Republican farmer., 1918-09-06

Paris, Aug. 31-Whi.e the center Of the 6t-1nile battle line was relatively quiet. enemy resistance increased yesterday on both wings. He was un- able, however, to arrest the progress of the Allies At the northern end Gen. Horne and Gen. Byng gained important ground for future opera tions by taking Bullecourt, the most solid position in that sector. Last nights British official statement ad- mitted the British troops had been forced to fall back to the western out skirts of Bullecourt.
 Gen. Mangin attacked the southern end of the line. The region in which he is fighting forms an elbow where the line running from Dunkirk to Noyon meets a line running at right right angles across France to Nancy. This hinge position is exceptionally strong, since it is based north of Sois- sons on a high plateau overlooking g the valley of the Aisne, to the south, and the Ailette, to the north. There are wooded ranges of hills in this St. Gobain country which dominate Laon and a serious defeat here would oblige the enemy to make a precipitate re- treat and force him to abandon not only the line of the Vesle but the three lines formed by the Aisne, the Chemin des Danes and the Ailette.
 Gen. Ludendorff, in consequence, has thrown in the best divisions he
 can muster. These are Alpine regi- ments, Prussian guards and picked Bavarian and Saxon units
 Gen. Mangin has in his command some of the finest American divisions, together with elite French and CO., lonial troops. The fighting during the
 last 4S hours has equalled in ferocity
 anything yet seen during the war. Nevertheless the enemy had to give
 way and the Franco-American forces
 have won half the plateau between the
 Soissons and Coucy le Chateau. The Soissons-Coucy and the Soissons-
 Anizy--Le Chateau roads are threat ened and the Germans are faced by l the danger of the French getting be- l hind Chemin des Danes in their rear Conservative military opinion here views the situation with great satis- | faction. It is felt that the Germans 1 delayed their retreat too long and ! they are fighting so hard and sacrific- | ing men to gain time because the Hin i denburg line is not yet ready. In any | case that famous position is not be- | lieved to be such a solid rampant as il
 was when first made a year ago, when the works were new and well kept ul
 and were garrisoned by solid troops
 with unimpaired morale. They now are a formidable obstacle, but every i thing depends on the condition that 1 they are in and the state of the troops which will fall back into them. 1 With the American Army 1T
 France, Friday, Aug. 30-(By tht Associated Press)-German troops at l tempted to raid American advanced posts in the Vosges sector early today i Their artillery and mine throwing ac tivity had caved in one American | dugout burying 12 men and wounded two slightly, before the enemy mad: | his attack.
 The 10 unwounded men dug them | selves free as soon as the artillery 1 fire stopped. They drove off be tween 30 and 10 Germans and killed
 at least one. The body of this mar 1 will be brought to the American line: | for burial as soon as 1t can be rescued l from the German machine guns whicf
 are keeping up steady fire al l around it