The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-07-26
Counter Attacks and Rearguard
Actions Are Proving an
Utter Failure.
ADVANCE LESS RAPID
Maximum Gains of the Americans
and French Are About Ten Miles
From Their Point of Departure
One Week Ago.

London, July 26-The advance of
the Allied troops on the Soissons-
Rheims salient continues despite the
German high command resorting to
violent counter attacks and rearguard
actions in great strength.
They have aided somewhat in slow
ing down the fast pace set by the
Allies at the commencement of the
offensive, but on the three sides of
the now U-shaped battle front further
important gains have been made.
Driving slowly but surely south of
Scissors, American and French troops
have pushed their fronts further east
ward toward that part of the Soissons-
Chateau Thierry railway line that is
still in the hands of the enemy, and
further south, along both sides of the
Ourcq river and the road leading to
Fere-en Tardenois, Germany's great
storehouse for the supply of her
troops to the south, important pene-
trations into the enemy-held territory
have been made until the maximum
point where the Allies are fighting
near Coincy is about 10R miles from
their point of departure last Thurs
day.
Enemy FierceIy Resists.
In the Marne region north of Cha
teau Thierry the Americans and
French have met with the fiercest
kind of resistance, for here the Ger
man machine gunners and infantrymen
are striving hard to stay their prog
ress In an endeavor to extricate large
numbers of the German forces who
are in danger of capture, and also to
save part of the great number of guns
and quantities of war materials which
1t is impossible to get out except by
the high roads over the undulating and
wooded country.
The advantage in the main fighting,
however, has rested with the ANAL
gamated troops, who have pushed on
northward past the village of Epieds
and ousted the Germans from the
greater part of the Chatelet forest.
In this region the Allies now hold the
villages of Epieds and Trughy- -Epieds,
which were captured by the Germans
and were recaptured Wednesday In a
counter attack by the Americans.
Pressing on northward the Allies have
driven their front beyond Courpoil,
which lies about 61s miles northeast
Of Chateau Thierry. Along the Marne
at several points, notably in the re.
gion Of Charteves and Jaulgonne and
further east at Treloup the Allies have
put the northern bank of the Marne
further behind them in advances and
captured a large number of cannon
and machine guns and considerable
war materials.
In the region between the Marne
and Rheims, where the German crown
prince has brought forward large mum
bers of picked reinforcements to stay
the British, French and Italians, his
warriors are meeting with hard usage
Following up the advances OF the
French and Italians of Tuesday the
British Immediately to the southwest
of Rheims apparently have begun a
good results.
Here the British have overcome q
strong counter attack, and following
1t, violent bombardment and struck
the German line at Vrigny for a good
gain. This maneuver, If 1t is pressed
(. to further advantage, will seriously
menace the Rheims-F -Fismes railway, 9
scant three miles to the north and
also will tend materially to lessen the
width of the mouth of the pocket
through which the Germans are en-
deavoring to retreat from the Sois
sons-Rheims salient