The sun., 1918-07-20
GERMAN TANKS LOST
As ALLIES SWEEP ON
Three Sides Of the Marne
Salient Yield to Stimuli
taneOus Attacks.
ENEMY LOSSES GIGANTIC
Besides the Thousands Cap
tured Dead Strew Fields
They Abandon.
Social cable Despafch TO The Sun from the
London Timss.

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London Timss.
Copyright 1918; oil rights reserred.
PARIS. July l9.--The correspondent of
the Echo de Parts who returned this
morning from Gen. Gourad's front says
fne impression he received was in every
way encouraging. He adds:
we watched the brilliant counter at
tacks yesterday of our victorious troops
VINO are advancing and retaking ground
upon which the Boche has left his dead
and debris OF every description, guns,
tanks, machine guns. &C. have seen
terror stricken prisoners who expressed
immense surprise over the attacks of our
troops. The Germans were advancing
in mass formation and their batteries
we're in battle position when our ma
chine guns cut them down By thousands.
Some OF these prisoners accuse their
leaders of having misled them; others
suggest treason.
The losses on the French side were
relatively small. thanks to the careful
tactics Of Gen. Gouraud. The losses of
the Germans were gigantic. several d.
visions having been decimated.
On Gen. Mangtn'a Front.
Last night. mainly in the neighbor-
hood Of Oulchy lie Chateau, the enemy.
thoroughly alarmed by the days events.
drew In his reserves and made violent
attacks against the newly won French
positions. Here and there the enemy
made some impression on the French
advanced lines, but the gains achieved
vtre merely temporary: the French,
aided excellently by light field artillery
and machine guns. still held this morn
ns the ground they had won"
Liberte gives incidents OF Gen. Man
gins advance. It says: west of Sois-
sons one OF our regiments charged the
enemy with the bayonet. their colors fly
ing. the men singing the Champs du
Depart. East OF Dommiers a mixed reg
iment OF Zouaves and Tirailleurs swept
the German positions and captured 1900
prisoners. They went right through
column of requirements coming TO the
aid OF the enemy and without mo-
ment's check reached Chaudun. having
penetrated the German defences eight
kilometers tnearly Ave miles). One rea-
son for the lack Of details is that on
the Chateau Thierry scissors front the
French infantry advanced so rapidly
that communication between the hiring
line and the various headquarters be-
came slow and difficult"
Advances on Marine Front.
French troops along the Marine at
Chateau Thierry and Epernay also were
active. They cleared the enemy out OF
Montvoisin and pushed the Germans
back as far as Oeuilly. which yesterday
still was in enemy hands. North OF
the Marine the French succeeded in CIV
ing more air to Rheims and its protect
ing Montague. Attacking with vigor be-
tveen Pourcy and La Poterne, they
pushed their line a kilometer out into
the German positions. This action clears
what may be regarded as the eastern
tocthill OF the Montague de Rheims
In the northern extremity of the wood
near Rheims, In the vicinity of Bouilly.
the Italian troops advanced. The action
in this part of the country stopped the
creeping advance Of the enemy which
was destined to bring about the fall OF
Rheims and Epernay.
Henri Bidou. the noted military COM
mentator explains that early in June
Gen. Won Boehm attacked toward the
south and reached the Marine at Cha
teau Thierry. Gen. Foch Immediately
prepared to give him blow on his
light and Won Boehm. sensing that this
was going to happen, faced around to
the west and consolidated his position in
the north by the capture of Chateau
rh!erry. But Won Boehm's army.
stretched between the Aisne and the
Marine, was exposed to a flank attack,
which has now been delivered.
Foch's strategy Explained.
II was to protect that flanH OF Won
Roehm's army that Gen. Won Hutier.
commanding on the sector adjoining on
the west. began his offensive on the Disc
with the object of capturing Compiegne
and perhaps Villers-Cotterets. Won
Hutier lost the battle, leaving Won
Boehm in his exposed position Imme-
diately Gen. Foch Began series OF
preparatory operations, each of which
robbed the enemy of a favorable position
and threw confusion into his divisions.
Bidou notes that such operations are
described in Gen. Foch's published work
as necessary preliminary In battle
for a decisive attack. No sooner had
Cen. Foch's preliminary attacks brought
their full fruit when the Germans
launched their big offensive on July 10.
The moment was entirely favorable for
the display of the strategic qualities
that have made Foch famous.