Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-07-29
GERMANS RETAIN
IMPORTANT LINE
ON EITHER Wing.
Crown Prince Forced to Re-
tire on Southern Front
Of Salient.
ALLIED CAVALRY AND TANKS
HARASS RETREATlNG ENEMY
Airplanes, Dropping Bombs. and
BigGun Bombardment Add S
to Difficulties of Huns.
RETREAT By NO MEANS ROUT
More Than One-Half of Pocket Re-
captured by French and ~
Allies.
RETREAT By NO MEANS RouT
IRy Associated Press.1

| ! BY Associated Press
! The Franco American troops, contin-%
uing their pressure on the Germans in
retreat from the Marine. have reached
and crossed the Ourcq River and pene-
| trated the town of Fere-en- -Tardenois
| one OF the great German supply bases
for the enemy troops inside the Sois-
sons Rheims salient
! Meantime. on the center of the allied
| right wing. southwest of Rheims. at
tacks by the French have forced tho
enemy to give further ground and en-
abled the French to capture several
towns Of strategic value. and to draw
their front appreciably nearer the high-
road which runs northeastward from
Dormans to Rheims.
! On the extreme wings of the grad
unlly decreasing pocket--near scissors
and Rheims--the enemy, heavily re-
enforced. is holding tenaciously to his
ground. realizing that successes there
would resultEin "a general crumbllnggpt
his plans of defense against the locking;
up OF his entire armies inside the big
bag. In addition to the large number
of troops for reinforcement that have
been thrown on these two sectors. the
German long-range guns from the re-.
gion north of Soissons and north and
northeast of Rheims are keeping both
wings OF the salient under heavy en-
| filading fire.
Under the battering tactics of ti,e
Americans and Frenchmen the German
line on the south has now been driven
back more than twelve miles from the
point south of Chateau-Thierry, where
the allied troops locked the door to
Paris against the enemy July IS. and
themselves became the aggressors in
what has turned out to be one OF the
greatest battles Of the war
The crossing OF the Ourcq. even IL
only by advanced elements, OF the al
lied forces, presages u general crossing
later on. The French official communi-
cations thus far during the battle have
| been remarkably conservative In their
estimates Of the gains that daily have
been made. and it is indicated in un-
official dispatches that allied troops
are considerably in advance of the line
as announced officially
LOSSES OF GERMANS
EXTREMELY HEAVY
Where the Germans are in retreat
from the south the cavalry has been
brought into the lighting. and numAr-
GUS tanks and machine guns in rrcfu-
/ sion are everywhere marrying the en-
/ envy. whose losses are heavy.
! Meantime, airplanes are flying nvsf
the rctreating hordes dropping aonibs..
while the big allied guns from .,lsE
I sides Of the salient are keeping up
their intensive firing from all angles
into the densely congestet area. E
The retreat of the enemy has by
| no means become n rout. and so long
as the picked troops around Solssuus
and Rheims are able to keep well oper,
the mouth of the bag through which
the Germans are falling back i. is e:t-
pccted that the greater portion Of s!is,.
armies OF ;he crown prince will ta
successful in reaching in order tie
line where 1t is intended for tn I'm t..
turn and make stand.
NO SIGNS EVIDENT T,IAT
| REFINEMENT rs AT End
Just where this stand will be mat.
is problematical More than half TIM
! pocket has been rccaptured by 'is
! American. French. British ard Italic'.s
| troops opposing the enemy. and ther4
! have as let been no signs Of a let.up
N the r-trogradn movement. III rs
some of ihe military critics have sug-
S"stcd Crown rrince Rupprec.t et
bavaria purposes 10 start an offensive
against the British In France aa'
Flanders as u diversion against The
big battle now IN progress no signs
OF il are apparent at present. What
little lighting has been going on In this.
region has been III the nature 4 p"-s
/ troll raids. in which the British have
taken Il number of prisoners and ma,
chine guns A!S
Evidently impressed by the threat nf
the British Premier that il they re-s
mained on strik. until Monday they
| would be liable 20 military service, a Z;
majority of the dissatisfied munitior2
workers in England Will. return 90 I
work Immediately.