The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-08-30
.LINEOF SOMME
AGAIN HELD BY
BRITISH ARMY
Enemy Holds Only Near
PerOnne. Where Retreat
Seems Near at Hand.
FRENCH FURTHER EAST
Canadians Have Heavy Fight
ing, but Hold Their Gains
on Scarpe.
FRENCH FURTHER EAST
by PERRY ROBINSON,

Special Gable Despdtch 10 The SuN from the
London Times Serrice.
Copyright, 1918: oil rights reserred
WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN FRANCE,
Aug. 2e.-The Germans seem definitely
to have abandoned all pretence of at
tempting to hold the ground south and
west Of the Somme We hoped that our
offensive OF August assured a German
retirement beyond the river and that
the rear guard actions at various points
were intended to protect the withdrawal
So II has proved.
We declined to rush headlong against
prepared positions where We knew we
would have been welcomed. but pro-
ceeded methodically and dealt with
caution with each point Of resistance
Meanwhile our guns and airplanes made
the main German retreat an extremely
costly process. especially at the river
crossings. which have been subjected
to n constant fire.
Now the only point Of German resist
ance this side OF the river seems to be
In the angle where the river turns south
before Peronne. This morning our ad-
vanced positions practically made a
chord reaching from Feuilleres on the
north to Brie on the south. The French
are even further forward. being actu-
ally on the heights above the river
north OF Nese.
Peronne May He Given Up.
1t is possible the Germans may try to
detain US in the Peronne angle. but this
can do them little good. North OF the
river we are now at Hem. and the posi-
ton south OF the river Is becoming
more and more precarious. 1t Is prob
able that the Germans will clear out
across the stream and make a stand at
Mont st. Quentin. east of the Perrone-
Cambria road. At this point the Ger
mans are said TO be working hard on de-
fences. but whether in the hope of per-
manently standing there or only delay
ing us until they can reach the old Hin
denburg line we do not know.
The great fact Is that the line of the
Somme is ours again. We are once
more in possession OF all that ground on
which our thin line fought so gal
lantly in other days. All that is a proud
memory now
Our attack has been pushed with
great skill and always with view to
economy. We had nothing to gain by
pushing the enemy forward and would
only have played into hts hands II We
had done 80. AS a result we got Ba-
paume at small fraction OF what II
would have cost had we made a direct
attack.
Canadians I'm Hard Battle.
In the Scarpe area the Canadians had
sharp fighting yesterday before they
captured the jigsaw wood which once
before was in their hands. Twice last
night the Germans counter attacked with
new troops OF the Twelfth reserve divi-
sion, the second being in great strength.
Both were beaten OFF. however. Other
Canadians. meanwhile. pushed across
the Sensee river and captured Haucourt,
while close above they are along the
river as far as Remy.
Scotsmen and Londoners. fighting on
the Canadians right pushed from the
Sensee River to Les Croisilles and
fought their way 5000 yards to the edge
OF. Hendecourt. and on the south ad-
vanced to half way to Bullecourt. The
Germans put a new division here but
their resistance to our advance was
again poor. The whole country is so
full of machine guns that an impetuous
advance Is impossible. but our troops
are making good progress in spite of
these.
North of the Scarpe the Fifty-frst
Highland division has been fighting
through all the dreadful defences in the
RouX neighborhood. covering the flank
OF the Canadians on the other side OF
the river. The weather continues fine,
with clear. bright sunshine.