The Carlisle independent., 1918-09-05
Germany's Strongest Bases in
 Picardy Are Occupied by . the Allied Armies.
N0Y0N TAKEN BY FRENCH
British, Advancing Along the Scarpe, Cross Hindenburg Line-Desperate Resistance of the Huns Is Un-
 availing-American Man.
 Power Bill Passed.
By EDWARD w. PACKARD.

Croisilles, Bullecourt, Bray, Hebe- court, Chaulnes. Gommieeourt, Nesle. Rove. Noyon, Chavigny-ene after an- other the German strongholds in Pic ardy, all down the line from Arras to Soissons, fell into the hands of the al- lies last week. The redoubtable Hin- sdenburg line was broken through at various points, and so menaced at others that it was in a 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 it farther south.
 Astride fhe Scarpe and the Somme. Field Marshal Haigs armies moved steadily if slowly toward the east, nev- ger giving the enemy an instant's rest, *relentlessly pushing him back in the direction of Cambrai, Peronne and St. &Quentin. In the midst of furious rain storms the British fought unceasing- ily 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. Tn 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 ho to attack, sometimes fiatly 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 Haig'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 eff 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 30,000 prisoners and more than 100 guns.
 -E-
 The seyerest blow to the Germans was the capture of Noyon on Thurs day by the French troops of General Hu1nbert. The city, which had been practically enveloped for a week or more, was powerfully defended by the Germans. who had counted on making 1t the pivot of their line to the north. Its southern and western outskirts were full of strongly entrenched ma chine-gun positions. The French were not to be denied however. Noyon is a 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 5make a stand there.
 The three French armies under Humbert. Debeney and Mangin gave splendid display of teamwork in their d0NdUttS oH Dptfi NitttS ''i tIC CASt. Mangin's men crossed the river and took Morlincourt while Humbert was outfianking Novon 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. strongly fortified position which the enemy tried hard to hold s.~1.,,., f ;e o Iap,ipotirp p0int
 On Tuesday the French had cap sfured Rosse. one of ihe Important Ger