American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1918-05-31
ENEMY THROWS FRESH
TROOPS INTO BATTLE
Greatly Superior Forces Compel Fran
cO-British Armies to Fall Back; AL
lied Movement Carried Out With Pre-
cisiOn.


French lines again Wednesday after
throwing further masses of troops in
10 the battle Both flanks of the battle
line were the scene of heavy fighting
by inferior numbers against superior,
with the result that the allies were
obliged again to cede ground at sew
eral points r enaon ef 4
Besides Won Boehm's and Won Be-
lows armies, many divisions OF Won
Suites troops were engaged, These
especially trained units had participat
ed in the first rush March p and had
since then been reconstruct.
An enormous number of light ma
chine guns were employed by the Ger
mans as well as a large fleet of tanks
and much heavy and light artillery,
while the German aviators were ex-
tremely active.
From the plain towards Juvincourt
Villeaux Bois, Pontaivert and Berry
Au Bac, numerous tanks came into ac-
ton. For a considerable time the
thin allied line held out but as the
enemy debouched, wave after wave,
the French and British, almost sub
merged, fell back slowly, getting
across the river. Several British Of
0C6rS dIleTWdIOS SdcfluCtu lutll llfOo
in destroying the bridges.
Almost simultaneously overpower-
ing enemy forces made their way to
the top of the Chemin des Danes
ridge and also TO the western end of
tbs road in the neighborhood of Cha
vignon and Mailmaison, and the
troops holding these points were
obliged TO recede.
Ill sol ff tho wa
executed with the greatest precision;
there was no disorder and all the units
kept in constant liason.
In the direction of scissors re-
adjustment Of the front line became
necessary, in consequence of the fall
ing back of the center where the Ger
mans were pushing hardest.
The fighting has been continuous
for two days through a country com
posed of a series of chalky plateaus,
with winding valleys, whose slopes are
half clothed with trees, and contain
ing many caverns. Along the top of
one of the principal ridges runs the
famous Chemin des Danes, from
which valley spread angularly to-
wards the Aisne. The allied posses
sion of this ridge compromised the
security of the German southern flank.
In their violent attacks on the 30
mile battle front running from Sos
sons eastward to the region northwest
Of Rheims, the German armies are con-
tinuing to force back the French and
British on nearly every sector.
The fortified town of scissors, the
extreme left flank of the allied battle
line, has been occupied by the enemy,
although the French are still holding
tenaciously to its western environsr
through which emerge the railway
lines leading to Paris and Compeigne.
According to the German official
communication $4,000 prisoners
among them French and British gen
eral. have been taken and numerous
additional towns and vantage points
- all along the front have been captur-
ed.
Seemingly Rheims, like scissors
also is doomed to fall into the hands
of the enemy. as the French war Of
fee reports that the troops covering
the famous cathedral town, which al
most daily for several years has beer
the target for shells of hate from the
German guns, have been withdrawn be
hind the Aisne canal northwest of the
town
Apparently the Germans alread!
are being held in the center of theil
advance, along the Vesle river, in th'
vicinity of Fismes, where the point o
the German wedge has been thrust
The pressure on both the allied flanks
however, has been such that both have
been compelled to fall back.
On the sector directly southeast o
scissors the Germans now are fightnl
relatively u niles from where the,
started their drive Monday from Naux
aillion, while further east. near Lou
peigne and the center in the vicinit.
of Savigny wedges have been driven il
TO a depth of approximately Is miles
The Germans continually are throw
ing fresh divisions into the battle, bu
the British and French troops ar
Keeping up their tactics of givin
- ground only when it is impossibl
longer to hold position under the tire
mendOus pressure of the enemy
Heavy casualties are being suffere
by the army of the German crow
prince, while the losses of men TO tn
allied forces are described as rela
lively light.
Although unofficial reports hav
mentioned the rushing up of rein
tOrcementS from lne SOutu, theIe ia
as vet been no official statement tina
General Foch is sending in his re
serves
OF almost as great interest as th
Aisne battle is the situation aroun
the little town of Cantigny, where tn
Americans made a notable gain
their first solo" attack against tn
Germans Tuesday.
ortfpfar attacks lqV
been launched against the American
holding Cantigny and the outlyin
positions. but all of them have me
with the same result-failure and th
loss of many men killed or wounde'