Mexico Missouri message., 1918-09-19
Germany's Strongest Bases in
PiCardy Are Occupied by
the Allied Armies.
NOYON TAKEN BY FRENCH
British, Advancing Along the searpe,
Cross Hlndenburu Line-Desperate
Resistance Of the Huns Is un-
aVaIIing-Amerlcan Man
Power Bill Passed.
BY EDWARD w. PIcKARp.

CrOisilles, Bulecourt, Bray, Hebe-
court, Chaulnes, Gommiecourt, Nesle,
Roye, NoyOn, Chavigny-one after an
other the German strongholds In Pic
ardy, all down the line from Arras to
Scissors, fell into the hands of the al
lies last week. The redoubtable Hin
denburg line was broken through at
various points, and so menaced at
others that 1t was in q fair way to be-
come untenable, even before the re-
treating Huns could reach it. East of
Arras the British had turned it's right
flank, and the French, passing through
Nesle. threatened 1t farther south.
Astride the Scarpe and the Somme.
Field Marshal H6ig's armies moved
steadily If slowly toward the east, new
er giving the enemy an instant's rest,
relentlessly pushing him back in the
direction Of Cambria, Peronne and st.
Quentin. In the midst of furious rain
storms the British fought unceasing-
ly and tirelessly to overcome the des-
perate resistance put up by the Ger
mans. The battle developed and
spread day by day until it became one
of the greatest conflicts OF the war.
In these regions, as elsewhere, the
Germans sought to stem the advance
mainly by innumerable machine guns.
The crews of these, left to fight while
the main bodies Of the troops contin-
ued their retirement, did fight, and to
the death. The Hun infantry in many
cases showed the greatest reluctance
to attack, sometimes fatty refusing to
obey the orders of their commanders.
By the end of the week the British
had Peronne under their guns and the
Huns were falling back to the river
crossings there and at Brie. Farther
north, Bapaume was taken on Thurs
day and Halg's forces had pushed far
beyond it on the north. Having crossed
the Hindenburg line, they were threat
ening the Queant Drocourt support
line. Perhaps the most important ef-
feet of their advance along the Scarpe
was that it menaced the group Of con-
verging railway lines that are vital to
the enemy In handling men from the
Belgian and northwestern French
fronts.
During the week the British took
something like $4,000 prisoners and
more than 100 guns.
The severest blow to the Germans
was the capture of Noyon on Thurs
day by the French troops Of General
Humbert. The city, which had been
practically enveloped for week or
more, was powerfully defended by the
Germans, who had counted on making
II the pivot of their line to the north.
It's southern and western outskirts
were full of strongly entrenched ma
chine-gun positions. The French were
not to be denied however. NOyon Is
great highway center and It's taking
opens the way for the French to drive
the Germans back TO the st. Gobain
forest, La Fere and maybe st. Quen-
tin. The intervening terrain is such
that the enemy could scarcely hope TO
make stand there.
The three French armies under
Humbert, Debeney and Mangin gave a
splendid display of teamwork In their
advances on both sides OF the Disc.
Mangin's men crossed the river and
took Morlincourt while Humbert was
outllanking Noyon from the west and
south, and the Huns had the choice of
retreatIng or being captured. On the
left the First army occupied Quesnoy
wood, a strongly fortified position
which the enemy tried hard to hold
because # is a dominating point
On Tuesday the French had cap
,Ired Roye. one OF the important Ger