Omaha daily bee., 1918-08-26
MANGIN: WINS
BIG VICTORY
IN HIS DRIVE
French Gain Possession of En-
tire South Bank of the
Disc and FoothoId
Along isne.

With the French Army in France,
Aug, 25.-The first phase of the bat
tie of the Aisne and Oise has put the
French in possession of the entire
south bank of the Disc west of the
Ailette.
The Germans are thrown back upon
the hilly forest region of Coucy for
communication between their troops
operating on the Disc above the
Ailette and their troops on the Aisne
east of Scissors.
Both sides command the Disc with
their artillery. French scouts have
found it so formidably defended by
MACHINE gun nests and artillery from
Noyon to Chaulnes that it will re-
quire considerable work by the hea-
Wy artillery before crossing in force
is attempted.
On the right bank of the Ailette
the Germans are resisting stoutly
from a strong position along the
edge of the forest of Coucy. Small
parties of French have effected a
crossing.
Plans Executed Rapidly.
General Mangin has won a sub
stantial victory, of which there is
plenty of material evidence besides
$4,000 prisoners and 800 captured can
non. He set out first to drive the
Germans from the plateaux of Adigni-
court, Nampoel and Carlepont by
yielent thrust Ilofthward, theH by al
quick facing about toward the east
to drive them off the heights west of
the Ailette, thus clearing the south
bank of the Oise and lending support
to the Third army's action in the hills
of Thiescourt.
The program succeeded so rapidly
that though the enemy may say that
he retired unhindered, some of his
staff officers were obliged to flee in
scanty attire. A German general was
seen running from one of the exits
of cavern at the top OF Mount
Choisy without boots or suspenders,
just as French soldiers appeared at
the other entrance.
The correspondent who later visit
ed that cavern found in it other evil
dences of the hasty departure OF the
German divisional staff that had occu-
pied it. Along with the generals boots
and suspenders, there were several
pairs of costly field glasses and a,
complete telephone system.
In the piles of arms and ammunition
that have been collected on and
around the height, there are a con-
siderable number of bayonets with
the sawtooth blade.
Stronghold Carried By Storm.
If the Germans did not intend to /
remain south OF the Oise they evil
IDENTIFY thought they could hold this
position. The slopes are covered |
with brush that hides the gulleys and |
entrances, where machine gun
nests in ambush held up the division
that was engaged in the attack from
O'Clock in the morning to o'clock !
in the evening. The Germans were
even preparing to spend the night |
in their elaborately fitted headquar
ters in the quarry at the top.
But after a short artillery prepara-
ton the place was stormed and the
German staff had only just time to
get away. One officer who was taken
prisoner, said
"The French are making war in
IN entirely new fashion. 1t is a great
attack"
Rank and file prisoners without ex-
:eption agree that Germany is DOOM
ID to defeat. Most of these men were
n the machine gun sections that the
lew German tactics sacrificed to pro-
ect the retreat, and they expressed
heir resentment freely.