The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1918-09-09
FRENCH and GERMAN LINES
ARE ONLY 200 YARDS APART
in The FOREST OF ST. GOBAIN
Mangins Troops Overcome the Greatest Con-
centration of Machine Gun Fire During
This War in Making Advance.
WITH THE FRENCH ARMY I'M

WITH THE fkENCH ARMY IN
FRANCE, Sunday. Sept. (Associ-
ated Press). The troops OF Gen.
Mangin between the Aisne and the
oise Rivers are now virtually behind
their old wire entanglements In their
old trenches OF 1917. All along the
edge Of the Forest Of Coucy and
through the western horn OF the st.
Gobain Forest the Germans are only
200 yards away and in some places
they are In positions In the old Hin
snburg line that are plainly visible
from the heights west OF Chateau
Coucy.
The Disc -Aisne Canal and the River
Ailette that runs between the heights
and the Chateau and which forms a
sort of advanced post OF their main
line six miles further back at Fresnes
was not abandoned voluntarily but
wrested from the enemy after
struggle OF five days during which
live different German divisions tried
10 hold off single French division.
"The divisions that tried to prevent
the crossing OF the canal and river"
the Associated Press correspondent
was informed by a French officer,
who has participated In most OF the
campaigns OF the war. accomplished
the greatest concentration Of machine
gun fire that has been witnessed in
this war"
The French troops were obliged 70
face that fire at a range of twenty
yards In order to cross the Oise- Aisne
throwing bridges over the canal sew
enteen yards wide suffered not only
from the quick -firers. but were In
good range OF German grenades. II
required two days to advance TO the
AiIette from the Village Pont Saint
Mard and four days to gain 500 yards
OF ground. The machine guns were
massed thickly all along the canal In
front Of Quincy and In the woods.
thickets and marshes.
The French engineers finally sue
ceeded In bridging the canal and
over the first bridge an enraged
sergeant charged the Germans
around a machine gun position and
single handed made twelve OF them
prisoner. Such was the work that
vent on both along the river and the
canal during the five days, each day
exhaustlng GermRny's best divisions.
twenty-five quIskflrers were found
In a small thicket called Etuarais-
sage wood. They were almost as
thick in vache wood and the more
extensive timbered land fronting
Coucy-le- Chateau and Coucy-la-
vihe. Where the French could get
at them they charged and killed the
German gunners at their pieces, but
many emplacements were too we'll
hidden or protected for a direct at
tack and II was necessary TO shell
them.
During several hours French pro-
jectiles sent splinters nying all
through the timber. and when the in
fantry charged they had TO go on to
Coucy- la Vile TO catch the enemy.
who had fed, leaving his guns and
An enormous amount Of materials
and supplies behind. coucy-le- Cha
teau and the height on which II
stands was thus turned from the
north and fanked at the same ume
from the south. while thousands OF
shells flled the ruins OF the sur
rounding positions.
Chateau Nogent to the southeast
was taken about the same time, and
with II the Germans lost positions
on which they had spent tremen-
dous effort. They retired behind
their three lines of barbed wire on
the hne TO Fresnes. The booty they
left behind in two immense engineer
ing dumps included locomobiles, rail-
road material of all sorts and the
great number OF quick firers and EN-
placement guns and one l5-inch gun
With which they had bombarded
French towns far behind the lines
cast OF the Allette.
Every man Of eighteen to forty five
= a