Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-12
Speed of Attack
Surprise to Foe
Continued from Page One


seeing the enemy flying in confusion
before them.
| visited Saturday the ground in
the neighborhood of Moreuil and, Mori-
eel and was able to see the devasta ton
wrought by the French artillery. Shell
holes pittsd the ground everywhere
rear. The roads to MOI euil and Mort.
eel are mere heaps of ruins, while a
chateau IN the neighborhood in which
a German colonel has been taken was
a splendid tribute to the accuracy and
intensity of the French gunfire.
The chateau itself had been thor
oughly and conscientiously shelled
and there were great shell holes some
nifty yards all around it; but then
shell holes virtually ceased, proving,
rs an officer who had been carefully
studying the ground, said to me- how
deadly accurate had been the French
artillery practice.
French collaboration with the Brit
ish effort has been more comprehen.
sive than had at first been expected
to be the case, and now both the first
and third armies are engaged. 1t will
be remembered how General De
Beney's army co-operated with the
British in dealing the hammer blow
to the enemy. Once the disturba nee
of his line was achieved, the righ; of
De Beney's army came into action,
delivering its offensive at o'clock
on the afternoon Of the 9th.
BY evening of that day 1t had met
with very strong German resistance
at Arvillers, where reserves had been
brought up to REINFORCE the men in
| the line. After a violent struggle
these reserves were defeated and
| thrown back and the village was
taken. the French also capturing Da.
venscourt and the part to the west of
Contoire.
The whole of the o'clock attack
delivered southwest of Montdidier was
complete success. Rubescourt, La
Fretoy. LIE Tronquoy, Vaux. Assam.
villers and Faverolles fell successfully
the capture of Faverolles cutting off
the line of retreat of the men in Mont.
didier and making the eventual cap
ture of the town certainty.
Since August the French have
taken more than 200 guns and 5000
| prisoners, the number of guns being
markedly out of proportion to the
number of prisoners. This can only
be explained by the state of confusion
existing in the German ranks. The
men are flocking along the roads in
disorder to the rear, abandoning
everything in their passage.
In this connection the intervention
of the Third army has been. of eX
treme value, its action on the enemy's
flank increasing the disorder.
Large conveys have been observed
| n 10 these
been subjected to artillery fire and all
bombardment. Our aviators are con-
tinuously raining tons of projectiles
on columns, on points of assembly and
on the bridges of the Somme. certain
of which have already been rendered
useless. The aviators have supple
mented the dropping of bombs by ma
chine-gun fire and have material!
aided in creating disorder.
Examination of the map shows the
difficulty of the enemy's retreat. Al
the troops must pass elther by Roy'
or by Nesle. They are already vir
tually cut off from Roye, where thu
French bombing planes have been par
ticularly active, and in consequence
the situation of the men on the higf
ground to the south is eXtremel.
grave.
The enthusiasm Of the French troop
is amazing, the officers at times find
ng ii impossible to hold them back.
Loss of Guns Hampers Foe
J Since July Is the Germans nave los
more than 1900 guns, serious matte
in view of the difficulties they hav
experienced in the last six months II
the manufacture of artillery. Thu
their lack of such metals as man
J ganese has for it's effect the rapi
wearing out of the tubes of guns, an
these can only be replaced with grea
! difficulty. Consequently, the sudde
loss OF 1900 guns may be expected I
hamper them seriously for severa
months.
t After the success of the general at
8 vance the high command engaged ais
the Third Army that lay to De Beney'
, right, and at 4:20 in the morning
! attack was delivered without artiller
preparation between Councelles, Fa!
[ cite and Matz. Two minutes later tn
artillery Joined in and the infantr
: and artillery advanced.
! Ammunition had been brought
! noiselessly into the line and emo
nous quantities of horse and moto
e transports were hidden, waiting fo
|, the sound of the first gun. At the mrs
shot roads, woods and fields were aliE
y with galloping horses and motor loi
5 ries driven at breakneck speed, eac
hurrying ammunition to its own GU
8 Hundreds of guns had to be supple
q and fed continuously. so as to euab
I them to maintain the full volume
their fire, until the retreat OF the bocf
n forced them to advance.
:. Rapidity Of Attack a Surprise
y The boches were surprised. not |
y the attack, but by it's rapidity. Two mil
q utes after 1t began rockets we
thrown up appealing for barrage fl
"a fact that shows they were expec
u ING IN he attacked