Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-08-30
I0Y0N GREAT LOSS
TO GERMAN ARMY
Huns on Canal du Nord Seek to
Make Short Stand; Foch to
Keep Them Moving.

Washington, Aug. 3O-The war sit
uation Is thus summarized by noted
Military critic
The French yesterday occupied Noyon
! as was expected. The final attack against
the German defenses evidently was
| launched from the west and the south
west These were the vulnerable sides of
the pocket which the angle i'll the German
lines drew about the city. On the south
and southeast, the city was guarded by
the Oise River, which could not be crossed
In the face of the German defense, but
could be fianked. The moment Noyon
fell, however, a part of the river and of
the Oise-Marne Canal was Immediately
aanked and had to be given up.
1T was little trouble, therefore, after
the French took Noyon for them to clear
the Oise "a far east as the southern
outskirts of Salency. Between Salency
and Noyon, however, they have come up
against the Noyon massif The most
southern point of this massif is the Mount
dc Simeon a steep circular hill which
IN distance of half a mile rises 800 feet
above the Oise Valley What the French
viii do with this strong German position
40 one can say. 1t is entirely unlikely
that they will attempt to occupy IL by
frontal attack
HUNS ANCHORED FOR PRESENT
The Germans having sought refdge
behind the Canal du Nord, would appear
10 be well anchored for the immediate
present. There does not appear to be
any pressing necessity for "A further
retreat at the moment. There are in
dications, however that il is not the
French intention to permit them to
l. a. 4
barrier for any length of time In fact,
1T would seem that the matter Of throw
ing them back further is already in process
of formation.
In taking Noyon the French naturally
threw themselves across the Canal du
Nord close 10 it's southern terminus. To
this extent then the new German line is
turned If the French are able to take
advantage of this situation 10y moving
north and northeast between the canal
and the main highway from Noyon TO
Ham they will accomplish two things.
FORCING HUN TO FALL BACK
The first is forcing the Germans to
give up one yard OF the canal for each
year of advance. The second is TO place
themselves IN the rear or at least half
rear Of the northern defense of the Noyon
masslf II at the same time the French
can extend eastward their position on
the north bank Of the Oise they will
similarly clear the Olse one yard for
each yard Of advance along the Noyon-
Chauny Road. Thus the massif will be
tianked from the south ~ well. The
angle into which this massif will be
crowded will be very sharp, and through
an effective crosshre.
FORCING THE AuETrE
Further south along the Alette the
French have taken direct step against
the line Of the Nesle III forcing a pass
age Of the Allette in the vicinity Of Champs
The official report notes crossing both
north and south Of this place 1t would
apear that there is a very definite object
In these two crossings The one IN the
south IS directly before Folernhrav which
guards the cut IN the Forest Of Coucy
along the line Of the Chauny-Anlzy road
The one in the north IS levclled At the
triangle OF low open ground bounded by
the Oise, the Ailette, and the western
edge Of the same forest The Occupation
Of this triangle would he Of material
advantage in fianking the Forest Of Coucy
As we'll as the Noyons nlaSsif The
operation here will therefore be most
important one
FALLING RACK ON SOMNE-
On the British front the Germans
have also decided TO seek refuge from
the heavy attacks by falling back of the /
Somme River They had been holding /
q small angle III the Somme bend for sew
eral days. from which the only escape I
was directly in their rear On both [
north and south the retreat had been
cut off through action Of the French I
. ba
There was. therefore. nothing left for +
the Germans to do but to cross to the +
east bank As q matter of fact, this /
was intended from the moment the re-
treat began It was simply a question I
Of a temporary delay while certain plans
were being carried out
BRITISH HOLD LONG LINE.
The situation as it apparently stands, |
then. Is that the British and French hold
the entire line of the Somme from Pc
rome to the Canal du Nord and the
western side of the Canal du Nord as
TWO isolated points The British opera
ions south of the Somme may, then, be
considered practically at an end for the
line being. The line north of the Somme
5 still somewhat behind due to the fact
hat the resistance has been very much
sitter there than it has been from the
5omme to the Oise This is particularly
20 along the Scarpe After a sensational
advance the Canadians appear to be hav-
ng serious trouble about Bulecourt
This appears to be tactically one of the
points on the entire German
ront and was the scene of much frutless
)ut bitter fighting in 1917 There
s no indication yet that the Germans
ire disposed to yield ground at this vital
)oint >