The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-08-17

ing.
Beyond the Sonnc the land rises up
70 I plateau about eleven miles wide. the
! countryside being known a. Santcrrc
southweetcrly direction. past Fillers-
Hretonneux 10 L point where the plateau
is cut by The shallow valley OF the little
, River Luce. n tributary of the Avre.
Beyond this valley for another hrcc
miles. tho line WIS taken ~ ia POM
opposite Morcuil by the left OF tho French
FIRST Army under General Debeny. OPP
oositn the British limo. which was hefa py
tho Fourth British Army under General
Fawlinson. WAS the 2Tth German DIVISION
between the Aucre and the SoInUle. anu
on the plateau OF Santerre. in order from
north 10 south. were the 43rd. iSth' ats''
Tooth. 25th. and 18th dirisions-the lat
! tor standing across the Luce valley, al
the end Of the British line. and being in
process Of relief at the moment the a'-
ton opened by the l17th division. Goth
these divisions thus caught in the con-
fusion suffered heavily. The numbers
OF the German divisions on the front or
the French advance have not yet been
given 1t will be noticed that tho Ger
man defensive organization here was
quite dense. There WAS more than half n
division to mile. and this very Circum-
stance which WAS intended to strengthen
what was known to DC q vital sector. was
the thing which cost tho enemy heavy
losses when he was surprised by the
British advance.
Attack Developed Complete Surprise.
The action opened with the most in
tense but momcntarS. bomblrdmrnt
lasting only three or four minutes and
Immediately followed by an advance all
along the British line. led by tanks and
armored cars. It had the effect every
where Of complete surprise. and in the
centre. upon the bare. open Santerrc pla-
teau. the attack went right through the
German defensive system and made an
advance which. by afternoon, reached
Franervi!le. nine miles away from the
starting point at illers-BrctonncuX. All
this central movement through Fran
crvi1le was It's extreme limit. pushed
very far forward ard reached CaiI and
Beaucourt. seven and one sixth miles re-
spectively from the point OF departure on
tho original line.
|, But while this Thursday WAS so aston
!sf1ingly successful. through the effect or
surprise and through the tactical value
Of the tanks. on all the central plateau.
there was q hold up on the two wings
north and south. On the north between
The Ancre and the Somme. II was found
impossible to take Morlancourt and tho
line was hardly advanced In spite OF
hard fighting all day. Further south IN
the upper Somme valley the Chipilly
Hill was carried. but lost again. The
| eeftct o; s. accident was serious. The
Chipilly It'll stands out boldly from the
l>o to-n+ 81 IN md
commands the main road OF the British adj
vance acros the pleat"au 70 The south. 1t
WAS along this road that British columns
Of mon. material and supply. which were
making for Framcrville would have to
pass under its Tire.
The Greatest First Day Gains
One the right the French were held
up for three hours by the German de-
Tense of Morisel:. Until that bridge
head had been taken there was no way
by which tho French tanks could cross
| the narshy valley. and therefore there
was no opportunity for advance. The
French captured Morisel with the re-
naming survivors Of its garrison--So0
men-at o'clock. and after that they
had surrounded and taken Moreuil. on the
other side Of the little river, BY even
ing they had come into nne with the
British to the north Of them and were
past Plessier.
On the evening Of the first day. there
| fore the situation wasthis: Over all
the great central plateau Of Santcrrc
| there had been An advance superior to
any hitherto made on the first day Of
any offensive since trench warfare be-
gan, and the German defensive system
| had been completely broken. The vital
! railway junction n ChaulueS was with
| in range OF British guns. Montddicr.
ut the head Of the salient. was badly
| pinched from the north and its railway
| communica tions were interrupted by the
fire now directed against Chaulnes juno
ton. Eut the fact that the Germans
were still holding the Chipilly Hill to
the north grarely interfered with the
road supplying the furthest point of
| the British advance. The Allies count
cd that day about 5000 prisoners; but
Montdidier still held. the salient was
not yet reduced. nor. therefore. was the
first object OF the action attained.
The cattle On The Second Day.
In the second day Of the battle the en-
emy's general reserves were coming up
and opposing considerable resistance,
while. on the Allied side the advance
was slackcncd by the necessity Of bring
ing up artillery and munitionment.
|
| FraIncrNille and down toward Lihons
and Chaulnes was difficult SO long rs
the Germans still retained Chipilly.
The general advance in the first part Of
the second day was no more than three
or four miles. the French getting
through to Piermont, north Of Mont
didicr. and pinchinE the salient still
further by reaching Arvillers: but the
British. though passing Rosslers, two
and n half miles from Caix. were still
hanpcred in their movement by the en-
crny occupation Of Chipilly Hill.
! Great efforts had been made the day
before TO rctake the hill. but had failed
II looked for a moment by a distant
observer as though the advance had
met a check. But rather late on this
second day things began to change
again for our advantage. Latc in the
afternoon of Friday the First ETench
army, whose left was already engaged
in the region north of Montdidicr. struck
suddenly and Unexpectedly in the south
ern face of the salient beyond and to
the cast Of that town.
At the same moment the British north
Of the Son1me and in front Of Chipilly
thll. reinforced by certain American
contingents attacked again and the
height was carried. With the morning
Of the next day the advance could as
sumo a now form.
Question How Far Foe Will Retreat
In the course Of the preceding eve
ming Australians aud Canadians pushed
forward to within 200 yards Of Chaul-
mes junction and stood on tho rising
ground near Lihons. looking down at
the railway center which was so vital