The Ordway new era., 1918-08-16
ALLIES TAKE zsooo PRISONERS
INCLUDING fooc OFFICERS
AND OVER 500 GUNS
CHAULNES IS CAPTURED
FRENCH TAKE NosTDiDIEs, tsC
FocH BLOWS UP BRIDGES
Or soNNE-
s...-z sl.-s,ss-s r.ssz ,l.-.s-r1s..

Wiz TIE dErSrLz- ATTY Y frz1cs1
Azx Iz.=Ths first American tis1c
zEEy has bssa organized i IL urcef
TIE direct co-aDznd of Gea- John J.
Pe-zhias. connzucs- Il chief Of the
American forces. TIE coEpz cor-
Iaznders thus fzs Announced are MAJ
Generals. Lgzstt. Ballard. Bzndg.
Reed and Wrzht The creation Of the
first fed army IL the frs: step to
yard the eoorcinzisOa Of q! tse
American forces Il FTzocs-
Paris, Aug lz--The number Of prs
oners taken 20 far In the allied often
Iiye IN Piczrdy ia poE estimated al
zsyOt9. lncIEcing more than I.oS5 off
eers. More than 80 guns have been
captured. according TO the latest sc-
vices.
London, Aug. Iz-CnsuInes, the In
Dortant railway town in the heart Of
the Sonme battle front and the key TO
the soEthern line Of the German e.
iIent, has been captured by the allies-
The capture was effected By A0strzl
Ian and Canadian troops.
The French have driven the Ger
mans before them for an important
gain east Of Nontdidier. in Piczrdy-
That city, which was the apex Of the
German salient that has nov been
wiped out, fell to the French First
army at midday Saturday.
The Germans have materially stiff
epee their defense against the British.
American and French troops OF the
Picardy battle front, but they have
been unable 10 stem the tide.
Although the forward push Of the
allies has been slowed down. they have
made important progress from the
north Of the Somme. where the Amer
leans and British are fighting to-
gether. to the northern bank Of the
Disc. held by the French.
Americans and British are pressing
closely upon Braye-Sur- Somme. aided
by tanks and arrnored cars.
Across the river the Germans heay-
ily engaged the British at Lihons and
its vicinity, and at one point pierced
the British line and gained the out
skirts OF Lihons. A counter attack re-
stored the British line and the enemy
retired to positions east and north
Unofficial reports credit the British
with entering ChauInes and the Brit
ish cavalry with notable advance.
The greater progfess has been made
by the French from the region immedi
ately southwest OF Roye to the oise
river. Here they have driven their
line well across the Roye-Compeigne
road. and at Cambronne have reached
the road leading from Compeigne to
Noyon. Since the capture of Montdi-
der the French have penetrated east
ward TO Tilloly. distance of about
seven miles, and TO Canny-Sur Matz,
more than eight and half miles. and
through the hilly region southwark to
the Disc have averaged gains exceed
ing six miles over a front Of twelve
miles.
The stiffening OF the German de-
fense does not, In the minds of obsery-
ers on the battle front, indicate that
the retreat Of the enemy has ended.
Rather. 1t is assumed. that these man
euvers are similar to those carried out
over the Marne front.
Aviators have destroyed all the
bridges across the Somme from the re-
gion of Per0nne southwark, and with
the enemy's communicating lines
either in the hands OF the allies or
dominated by their guns. the retro
grade movement necessarily must be
slow
Intensive air fighting Is proceeding
over the battle line. In Fridays bat
ties thirty-nine German machines were
destroyed and twenty-five driven down
out OF control The British war Of
flee acknowledges that twenty-three
British machines are missing.