New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-08-13
Big Guns Now
Are TakingUp
Somme Fight
Both Sides Hurrying In Ar
tillery to Stabilize Their
Lines
By Arthur S. Draper
Especial Dispatch to The Tribune)

Especial Dispatch to The Tribune)
LCNDON, Aug. 12.-From their posi-
tions of 1916, behind which Rupprecht
guns, the Germans are counter attack
ing between the Somme and Mont
didier on the Roye road. Foch's ad-
vance has been checked for the mo-
ment and only local progress was re-
ported. The enemy's reaction is the
heaviest he has made since he tried
to hold the Marne pocket.
Sunday afternoon and all through the
night Rupprecht called division after
division against the Allies, while his
cannon was used in ever-increasing
numbers. The roads running between
Cambria, St. Quentin and Laon are
clogged with troops hurrying to the
rescue of the battered Second and
Eighteenth German armies. Chaulnes
and Roye are still held by the Ger
mans, though the guns of the British
and French command both places.
Fighting Violently
The fighting is the most violent since
Haig swept over the surprised divi-
sions east of Amiens. Trench wire
which the enemy strung at great cost
of time and labor prior to July, 1916,
served him in good stead again, for it
is along this line west of the Somme
that he has made a temporary stand
and has been able to strike back. He
, is duplicating what the British did in
April, when they fell back from their
1916 defences between Arras and AL
BERT
Though Rupprecht is concentrating
against the Australians and Canadians
at the centre, the interesting and vital
point is farther south, where the
French are fighting for the heights of
Lassigny, the capture of which will be
fatal to the German positions to the
north. Humbert's army is creeping
around Thicscourt massif. At this mo-
ment the Germans have superiority in
artillery, the Allied infantry having
outmarched it's guns, excepting light
feldpieces.
IS Enemy Divisions
Whether the enemy can make any
thing more than temporary stand
after the Allied guns catch up seems
doubtful, although it is certain he will
not Weld Chaulnes, Roye and Lassigny
until he is exhausted. Thirty-fve en-
emy divisions have been engaged to-
day, eight from Won der Marwitz's army
having been withdrawn. While Rawlin-
son and Debeney were standing off Rup
recht's vigorous counter thrushs, Hum
bert is hitting heavy blows against the
southern hinge of the enemv's lines.
The Germans are we'll supplied with
guns on the southern wing, and be-
tween Marquivillieres and Griveles the
duel is extremely violent.
Rupprecht's first reaction against the
tip of the attack was what the Ger
mans call dead centre, which in this
case happened to be Lihons. They re-
took the village, also Raincecourt-
Meharicourt, but their tenure was
short. Other troops hurried westward
through Ham, countered south of
Chaulnes, and met no greater success
against the Canadians than did diyi-
sions which tried to throw back the
Australians.
Big Guns Now Factors
Meanwhile AngloAmericans operat-
ing astride the Somme linked up the
positions north and south of the river
and brought their line to the western
outskirts of Bray. Fast British tanks
continued to play an important part
in the local operations, especially in
ironing out the enemy's wire along his
old line, but the battle is approaching
Continued o,, neat page