The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-10-03
Allies Ont Drp Gan.

London. Oct "A cash nearly
eight miles wide was cut into the
Hindenburg line between LIE Catelet
and the region east of St Quentin by
the British today. For several hours
terrible disaster threatened the Ger.
mans Their main line OF resistance
had been preached between Fonscarc.
five miles northeast OF st. Quentin.
and Beaurevoir, nearly three miles
east of lie Catelet Through this
breach. Haig's forces threatened to
pour into the rear and force a cave
in Of the whole German western front.
Then. toward noon Ludendorff.
aware that it was one Of the decisive
hours of tile war, gave the order for
one of those aia~une massed coun-
ter assaults in which human life
counts for naught. where the only
thing that matters is to fill the gap,
even If it must be filled by corpses.
Whether the gap was definitely hll-
ed Is not yet certain. But the reck-
less slaughter did succeed in keeping
the British from pouring through.
British Lose Slightly.
The British, Field Marshal HAt4
admitted tonight. were pressed back
from Sequehart. which lies on tho
southeastern part of the line breach
ed, five miles and a half northeast OF
st. Quentin.
But the desperate eleventh hour
measure cost Ludendorff more than
the mountains of dead piled up in
the temporarily stopped gap. In the
bloody counter thrust he had to us0
up every ounce Of flesh available In
that sector and as the very order Tor
the attack was given he had TO cAao
anxious gIances up and down the far.
flung, webbing German front for
men 10 take the places of those of
fered to the British fire.
Soon afterward his decision became
manifest All the way between tho
Mouse and the North Sea there wa1
but one sector that had not been
ripped to pieces in the last few weeks
the one between Armentieries and
Lens on that 17-n1ile front lay his
only hope for reinforcements.
German Withdrawal
The answer is contained in Haigso
night report.
The Germans are Withdrawing on
a wide front south and north OF Ia
Basse Canal"
This means that Vimy Ridge, that
| formidable natural bastion for which
/ SO many thousands OF Teutona and
Britishers have died, is to he aband-
/ onded probably without lighting. az
+! was Mt kammel and Passchendale
! ridge II means a saving OF untold
/
True, ultimately The Germans had
/ To got out of the area between Lens
! and Armentieres, for their front there
I was being swiftly outfanked by tho
1 Relgians and British in the north.
| and by the British 10 the South. But
| once more the enemy has been forced
| to get out before he could stage =
strategic voluntary retreat"
How many times Lndendorn VIII
! he able to stave off disaster is the
/ question of questions tonight,
! Go Beyond ST. Quentin
The allies are between FIVE and alx
miles beyond ST. Quentin. For CAM
! hrai the enemy is tishting to the laat
! ditch, but the city's complete capture
/ appears a matter of hours. Fresh pro-
/ gress in Ca mbrai and Crevecoeur. four
and Il half miles to the south, was m
I nounced by Haig in his night state
! ment, ess4
! North OF ST. Quentin, at Can1braf
and in Flanders. this Germans ~
back furiously all day. without How
ever. succeeding in snatching AnX
! substantial gains from the aiiieas
| North of Cambrai LudendorR AMno
eleven divisions into the fray on y
front of only five miles.
Meanwhile. between the AisnA au9
the Vesle. the French are smA1htME
steadily northward In the last fhr1M
days the Germans have been f0fAM9
back there to depth of eight 1Ntb1
on a twenty mile front. szsA ! !
t Americans Mark Time
The whole German Laon 6en