Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1918-10-12
allied TROOPS
ON HEELS
OF FLEEING FOE
Germans Giving Ground East
ward From Douai to Laon
and Seeking Haven
of Safety.
BY Associated Press.

On the wings OF necessity the
Germans are flying eastward from
their old battle positions from Douai
TO Lafere and northward from La
fere TO the Meuse river. Their
flight is toward some haven of safety
from the talons of the allied hawks
which everywhere are menacing
them.
All along the battle front the al
lied troops are advancing. From
the south of Douai to the east Of
Laon the enemy everywhere is CIV
ing ground eastward.
The famous Chemin Des Danes,
the ridge which the Germans had
believed to be an insurmountable
barrier to an advance northward
from Scissors, is being evacuated
while in Champagne and along the
Mouse river father eastward the
French and American troops are
pushing farther northward - their
lines in the great converging move
ment which is fast driving the enemy
from Belgium and the greater por
ton of invaded France toward his
own borders.
Douai Outfanked.
Douai now is completely outfank-
ed by the latest operations of the
British, while between Cambria and
St. Quentin the British and Ameri-
cans are still chasing the enemy. g 70
the south Of St. Quentin the French
over a wide front have crossed the
Disc river and in con junction with
the retirement of the enemy from
the Chemin Des Danes, are fore
ing the Germans to give up the great
St. Gobain forest, the bastion at
the end of the line where it turns
eastward, and also the stronghold of
Laon, the keystone of the entire
southern German line.
While from the war maps it would
appear to the casual observer that
the Germans in this bend of the
elbow are likely to be cut off, it
seems more probable that they will
be able to use the railways and high
roads leading in all directions from
Laon like the main branches of a
spiders web and effect their escape
without great losses in prisoners,
Nevertheless the retrograde move
ment here of necessity must have
strong bearing on the stability of
whatever new line the Germans may
choose to stand upon, and on their
still relatively strong fronts in Bel
gium and from Verdun to the Swiss
border. The Italians are taking
great part in the driving of the
enemy from the Chemin Des Danes.
Americans Making Progress. +
East of Rheims the Suippe river
has been crossed by the French at
numerous places. West of the Ar
gonne forest, which now is held by
the French and Americans, the Ger
mans are in retreat and a
number of additional towns
and VILLAGES have been taken
by the Franco-American forces.
Last VI tlIC N5oiiilC diu diOhS NV
Mouse valley, the Americans are still
progressing satisfactorily.
The retreat of the enemy along
the rs miles of the western line
from Douai to the southwest of
St. Quentin is still too fast, except
/ on isolated sectors. for the foot
troops of the British, American and
French to keep in contact with him.
The cavalry and tanks on the plains
and through the wooded sectors,
however have taken a terrible toll
from the rear guards, while still
farther back allied airmen are cut
ting to pieces the columns of the
bewildered foe as they try to make
their way to their next defense line.
Virtually no infantry opposition is
I being encountered. The machine
gun seemingly is being chiefly de-
pended upon by the Germans to
hold back the foe as their main
forces retire.