The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-11-16

the whole German line from the sea to
the Mouse rocking. At either end the
first line was completely broken through
and the enemy were compelled to retire
to the second. Elsewhere the pressure
was less disastrous at the moment, but
the enemy found himself unable to con-
centrate against so many wide attacks;
the H~indenburg line had fallen at both
ends and was seriously threatened by
the growing pressure of the British
frontal attack near the center.
On oct, s, which was the decisive day,
FoCh threw three British armies against
the stretch of the HindenbuTg line be-
tween Cambria and st. quentin. In the
next three days they drove right
through this line, cut the second line
behind 1t, between the Disc and the
Scheldt, and advanced until they had
reached the third line between the
Soheldt n the Sanbre, just south Of
Valenciennes,
ward FoCh ~redoubled his activities both
in Flanders and in Champagne. In
Flanders the British and Belgians, rein
forced by a French army, broke through
the last line of German defenses be-
tween the sea and the Lys and began
to swing round north of Lille and
threaten the crossings of the Lys, which
constituted the third German line. In
Champagne Berthelot and Gouraud
struck north, one reaching the Aisne,
south of Rethel, the other clearing the
hilsl north Of Rheims and crossing the
Aisne east of Laon. This movement
compelled the retirement of the Ger
man out of all Of his first line between
the Disc and the Aisne, including st.
GobaIn forest and the city of Laon,
Third Line Going.
About the middle OF October, then.
the German position was this. His first
line and second lines were gone be-
tween the Lys and the sea and his
third line was going rapidly, as the
British were astride the Lys north of
Lille. This doomed one of the two
great anchorages Of his defense sys-
TEN. He was now bound to retire to
his last line, that Of the Scheldt. all the
way from the Dutch frontier near
Client to the point where the Ecaillon
river falls into the Scheldt, south OF
Nalenciennes, From this point he could
sttll use his third line between the
Scheldt and the Sambre canal. East OF
the Sambre canal he could use his sec
ond line all the way. So far his switch
lines had aided him in localiziug the
disaster.
We had, then, in the third week OF
October the rapid retreat of the Ger
mans behind the Scheldt with the evac-
uation of the Belgian seaCoast, of the
cities of Lille, Roubaix. Tourcoing,
Doual. After this the, line tended to
stabilize itself, with the Americans still
fighting ~doggedly toward the second
line between the Mouse and the Ar
come, Gauraud held up west of the
Americans and south of the Aisne, Ber-
thelot'S army, now commanded by
Guillemat, checked before the Sissone
drainage canal, Mangln's arm unable
to get across the Serre, and Debeny's
army still halted on the west bank OF
the Disc.
To the north the main British forces
the armies of Rawliuson, Horne and
Byng-steadily fought their way
through the third German line between
the Scheldt and the Sambre, getting
clean through by the beginning of the
fourth week Of october. They had now
before them only the fourth line, that
starting at the Scheldt and crossing
to the Sambre by ~Nalenciennes and
Mauheuge. At this moment Debeney
forced the Disc and pushed eastward
driving the Germans out OF the region
between the Disc and the Serre. But
the effect of this thrust was limited
again by the switchline stretching from
the second German position on the
Serre to the third line at Hirson.
r.. ont n;kah