Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-07-26
MANGIN FORCING
FOE BACK SLOWLY
Desperate and Powerful Re.
sistance South of Scissors
Being Overcome
GERMANS DIGGING IN
By G.. H. PERRIS
Special Cable to Euening Public Ledger
Copyright. 1918, bv Ne,r York Times Co.
NI,:4l. al, Ae.,,iac LII

/
With the French Armies, July 26.
After further advance early yes
terday morning, the French and
American divisions between the
Ourcq and the Marine were held up
by violent enemy counter.attacks be-
tween Beuvardes and the bridgehead
of Dormans and Chassins. Hard
fighting continues right across the
wooded plateau of Fere and Riz on
each side Of the village of lie Char
mel.
On the British sector west of
Rheims, English county troops on
the north and Highlanders on their
left were also subjected to a strong
enemy reaction and heavy fighting is
going on.
The Allies had. or the whole. very
good day Wednesday between the
Aisne and the Marne. and the con.
tinuance of the German retreat sug-
gests that Won Boehm does not mean
to stop short of the Nesle. I say on
the whole. because there is a marked
difference between the situation north
and south of the Ourcq. On the north
General Mangin has to do with the
army of Won Eben, interjected lately,
for the purposes of the offensive, be-
tween the armies Of Won Hutier and
Won Boehm.
Foes Resistance Desperate
To have allowed Mangin to break
through south of scissors would have
been for both Won Eben and and Won
Boehm to suffer a first.class disaster.
To prevent this was necessarily the
first object of the German command.
The most powerful and desperate re-
sistance has been offered in this part
Of the field. and since the first ad-
vantage of surprise was lost Mangin
has been able to, make slower prog.
ress, but, as was the case with Ma
noury IN the battle Of the Ourcq in
1914, his constantly renewed attacks,
though often repulsed, have none the
less had decisive part in the general
result.
Once the weight of Mangin's blows
had decided the enemy command to
abandon the Marine, Generals De
Goutte and De Mitry were able to
set forth on something like pursuit,
not rapid. but q steady and a sure
one. Yesterday General de Goutte's
advance was about four miles and
brought his lines within the same dis.
tance of Fere.en-Tardenois, a little
market town on the upper course of
the Ourcq. which is the central cross
roads of the German salient between
the Aisne and the Marine.
The villages of Coincy and Breezy were
captured during the day, with the
greater part of the large wood of La
Tournel!e, Immediately to the east. The
German artillery fire was very light
all the guns. except fewiln the Ourcc
valley, having been shifted north.
Machine-gunners had been left behint
| in large numbers in the woods, and oul
| usual tactics were to surround these anc
| leave them to be cleared out by supper
| troops
| Southeast of this sector both th
| armies of General de Gouette and Gen
eral de Mitry are approaching Beau
| vardes. The Americans recovered Epied
during the day, and went forward a cou
pie of miles. taking the hamlet OF Cour
poll in their stride. Beyond them, again
converging, columns from the west anc
south have made some progress on thu
| large forested plateau of Fere.
Heavy fighting continued in tn
| Franco-British sector west of Rheims
and French troops captured the farm
Of Commentreull, southeast of Bouilly
| Thus on both sides the enemy fanl
guards hold, though with difficulty. Will
the retreat is hastened between them
and no doubt a large part of the twt
armies is engaged in digging an in
trenched line on which they will stand.
Disastrous Week for Kaiser
When We consider that on setting ou
at the beginning of last week to finisl
off the French army the Germans hat
the unquestioned initiative and a dis
| tinct total superiority of forces, tn
transformati,n which General Foch ha
produced by a single blow, following
upon his splendid defense, is very re
markable.