The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-10-05
Reorganized Serbian Army Starts
an important Offensive on
the SaIoniki Front.
BULGAUIkNS ARE IN FLIGHT
Franco British Forces Closing Down
on st. Quentin Despite Strong Re.
sistance-Amerieans Smelling
Metz-Austria's Peace Suu.
sestion Promptly Re-
jected. -..
BY EDWARD w. PIckARD.

With a regenerated and reOrgaDized
army Serbia took the lead last week
in smashing the Hun and his allies.
Aided by French and Greek contin-
gents, the hard-fighting Serbians struck
at the Saloniki front held by the Bull
garians and certain German units.
They struck hard, too, and within three
days had advanced IL miles on a 20
mile front, taking 80 towns, including
lie he stsezS>gests af the the enemy positians.
AT first the resistance was stubborn
but by Thursday the Bulgarians were
reported in full retreat and the Ser
bians pursuing them day and night.
The enemy threw in fresh divisions,
but in vain, for they too were COM
pletely defeated. So swift were the
fight and the pursuit that the Serbians
had not had time to count the great
number of prisoners taken or to esti-
mate the quantities of material that
fell into their hands.
This Serbian advance by the end Of
the week was seriously menacing the
city of Prilip, one Of the chief bases
of the central powers in Macedonia. 1t
is not beyond the bounds of POSSIBLE
ity that it may later be connected up
with the operations Of the allies in AL
bania, of which little has been heard
lately. A good many authorities long
have held the opinion that the war can
be brought to a successful end soonest
by a great offensive In the Balkan re-
gion, cutting off Turkey and Bulgaria
from their allies and threatening Aus
tria from the south.
Ia
With the Franco-B British pincers
slowly but surely closing down on st.
Quentin, the French and Americans
in possession of the western end Of
the observation-disclosures and steadily
pushing toward Laon and the Yankees
firmly established on their new lines
in Lorraine, Smelling Metz and threat
ening the great iron and coal fields Of
the Briey basin, the German high COM
mand last week was still clinging to
the Hindenburg line through most of
it's length. The Huns had massed vast
numbers Of long-range guns and were
resisting desperately, but their increas-
ing dearth of man power was becom-
ing more evident daily, and the pris-
oners taken, though well fed and
clothed, were Respondent and tired.
After several days Of preparatory
operations Field Marshal Haig on We'd
nesday attacked on a 16-mile front
northwest of st. Quentin, from Gou-
zeaucourt south of Holnon Wood. Be-
fore nightfall the British had smashed
ahead to a depth of three miles, taking
Peiziere, La Verguiere, Epehy, Rons-
soy, Villeret and other towns and bag
ging more than 5000 prisoners. The
primary object Of the drive, which was
made in hard rainstorm, was to gain
possession of the old British trench
system of last March, running along
an important ridge. Many of the best
fighting units in the German army were
opposed to Haig's men, but the, latter at
tanned their object In the main and at
some points went further than had
been expected. The artillery work of
the Germans, especially with high We
locity guns massed behind the st.
Quentin canal, was more severe than
for long time before.
Ia
simultaneously with Haig's attack,
the French hit the Boches on a ten
mile front south of st. Quentin, advanc-
ing more than a mile and taking four
villages and hundreds Of prisoners.
Military critics express no doubt Of
the ultimate fall Of st. Quentin, but
the enemy In sure to put up long,