ nounces the enemy has left his for
ward positions at Beaumont Hamel,
Serre, PuisieX-au- Mont and Buc-
quoy. These are in the Hebuterne
sector. where the Germans were
stopped in their offensive of March
| 81. Many vain efforts were made by
| the Germans to reach the heights
around Hebuterne. as their positions
! i'll this sector were dominated by the
British guns.
| British Make Progress
Should the German lines be moved
| back any great depth, the line south
| to Albert and thence to the Somme
would be affected. Likewise the
! line northward to the Scarpe might
have to be readjusted. 1t is not un-
| likely the movement here is similar
in purpose to the recent Withdrawals
| in the Lys salient and is part of
German plan to get into as strong
| positions as possible on the entire
| front from Ypres to Rheims.
! North of the Somme Australian
troops have improved their positions
between Bray and Etinehem, reach
ing the western outskirts of Bray,
/ one of the main bastians of the line
south from Albert. East of Par
| villers. northwest of Roye, the Brit
ish have made progress toward the
Chaulnes- Roye railroad.
French Near Lassigny
Lassigny still holds out. The
French. however. continue their
pressure and now are a little more
1 than a mile south of the town. Ger
! man resistance is strong, the enemy
communicating repeatedly on the
/ hills and in the woods of the plateau
region there.
/ On the western bank of the Disc,
/ slightly more than six miles south
4 Of Noyon. the French have occupied
Ribecourt. The town itself is on
the lowland, but the French also
hold the heights to the west and
northwest, which were part of the
defensive system for Curscap forest
east of the Disc and Thiescourt wood
south of Lassigny. While the French
have not broken the Roye-Lassigny-
/ Noyon line, it is still far from being
i saved to the Germans, and a French
advance of even less than a. mile
would throw it out of balance. :.
/ Many army officers in Washing
ton expect that new drive shortly
| will be made against the enemy.
Flanders or the yea between the
Disc and Scissors are believed to
be the most likely fields of action.
Allies Drop Bombs
Along the Vesle the French and
Americans are being subjected to
bombardments from German airmen
as we'll as from the enemy guns.
There has been no infantry action.
In Lorraine American patrols have
brought back prisoners from the
enemy trenches
Allied airmen Tuesday put out of
action forty-three German machines,
twenty-one of which were de-
stroyed. Attacks on railway sta
tions. airdromes. ammunition dumps
and other military targets continue
without letup. American ayiators
also have bombed railways stations