Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-08-09
.HA|G SURPRISE
WAS COMPLETE
Crown Prince Rupprecht's
Forces underestimated
Foes Strength.
CONFUSION AMONG ENEMY
Flight Along Somme Causes
Congestion While Aviators
Use Machine Guns Effectively
CONFUSION AMONG ENEMY
BY WILLIAM PHILIP sIMMs.


Omitted Press Staff Correspondent
WITH THE BRITISH ARMIES IN
FRANCE Aug. 9 (12:80 p. m.)-The
British Fourth Army and the element
OF the French first army under Field
Marshal Haig, have driven their
wedge into the west wall of the Mont
didier pocket from six to eight miles.
They havs captured a large number
OF guns. many prisoners and consider
able material.
Great confusion has been caused be-
hind German Crown Prince Rup-
precht's front, in General Won der
Marwitz's second army. and General
Won Hutier's eighteenth army. Air
men report the rapid flight of enemy
transports eastward along the Somme
in order to escape capture.
While the Allies heaviest guns
pound the German military center far
in the rear, Rupprecht's reply by IN
fantry, artillery and air, Is very fee
BILE, so far.
Some counter attacks were attempt
ed but they were easily repulsed
With the coming up of reinforce
ments, however, it is inevitable that
the enemy resistance will stiffen.
Our casualties r are exceptionally
light. At some casualty clearing sta
tions very few patients had been ad-
mitted up till a late hour last night.
One entire army corps estimated its
casualties in the first two hours fight
ing at two officers and thirty men.
This Is absolute proof of the complete
surprise of the attack.
Some high German staff officers
were captured. Others escaped by the
skin OF their teeth, fleeing in scant
attire and leaving everything behind
save their paJamas and their hides.
Among the prisoners were some so
clean and unruffled that IL was OBJ
vious they had been called out of their
beds and dressed only in time to be
captured.
One division reported more prison.
ers than IL could handle and had to
employ slightly wounded men to es-
none of the unwounded Tommies
wishing to leave the fighting.
Every variety of the hundreds Of
tanks did good work. Some preceded
the infantry and acted as strongholds
until the troops came up. Big tanks,
surrounded by the little ''whippets"
looked like dreadnaughts escorted by
destroyers. The "whippets' are able
to dodge and turn faster than q man.
Operating over rough ground they
ran down enemy groups and individ-
uals, fiattening machine gun nests,
grinding the crews into the mud and
terrorizing all sectors.
Neither the tanks nor the troops
encountered q great deal of barbed
wire trenches. Obviously. Rupprecht
either overestimated himself or un-
derrated his opponents. 1t is clear
that he little expected q serious Al
lied offensive. Rather he was aim
ing to push on himself.
The present battle front is Just
south OF the old Somme hell-hole
country which Field Marshal Won
Hindenburg laid waste in 1917 during
his retreat
Today Won Hindenburg's legions are
being pressed back against this Hun
made waste with scarcely one small
tree or wood for protection.
Marshals Foch and Haig apparently
have caught Won Hindenburg una
wares. II he escapes a bitter drub-
bing the present signs are totally mis-
leading.