Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-30
French Success Would Re.
act Seriously on Whole
Hindenburg Line
RESISTANCE LESSENINC
Allied Troops Making Rapid
Progress az Boche Retire.
ment Gains Momentum
By C. H. PERRIS
Special Cable to Evening Public Ledge

Special Cable to Evening Public Ledger
Copyright. 1918, by Netc York Times Co.
With the French Armies, Aug. 80.
Finishing four days journey Of
nearly 400 miles. largely over broken
roads and tracks Immediately behind
the battlefront of General Fayolle's
group Of armies, l have just spent
night and morning on the high ground
between the Ailette and the Aisne.
Troops and supply columns had long
delayed us in coming up from the
west, and 1t was after midnight when
we emerged from the shattered vii.
lagos and towns full of weird shadows
into the open moors looking to the
strong German positions above Sois-
sons.
Night still gives. though less grace
fully than in olden times. a relative
truce to the martyrs Of war, and there
are scenes and pauses of calm thought
under the cold moon and the infinitely
strange stars. of which soldiers speak
little but remember long.
| The heart. no less than the hands
| and feet, must have it's moments of
! refreshment, and as I lay amid the
debris of battle watching the shell.
bursts and flares about Crecy-au.Mont
and Chavigny the play Of the moon.
beams upon this wild place Of graves
and trenches. the never-ending work
of DAD members, the passage of mes.
sengers between sleeping camps and
| vigilant command posts, my mind was
| mobilizing affesh the stoicism which
| is good half of the soldiers religion.
German Front Threatened
The military position in this sector
Is governed by the fact that any very
considerable French success would re.
act most seriously upon the German
| front for some distance on either side
and upon the whole of the Hindenburg
line.
The enemy was bound to make spe.
cial effort to ward off such disaster.
| I showed the other day the maneuver
of Mangins first advance last week
was to push his left forward against
the enemys position at Mount Gre
risy, and, this conquered, to turn
! brusquely to the west and reach the
banks of the Disc and the Ailette.
| When this new and safe front was
obtained eastward expansion could be
thought Of, but not before. On this
side. therefore, there has been little
|
| during the last week.
may illustrate the situation by
the record Of two Lorraine battalions,
which arrived before Bieuxy village
the evening before the grand attack
| The Germans were already shaken
and our Lorrainers quickly drove them
out of the village at the bayonet's
point. They came on at such pace
that they were upon battery Of ~.
inch and two batteries of 3-inch guns
before the horses could be harnessed.
and the gunners were taken with
them.
Then trouble began. for the enemy
had no intention of allowing this Sec
tor to be weakened A division Of
Chasseurs Of the Guard was brought
into action. The Lorrainers, holding
an awkward salient. We're subjected
to an abominable cannonade. A major
was the only superior officer left to
the regiment. Each battalion was re-
duced to two skeleton companies.
Sharp hill gave them a good defensive
position before the village, with an
open field of fire for their machine
guns.
Long Fight to Secure Position
At D. M. the Germans attacked
on the front and on both wings. The
first assault was broken by the French
fire. but there followed a long and bit.
ter hand.to-hand struggle, and it was
only after many hours Of swaying
tight that the position was finally Sc
cured
So it has been at every point OF
advance Of Mangin's right toward the
the line of Bagneux-Vaurezis-Pasly.
Despite facilities for defense in the
countryside of ravines. caves. and
auarries, the enemy has been driven
back slowly but steadily toward the
Coucy-Soissons road.
The last German counter.attack
against our lines on the hill called
Elm of Montecouve was a most des-
perate affair. Seven regiments. two
belonging to a fresh division, return
ed seven times to the charge, but were
in the end completely repulsed.
With a suddenness that was after
all TO be expected, the whole OF the
great German pocket. OF which
, Chaulnes, Roye and Noyon were the
main supports, has collapsed ana We
which recalls that following upon the
enemy's retreat from the same GROUND
{ in March of last year.
On the French extreme left Genera
nebeney's army occupied Chaulnes
which was defended only by real
guards, and Immediately went forwarc
on the roads toward the Somme, reach
ing Omicourt and the villages south o
II At Debeney's center patrols pressed
on TO Belatre hamlet on the low oper
ground four miles east Of Roye, ant
Sis right passed into the woods east
of the Roye-Lassigny road, f1ndinl
,,.tla resistance