Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-09-18

4
! attained. 1 trust this will ind /
( you fully recovered from your
( ilIneas."
| ural citadel that men have been per-
fecting for four years.
The French made soc more prisoners
| III this region today under conditions OF
difficulty which can scarcely be appre-
ciated except by persons on the ground.
They gained a thousand yards over q
front of two and one-han miles. which
would seem Insignificant in proportion to
the effort were the position less i'm
| portant.
Every hundred yards of an advance
made here weakens a pillar in the Ger
man existence in st. Gobain forest.
Importance Of Positions.
| An order signed by the general COM
handing a German division defend
! ing this position was found on
| how vital it was to hold the lines
| there. IF the height to the east of
Laffaux remains in our hands," says
the order. cit prevents the enemy
| from obtaining a view OF both sides
of the canal from the Disc to the
Aisne If it falls into the enemy's
hands it gives him a most favorable
| point for future attacks
| "I expect" concludes the order,
| that the division will be able here
to maintain Its previous reputation,
and will hold the position fntegrally
against all attacks.
Defeats Six Divisions.
Advancing from shell hole to shell
| hole over ground that appeared from
| a distance to be a giant face ravaged
by smallpox, Gen. Mangin's men de-
! feafed this crack division and FIVE
others that were put into line over
| a front of five and one-half miles be-
tween Allemant and Vailly. In doing
so they conquered four caves at the
| summit of the heights from which the
stone was auarried to build the city
| of scissors One of the caves meas
ured 400 by 300 yards, and has a
| dozen galleries through which an au-
| tomobile can pass.
An entire German battalion was
made prisoners In one of the caves,
entire staff was taken. All the caves
were defended by machine guns that
were raised to the mouth of the cave
to be fired when halt In the bonn
bardment announced the approach OF
Infantry This sort of resistance was
Mont des Singes, where the French
troops exterminated the garrison which
belonged to the sth Prussfan Guard
Division. They also occupied the
chateau northeast of Vauxall1op def
nitely after it had been taken and
retaken several times
Mined Before Abandoned.
All the stone quarrfes and caves that
were not defended to the last by the
enemy were mined before they were
abandoned. Ten such mines were
discovered In time and rendered
harmless. Wherever the caves were
free of mines conclusive evidence was
discovered that the Germans expected
to hold them.
Fifteen violent enemy counter at
ries before they were finally conquer
ed. The French were obliged to con-
tend not only with these fortresses
cut out of solid rock. but with floods
in the valleys to the north. Some OF
the troops fought twenty-four hours
in water up to their knees. One bat
talon near Mennejean farm refused
to be relieved after several attacks
and counter attacks and consented to
retire only when the farm was cap
tured and considered gains made to the
east of It,
Break Into German Line.
In this region the French are facing
a part Of the Hindenburg line. which
they already have broken into from
the Mont des Singes to Vailly without
| the aid of tanks. This morning the
French advanced 1000 yards at 9
single effort, which Is an enormous
gain. considering the obstacles met
! with at every hand. The Germans
have reinforced the fighting front moi
| only with dense masses Of infantry
| but are bringing up three-inch guns
close to the front line and are firing
| point blank.
Latest reports from the front are
that the fighting Is still In progress:
and that Gen. Mangin's men are slowly
pushing on toward the Chemin-des'