Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-10-13
In But One Locality South
east of VaIenCiennes, Are
the AngIo-American Troops
Meeting With Resistance,
PETAIN AND PERSHlNG
STRIKE Renewed BLOWS
Teutons Are Believed to Have
Prepared Themselves to
Give Up Douai and Lille
Belgian Troops Are Active,
undated War Lead by the Associated
Press


The Anglo American forces on the
southerly side of the great wedge that
has been thrust into the lines south
east of Valenciennes are hating mo-
mentarily before an extemporized
German defense line running from
Valenciennes to the Disc.
Both to the north and south of this
area, however, the Germans are
either retreating or preparing to fall
back under the continuous pressure
that Marshal Foch is applying.
Douai, the most important of the
northern French cities within the i'm
mediate scope of the allied thrust.
with the exception of the fallen Cam
brai and the threatened Lille, seems
about to pass into British hands,
lille itself. the greatest of the
French manufacturing towns, Is in
none too secure position. The
wedge below Douai is threatening the
whole line running north past Lille
IL. ~ Tisntfe4s ana tie ,ferfnans are
paipably worried also over the pros
pect of General Plumer's second Brit
ish army and King Albert's Belgian
forces on their right flank above
Lille springing into renewed activity,
In the south General Petain's armies
and the Americans under General
Pershing have struck renewed heavy
blows against the German left in the
great rocket formed by the German
positions from Verdun around the
Laon curve to the sea. The Chemin
Des Danes no longer stands as the
bulwark for Laon in the Aisne re.
gion and to the east in the Champagne
the French by swift advance of from
i.. 10 fBQN "a
entered VOUCHERS and carried their
line so far north that the commune
cations between the German northern
armies and those east of the Cham
payne bid fair to be cut.
on the extreme allied right in the
active battle area the American first
army is keeping UP its hammering
tactics and daily gaining more of the
most valuable ground remaining to
the Germans in northern France
that protecting their communicating
lines from the home soil through the
Metz and Montmedy regions.
But the Germans. although they
are in general on the retreat. by nc
means are yet in state of broken
resistance. This is shown by the des.
perate fight they are giving the Amer
leans from the Argonne to the Meuse
by the stand they appear to he about
to make before Field Marshal Haig's
armies south of Valenciennes, and by
the persistence with which they are
clinging to their positions around
Laon, although doubtless aware OF
the peril to which they are exposing
their large forces in this area by sc
doing.
Douai and perhaps Lille, they seer
to have prepared themselves to give
up. But they are still holding on tC
most of Belgium as well as to the
Laon pocket and are throwing every
thing they can possibly mass into tbs
effort TO keen their vital left flank
north of the Verdun area protected.
Nothing definite regarding the Ger
man reply to President Wilson's mote
on the peace question has as yet come
out Of Germany. The answer Is sale
to be ready. and various statements
are appearing in the German press t.
the effect that the presidents terms
have been accepted" Most of thes'
reports are hedged about with quail
fications. however, and are accom-
panied by flying rumors that some
thing is about to happen to the Hob
enzollern dynasty or at least to thu
leading figures of 1t, as an ostensibl'
sop to entente sentiment.