The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-09-06
AMERICANS PRESS.
FOES VESLE ARMY
TO THE A|SNE RIVER.
GERMAN ARMIES IN FULL
RETREAT AFTER MONTH
OF DEFENSE
j. 5. MEN REACH HEIGHTS
Enemy Probably Will Not Stop Un-
til he Reaches OLD Position of
Chemin- -des- Dames-French Sup
port Pershing's Men on Left.

With the American army on tht
Vesle, Sept. Shy The Associated
Press. )-Americans, with the French
moving with them on their left, have
advanced from the Vesle to the edge
of the plateau along line from
Brenelle, Vaux Cere, Blanzy anc
Baslieux. The Germans nearest thi;
line, along which they might make
rear guard defense of any conse-
Nuence, are opposite the edge Of the
plateau paralleling the Aisne, over
which it is obvious they have re-
moved their stores and heavy a.til-
lery.
The advance of the Americans in
force began at a o'clock this morn
ing and patrols, one after another,
have been going over all day and
meeting sharp resistance at some
points.
After a month on the Vesie, dur
ing which they have been subjected
to pressure night and day by the
tightly drawn line from scissors to
Rheims, the Germans appear to be
heading straight for the Aisne and
possibly for their old positions on
the Observation-Disclosures.
Patrols sent out early in the day
reported that the German retreat
was under way.
The troops crossed the Nesle i'll
three ways-on bridges which held
against the German guns and air
bombs, on trunks OF trees felled as
substitutes for bridges, and by alter
nately wading and swimming. Al
though officially characterized as
patrols, the aggregate OF troops sent
across during the day was quite
large enough to hold the advantage
gained.
For a lew hundred yards north of
the NeSle there is a succession OF
Slopes cut by ravines, extending
down to the river. 1t was up these
slopes and not by way OF the ravines
that the Americans worked their
way.
Every ravine and other depression
was avoided. for the Germans had
filled these with gas.
Machine Gun Nests Many.
While the advancing troops were
able for the most part to dodge the
gas, they were not able to escape
altogether the machine gun fire. Al
most every cover on virtually every
slope sheltered a machine gun nest.
Apparently the enemy had moved
back all his heavier artillery.
Reports that the Germans were
burning villages and farm houses
have not been generally accepted,
the smoke clouds seen being attrib-
uted to destruction OF ammunition
by the allied shells in some instances
and in more numerous cases to de-
struction OF supplies that it was i'm
possible to move and the burning OF
temporary buildings.
Every yard the French and
Americans advanced was noted by
enemy aviators. The airmen re-
peatedly bombed the Americans and
let loose with their machine guns
while flying low. The light forces
advancing however, were never
more than momentarily checked.
With the American Forces, North |
OF the Nesle River. Sept. 5.-(Noon) |
explosions were heard on
the line this morning. Observers
reported that they believed the Ger
mans were destroying their ammu-
milton dumps.
An aviator reported terrific ex-
plosion at 9 o'clock at Villers-en-
rayeres, on the south bank of the
river Aisne. directly north of Fis-
mes. Other explosions took place
in the same region during the morn
ing.
Bazoches and Fismette were occu-
pied by the Americans during the
night. Those towns had been evac-
uated by the Germans. only two or
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