Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1918-09-05
NEWS REVIEW OF
The GREAT war.
Germany's Strongest Bases in
Picardy Are Occupied by
the Allied Armies.
.NOyON TAKEN BY FRENCH
British, Advancing Along the scarpe,
Cross Hindenburg Line-Desperate
Resistance of the Huns Is Un-
avaiiing-Ameriean Man.
Power Bill Passed.
BY EDWARD W. picKARp.

0y E0WAnO W. FtNNAhO.
CroisilIes, Bnllecourt, Bray. Hcbe-
court, Chaulues, Gommiecourt, Nesle,
Roye. Noyon, Chavlgny--one after an
other the German strOngholds In Pic
aray, all down the line from Arras to
Soissons, fell into the hands of the al
lies last week. The redoubtable Him
denburg line was broken through ut
various points. and so menaced at
Others that it was in Il fair way to be-
come untenable, even before the re-
treating Huns could reach it, East of
Arras the British had turned Its right
flank, and the French. passing through
NeSle, threatened it farther south.
Astride the Scarpc and the somme.
Field Marshal Haig's armies moved
steadily If slowly toward the east, new
er giving the enemy an instnnts rest,
relentlessly pushing him back in the
direction of Cambrai. Peronne and st.
Quentin. In the midst of furious rain
storms the British fought unceasing-
ly and tirelessly to overcome the des-
perate resistance put up by the Ger
mans. The battle developed and
spread tlny by day until 1t became one
of the greatest conflicts of the war.
In these regions. as elsewhere. the
Germans sought to stem the advance
mainly by innumerablc machine guns.
The crews OF these, left to fight while
tile main bodies of the troops contin
ued their retirement, did fight and to
the death The Hun infantry in many
cases showed the greatest reluctance
70 attack. sometimes fatty refusing to
obey the orders of their commanders.
Hy the end of the week the British
lad PerOnne under their guns and the
huns We're falling back to the river
crossings there and Mt Brie. Farther
lorth. Bnpauine was taken on Thurs
lay and Haig's forces had pushed far
beyond ii on the north. Having crossed
he Hindenburg line, !::::.H we're threat-
ming tile Queant DrOcourt support
inc. Perhaps the most important eff
'ect OF their advance aloGg the Scnrpe
vas that it menaced the group of CON
| ferginS railway lines that nre vital to
| he enemy in handling men from the
| Belgian and northwestern French
'rontS
| During the week the British took
something like 10000 prisoners and
more than 100 guns.
| The severest blow To the Germans
was the capture of Noyon on Thurs
lny by the French troops of General
4 nit tnI,
practically envclopesl for Il week or
more, was powerfully defended by the
Germans who had counted on making
Il the pivot of their line TO the north.
Its southern and western outskirts
we're full OF strongly entrenched ma
.hine-gun positions. The French were
lot TO be denied. however NoyOn is
a great highway center and its taking
opens the way for the French to drive
the Germans back to the st. Gobain
forest. La Fere and maybe st. Quen-
tin. Tie intervening terrain is such
that the enemy could scarcely hope to
make stand there.
The three French armies under
1 Humbert. Debeney and Mangin gave Il
splendid display of teamwork in their
advances on both sides of the Disc.
Mangin's men crossed the river and
took Morlincourt while Humbert was
| ontflanking Noyon from the west and
south, and the Huns had the choice Of
| retreating or being captured. On the
/ left the First army occupied Quesnoy
wood, strongly fortified os'ticn
which the enemy tried hard to hold
because 1t is dominating point.
On Tuesday the French had cap
iured Roye, one Of the important Ger