Middletown transcript., 1918-09-07
FRENCH DRIVE ON
YANKS IN FRAY
Fall Of Noyon Forecastby New
Gains of French.
AMERICANS FOIL COUNTERS
British Continue Drive In Picardy-
Croise.ies Falls, While Hsiq's
Men Gain Four Miles In
Flanders.

Paris.-The Germans facing the Al
lied forces from Arras to scissors ev-
erywhere are in dire peril. On almost
every sector of the battle front the
enemy line continues to crumble be-
for the Allied attack, Notwithstanding
the violence, born of desperation, of
the counter-offensive tactics.
Near Arras the old Hindenburg line
now is well outf1anked; from the
Scarpe to the Somme the hostile line
gradually is falling back, while, from
the south of the Somme to Scissors
the enemy front has literally been
smashed and the German hosts ap-
parently are caught in two distinct
traps, escape from which without
heavy losses in men made prisoner
and guns and material captured seems
almost impossible of achievement
Scores of additional towns have been
captured by the British, French and
American troops, the Americans hav-
ing entered the fray with the French
northwest of scissors, while all of
the old German salients in the Allied
lines now have been fattened out and
the Allies themselves have dug deeply
into the enemy's terrain.
The first trap in which the enemy
finds himself is the triangle formed BY
the sharp curve of the Somme River,
with Peronne its apex and with Curlu
on the Somme and Fresnes, respective
ly, its northern and southern bases.
This triangle is little more than
three miles deep and six miles wide,
and in it the Germans are fighting with
their backs toward the Somme on both
the north and the east. Desperate
resistance is being offered by the
enemy in order that his men may
have time to reach haven of safety
across the stream, but the British are
hard after their quarry, and with the
French little to the south almost up
to the river to aid them by an out
fanking movement it would seem that
the odds are heavily against the Ger
mans.
1t was the French troops who sprang
the other trap. With the fall Of Chaul-
mes the French forces routed the
enemy over front of about 10 miles
and penetrated the region to depth
at some points of nearly seven miles.
From the north of Chaulnes to Nesle
the penetration of the French reached
the heights on the left bank of the
Somme; southwark the advance left
the French along the Canal du Nord
at various points between Nesle and
the outskirts of Noyon; south and
southeast of Noyon gains also were
made, and Noyon and the entire region
between Nesle and scissors now are
in great pocket, with the French
pincers working hard to close upon it.
The Americans are fighting with the.
L 1CACu III c0l VI OOlSSOuS III
operation which has in view the blot
ting out Of the Noyon sector and the
of the Aisne and the old
Chemin des Danes positions. Official
reports have the Americans and
French fighting violently with the
enemy around Juvigny, where they
have gained some ground. The Amer.
leans have successfully sustained sew
eral heavy enemy counter-attacks in
this region. The Americans and Ger
mans also are engaged In bitter bat
Ties around Bazoches and Fismette, on
the Vesle. The Germans endeavored
10 ford the Vesle south of Bazoches,
but were hold by the Americans. Like
wise an enemy assault against Fis-
mette was stopped. The German off,
cial communication asserts that the
have suffered severe losses
and lost more than $50 prisoners in
The battle along the Vesle.