The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-08-19
AUGUST

! the only effect of the German retire
| ment from the salient. There will
| also be very important result in
leaving the Allies ample ground for
manoeuyre.
primarily to make continued use of
the initiative, leaving the enemy no
! respite, also to fnflict heavy losses by
crushing in the Montdidier salient, to
create confusion in the enemy organ
ization by this pressure, to relieve
Amtens and the main Amiens railway
and to increase the ground behind the
lines for further manoevres-with all
these objects, the British Commander
in Chief struck Just before daylight
on Thursday, August 8.
Where Haio Struck
To Relieve Amiens.
| The sector Of attack was about
twenty miles long, and was divided
into the following portions beginning
from the north: The first is the tri-
angle between the Ancre and the up
per Somme valley, piece of front
just over three miles long facing the
large village of Morlancourt and the
bold projecting Hill of Chippilly. This
northern end Of the line OF advance,
beginning at Ville-en-Ancre and going
down the Sally on the Somme valley,
was to prove the most difficult part Of
the ground The British troops OPP
Grating here were faced by the 9th
German Division, which had only a
day or two before been in local action
on this ground and which was expect
4 ing further fighting.
! Beyond the Somme the land rises
/ up to plateau about eleven miles
wide, the countryside being known as
Santerre. The British line ran across
this in southWesterly direction, past
| Vlllers-Bretonneux to a point where
the plateau is cut by the shallow val
| ley of the little River Lucre, a tribu-
tar yof the Avre.
Beyond this valley for another three
miles, the line was taken up to point
opposite Moreuil by the left Of the
French First Army, under General De-
beny. Opposite the British line. which
was held by the Fourth British Army
under General Rawlinson, was the 9th
German Division, between the Ancre
and the Somme, and on the plateau of
Santerre, in order from north to south,
were the 43d, 18th, 41st 109th, 25th
and 14th divisions-the latter standing
across the Luce Valley, at the end of
the British line, and being in process
OF relief at the moment the action
opened by the 117th German Division.
Both these divisions thus caught in
the confusion suffered heavily.
Attack Developed
Complete Surprise
The action opened with the most
intense bombardment, lasting only
three or four minutes, and Immediately
followed by an advance all along the
British line, led by tanks and armored
cars. 1t had the effect everywhere of
a complete surprise; and in the cen
ter, upon the bare, open Santerre
plateau, the attack went right through
the German defensive system and
made an advance which, by afternoon,
Preacher Framerville, nine miles away
from the starting point at Villers-Bre-
tonneux. All this central movement,
though Framerville was its extreme
limit, pushed very far forward and
reached Caix and Beaucourt, seven and
one-stxth miles respectively from the
point Of departure on the original line.
But while this Thursday was so as
itonshfngly successful, there was a
hold-up on the two wings north and
south. On the north, between the
Ancre and the Somme, it was found
impossible to take Marlancourt, and
the line was hardly advanced in spite
of hard fighting all day. Further
south, in the upper Somme Valley, the
Chipilly Hill was carried, but was lost
again. The effect of this accident was
serious. The Chipilly Hill stands out
boldly from the heights north Of the
Somme and directly commands the
main road of the British advance
across the plateau to the south. 1t
was along this road that British col
umns of men, material and supplies,
which were making for FrameWille,
would have to pass under its fire.
The Greatest
First Day Gains
On the right the French were held
up for three hours by the German
defense of Morisel. Until that bridge
head had been taken there was no
way by which the French tanks could
cross the marshy valley, and there
fore there was no opportunity for adj
vance. The French captured Morisel
with the remaining survivors Of Its
garrison-S00 men-at o'clock, and
after that they were able to go for.
ward By 10 o'clock they had sur.
rounded and taken Moreuil, on the
other side of the little river. By eve.
ming they had come into the line with
the British to the north of them and
were past Plessied.
The Battle on the
Second Day.
In the second day of the battle the
enemys general reserves were com
ing up and opposing considerable
resistance, while, on the Allied side,
the advance was slackened by the
necessity of bringing up artillery and
munitionment. Further, a continued
advance beyond Framerville and down
toward Lihons and Chaulnes was diff
ficult so long as the Germans still re
Itainad Chinillv The Panaral advance