Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-08-02
GERMAN RETREAT CAN NOT
BE HAL TED AT vESLE;WA AIRS
TURNING POINT REACHED?
New Smash By Allied Forces Expected to Compel
Crown Princes Army to Fall Back Beyond Riv-
er- Three Mile Gain Made Against Foe.

On the French Front in France, Aug. 2, (By
the Associated Press 1.-The important town of
Ville-En- Tardenois, on the easterly side of the
Marne salient, has been encircled by the allied
forces.
The French are continuing to advance and
have taken additional towns and villages at va
rious parts of the front between Soissons and
Reims.
The enemy is resisting desperately and los.
ing in prisoners.
IN GENERAL RETREAT.
The battle the front north of the Marne
solved itself during the night and this morning into
almost general retirement of the enemy north OF
the Ourcq, with the allies pursuing the Germans
with the greatest zeal and success.
The Germans are burning villages as they retire,
and destroying everything they The
tire battlefield is dotted by conflagratons, of
them of large proportions.
The town of Hartennes- -Taux occupied by
the allies who also seized the wood lying to the
south of this most important place The French and
British in this sector took Contreman and then
crossed the Chateau Ihierry-Sossons road
HUN RESISTANCE WEAKER.
Along the center of the front as we'll as on the
westerly side, the German resistance seemed greatly
diminished The allies pressed through series of
thiczets to the north of the road leading from
Coussancourt to Coulonges and reached the south
ern part of Vezilly wood.
Further east on the line the allies are within 500
yards of Villers-Agron and along the line toward
Reims they captured wood situated 1,500 yards
siton three-ffths of a mile north of Ve-En-T Tarde-
nos, and have occupied aheight 1900 yards north
of Romigny.
PENETRATE THREE MILES.
London, Aug 2.-Yesterday's Franco-British at
tack the westerly side of the Marine salient
a front of five miles and penetrated to a maxi
depth of three miles, according to news
ceived today. 1t resulted in the capture of the
tire ridge, which forms the watershed between the
Ourcq and the Asne, the advices indicate.
The French also captured the entire Meuniere
wood, the line of Goussancourt at
about the of the salient The advance by the
allies along the western side of the salient is de-
scribed extremely mportant-possibly the most
important thing the allies have accomplished since
the Germans retired from the Marne.
The Importance of the victory, it is explained
lies in the fact that the allied positions COM
mand the whole area to the northward and take in
flank and the entire western gate through
which the Germans have been retiring. This area is
nest of the reserves and field artillery.
TURNING POINT OF WAR.
Goussancourt itself has been taken by the
French, the advices add The capture of important
ground the heights to the westerly side of the
line also means that the Germans will not be able
retire lesurely and that they probably will have
go beyond the river Vesle in their The stu
alton is considered as extraordinarily good being
described in the aGvces the turning point Of the
summer campaign and po ssiby of the whole