The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-07-24
CONDENSED WAR REPORTS,
TRENCH AND AMERICANS CON
IINCE OFFENSIVE-SEVEN
MILES GAINED.
Advantage OH Western Front Seems to
Bc With Allics-Iiuns on Dcfcn-
sive East and West of Rheims.

notwithstanding the fact that the
! Germans have thrown large rein.
forccments into the new battle line
between Scissors and the region OF
Chateau-Thierry. they nowhere thus
far have been able to stem the tide
OF the onslaughts the American and
French troops are making agains,
them.
Friday saw the Americans and
french batter their way further east
ward into the deep triangular salient,
which has Soissons, Rheims and
ChateauThiery at its points and sue
cessfully withstand a terrific counter
attack by the Germans on the plateau
| southwest of scissors where the al
lied guns dominate this important
strategic town.
The gains of Friday were carried to
their greatest depth i'm the center Of
the 20 mile line and on the southern
flank northwest of Chateau -Thierry,.
where the Americans are holding
forth.
The fighting was particularly violent
throughout the day round Scissors
and i'm the region of Chaundun. where
the Germans sent in large forces OF re-
serves in an endeavor to push back
the allied troops. Here the American
artillery did notable work, killing or
woundins many of the enemy and aid
ing greatly In stavng off the Ger
mans
ON the sector where the Americans
are fighting northwest o: Chateau
Thiorry the German line was driver
III upon the plateau northwest OF
Bonnes and to the height to the north
OF Courchamps. the former position
representing gain Of three and one
half miles from the point of origina
departure at Torcy. While it is not
possible as yet geographically to de-
limit with exactitude the gains made
in the two days fighting along the
front by the French and Americans, /.
is known that at its deepest point the
penetration has reached approximately
seven miles and that over the entire
"a miles 1t ranges down to about two
miles.
In addition to the innicting of ex
tremcly heavy casualties on the en-
emy the French and American forces
up to the present have taken moro
than 1900 prisoners, including two
colonels with their chiefs of staff, and
in excess of $50 cannon.
The offensive on the entire Western
front in France seems now definitely
to have shifted from the hands of the
Germans to those of the entente allies.
East and west of Rheims, where the
Germans last Monday :.arted a bat
tie along 65 mile front. from
to Eastern Cham
pagne. the enemy is now on the de-
fensive on most OF the sectors where
there is any fighting. Friday saw the
Germans lose additional ground along
the Marne to the French and Italian
troops. East of Rheims the Germans
have not seen fit to resume the fight
ing.
In the region southwest of Ypres
the British have carried out anothcrI
incursion into the German
lines capturing the village of Metercn
a point of strategic value for OBJ
servation purposes. while further
south Australian troops gained ground.
Tho two maneuvers cost the Germans
dearly. 400 men being made prisoner
and the loss of number of machine
guns
The American armored cruiser San
Diego has been sunk off the Long Is
land coast. 1t is probable that q Ger
man submarine is responsible for the
disaster.
The Cunard Line steamer Carpathia
has been sunk by n German subma-
rinc off the coast. and the British
transport Barunga carrying unfit
Australian soldiers homewortl also
has been sent to the bottom by an en-
emy underwater craft.