Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-08-14
BOCHE FIGHT HARD;
CAN'T STOP ALLIES
ALONG THE SOMME
Field Marshal Haig Ready to Hit
Hun Line Again at the
First Chance.
HOLD ON At ALL COST"
IS ORDER To GERM ANS
A Short Advance Further by
French Means Foe Must Re
treat Along Whole Line.
RUSHED BACK
INTO OLD PLEMONT TRENCHES

INIO OGD HJENoNI thEIstfIIso
With the French Army in France,
Aug. At p. m.-The Germans
now are i'm Plemont, about a mile
southeast of Lassigny, TO which they
retired following a new advance by
the French General Humbert's army
moved forward two miles yesterday
and took the st. Claude farm, which
makes the hold of the French on the
southern part of the Thiescourt
plateau secure.
At PIemont the Germans found
positions all ready to receive them and
were able to offer strong resistance.
The enemy took position on the
fighting early July and their old
trenches there still are organized with
wire entanglements.
Associated Press Summary p. m.
Allied progress eastward in Picardy
with the Germans fighting desperately
for every vantage point, continues TO be
slow On the northern tnd OF the front
the British and Germans are occupied
mainly with reciprocal artillery lombard
ments, while on the south the French have
advanced farther toward Lasslgny IN
heavy fighting.
From Morlancourt south to Ihons,
the British apparently are consolidating
the captured ground while the artillery
is being brought up to lombard the
Germans who maintain themselves IN the
old positions Of i9l6-l7 west Of the upper
course of the Somme. The infantry
activity here Tuesday was comparatively
quiet, Field Marshal Haig reports, but
i there seems TO be little doubt that the
British are only awaiting favorable
| opportunity TO again hit the German line.
FRENCH GAIN MILE AND HALF.
| In the hill and wood region between
] the Matz and the Oise the French have
/ made gains and are reported unofhciaily
/ TO be holding the important masslf tor
plateau of Lassigny against heavy
/ German attacks North of Curry, the
French are fighting forward in the park
south Of Plessier de Roye while 20 the
east they have reached Besval, one and
one-half miles south of Lassigny. Al
BelvaI, the French outfanked the western
end of the heights south of LassiPny East
of Belval the Germans apparently have
been able TO hold the French in check
Along the west bank of the Disc, the
French have gained one and one-hali
miles toward Noyon.
HUNS ORDERED TO STICK.
Seemingly, the masslf Of Lassigny is
in danger of being lost to the Germans
if they already have not been forced from
the higher points German prisoners
taken at Belval numbered III and they
declared they had been ordered TO hold
on at all costs This high ground IS i'm
portant to the enemy because French
guns placed there could command al
the terrain northward toward Roye and
eastward toward Noyon.
With the plateau in possession OF the
French the Germans probably would be
forced to evacuate Lassigny and Noyon
and possibly the entire line southwark
from Chaulnes This would have some
effect on the enemy position eastward tC
Rheims, depending on how far the Ger.
mans would have TO retire before reaching
a new defensive line which most prob
ably would be through Nesle and GUS
card and based on Ham.
TAKE 5000 HUNS, 600 Guns.
Field Marshal Haig reports that since
last Thursday the Allies have captured
2S. 900 prisoners and 600 guns. Severa
thousand machine guns and much wal
material also were taken Aerial activit,
4llNtilSt NitsIAtittia tAAll1AEiA dtt
| engaging the allied fliers in combat L
prevent reconnaissance and bombing
| work Forty-eight German machines
were accounted for Monday and a ton,
of bombs dropped on military target;
behind the enemy lines.
Berlin reports the shooting down o
% allied airshipS Berlin also reports
that all allied efforts Monday were re
pulsed, especially attacks by strong
| French forces between the Matz and tn,
Disc.
BoMBARDING rRENCH-AMERICAN LINES.
Patrol activity continues IN Flanders
but there are no indications that heavy
fighting is about to begin there. Along
the Nesfe the Germans have not repeated
their Intellectual attacks, but are bonn
harding the Franeo-AInerlcan lines witt
high explosives and gas shells
1t is announced that the American
First Army, which has Just been or
ganized, will hold the western from
'south OF the Marne" which probabl,
means from st Mihiel TO Switzerland
where the allied positions are near tht
German border or beyond it. This is thu
prospective road to Berlin.
RAIDED nun TOWNS SUFFER-
Much material damage was done a
Frankfort and karlsruhe by recent British
aerial bombardments, according to re
ports received in Switzerland In karls
ruhe eleven persons were killed and 2
injured
German submarines sank two Frencl
steamers in the Mediterranean in mud
July. From the transport Djemnal
442 men are missing Seven sailors wer
| I-,lIo1 -, f,~r.nsl.s.,a. g
ing.
[Massif term that has been use,
frequently in the war reports Of the las
two or three days, is defined BY th
Standard Dictionary thus: THE dom
inant central mass of mountain ridg
more or less defined by longitudinal 0
transverse valleys" ~ "A distrophi
block or any isolated central independen