Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1918-10-18
FOE ABANDONS
REGION OF LA0N
German Forces Are Expelled
From St. Gobain Forest
and La Fere.
ITALIAN TROOPS ACTIVE
Americans Engage in Intense Artil-
iery Duel Between Aire and Meuse
Rivers, Blasting Machine Gun
Nests to Bits.

With the American Army North
west of Verdun, Oct. 15.-The
American troops west Of the
Meuse are now beyond Cunei and
Romagne. Their patrols are in
the Bots de 6entheviIIe. Farther
west the American line has
reached St. Georges and Landres
ct St. George.
- Paris, Oct.15.-The enemy line in
Flanders has given way on a wide
front under the combined assaults
l. Of French, British and Belgian
!. armies which resumed the offen-
sive. RouIers was captured, by
the French.
The Allies have gained more
than five miles over a wide front
in the general direction Of Client.
courtray is outflanked. Lille and
Douai to the south by this move
ment are further imperiIed for the
foe.
London, Oct. 15-Laon, La Fere and
the entire ST. Gobain region have been
abandoned by the German forces.
After reoccupying Laon the French
have advanced until their line now
runs from the Disc river above La
Fere to the eastern end of the Chemin
des Danes. .---7
Italian troops participated in the ad-
vance and are now engaged on the
hills north of the Ailette river. At this
particular point the German lines have
been pressed back or have been with
drawn so that a sharp angle has been
created.
.,, Allies Reach Hundino Line.
French and British forces have viz.
tually reached the Hunding line east
of Cambria and St. Quentin British
units are reported at Solesmes, while
the French further south are within
four miles of Guise. .aa g
The Hunding line runs from Ant.
3werp to Client and thence to Journal,
Condo. Valenciennes, Solesmes, Guise,
.Rethel, Vouzieres, Dun sur Mouse and
then down the base of the st. Mihiel
salient to the Moselle, where it joins
the old front running through Lor-
raine and the Vosges to the Swiss
frontier. z.
On the Champagne front General
Berthelot is less than five miles from
Rethel, while further east General
Gouraud has taken Vouzieres, but has
not penetrated much further north Of
that place. Americans fighting in the
Argonne region are through the Kriem.
hide line, but their progress there Is
slow. +.
British Threaten valeneiennes.
Douai is virtually reached by the
British, while to the north the line
turns of sharply to the east. Should
Douai fall, the British will be able to
advance on Valenciennes.
The Disc river has been crossed by
the French to the east of La Fere at
Origny. .....-, e.. ....
In Albania the Italians have cap
tured Kavaya, q town IL miles south.
east of Durazzo.
Allied forces have occupied Nish.
the Serbian stronghold, the German
official statement admitting that the
Teutonic armies had retired to the
heights back of the city in face Of
the terrific Allied thrusts.
Americans Wreck Machine Guns.
With the American First Army, Oct.
15.-An intense artillery battle is rag
ing between the Aire and the Mouse.
It continued throughout the night and
was growing in violence. The Ameri.
can guns apparently dominated the
situation The solid mass Of machine
gun nests which Use our advance
between the two \ vers was rapidly
being blasted to bitsA
Heavy German attacks east Of the
Argonne were broken up by Ameri-
can counterattacks.
The Yanks met the Boches midway
between the two lines, welding the
and tearing the enemy waves
to shreds.