The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1918-07-27
Progress Of The War
From Sundays Salt Lake Tribune

nary reaction with superior forces
can save the enemy from a more or
less general retreat. 1t would not
be surprising if the evacuation OF
Chateau Thierry were announced
within a few hours.
The earlier phases of the battle are
so vivid in the minds of the readers
that it is only necessary to summarize
them briefly. The Germans, after a
long period of preparation. began
their offensive last Monday in a
"pincer movement" to capture
Rheims and press forward 80 or .4e
miles to the south through Epernay
and Chalonssur- Marine. This would
have broken the entire line between
the point nearest Paris on the west
and Verdun on the east. The enemy
would then have been in a position
to roll up the French lines eastward
toward Alsace-Lorraine and west
ward toward Paris. This was the
identical strategy of the first battle
of the Marine which was lost by a
narrow margin in September, 1914.
Once again the maneuver has missed
success by a narrow margin.
The German advance was on a front
of about thirty miles southwest OF
Rheims and a front of about the
same length east of Rheims. No at
tempt was made to attack the city
itself. and the loop around it was a
quiet zone for about fifteen miles
during the entire week of fighting.
The offensive east of the city was,
in reality, a secondary movement,
but in the first stages of the battle it
seemed to be as important as the
drive to the west. In fact, it as
sumed a grave aspect just east of the
city. On a front of about ten miles
the enemy advanced about five miles
at the deepest point. This was part
of the movement to close the nut
cracker" on the town, for immedi-
ately to the west a similar drive had
been made from Bligny. where the
Italians held the line. The German
progress at this point was slight.
The Italians fought with extreme
brilliancy, and, although forced to
give ground, they did not fall back
far. Later in the week, after a num-
Der of counter-attacks, they regained
considerable ground.
The hardest blow struck by the
Germans was along the line from
Bligny southwestward toward the
Marine and then westward along the
Marine to a point four or five miles
east of Chateau Thierry. The sector
was occupied by French and Ameri-
cans. The lines nearest Chateau
Thierry was held by Americans only.
To the eastward a few miles it was
held by French and Americans, and
the rest of the line was defended by
the French only. The crossing of
the Marine was accomplished with
utmost skill by the Germans despite
heavy shell fire. In the night many
Of the foe had got across in canvas
boats and had formed little bridge
heads to cover the construction of
pontoon bridges. At some points in
visible bridges were a new feature.
Some form of wire base was thrown
into the river and covered with pom
toon material. The bridges are said
to have been a few inches under
water and therefore invisible to al
lied observers. The ordinary pom
toon bridges were servicable for all
manner of portage, the underwater
bridges being used, we assume
simply as a means of getting the in
fantry across the stream.
The Americans were attacked on a
front of three or four miles in a bend
OF the river. When the enemy had
crossed at Fossoy on the American