Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-10-10
TEUTON FORCES
BREAK AND RUN
BOches Burn Towns and
Attempt to Lay Country
in Waste
GENERAL RETREAT NEAR
Germans Defeated, Disheart.
encd and Disorganizcd by
Great Picardy Blow
GENERAL RETREAT NEAR

broi-St. Quentin Front. Oct. . tdelayedD
South OF Cambrai the Third and
Fourth armies today rapidly ovcrcame
enemy opposition. The Germans start
cd fleeing soon after the attack began.
for they realized they were fighting
battle in which they could hope for no
success The front line for twenty
miles began moving rapidly eastward.
Then came reports from arplanes. with
which the sky was literally crowded, that
WamhaiX had been taken. inc cap
turc Of Haircourt was reported. From
then on tdings came vim rapid success
zion OF villages falling before the Al
lied advance.
Sclvigny. Caullery. Ligny. Montisny
and Marctz were quickly reached and
passed and soon the Allies were clos
Ing in on Caudry and Bertry. At the
same time from the north IL was re-
ported that Estaudocuvres. east of
Cambria, had been taken and tlnt Lrchy
Tas being approached
Reach Eontaipe Notrc Dam.
The Cambrai-Lc .Cateau road was
crossed and then the railway between
st. Quentin and Bcrtry was cut. So
boncourt was then in sight and Foniaiuc
reached by the French BY that time
II was clear the enemy was badly smash-
cd and that the British and hmcri-
cans stood on the threshold OF the wild"
open country.
1t was about that time that the cav
airy which had been waiting poured
through the wide breach in the now
shattered Hindcnburg system and
stroamed out into the country beyond
~ sl,f a
also crashed forward and came into ac-
tion. They performed extremely valuable
services in pursuing the fleeing Ger
mans, killing many and rounding up
large number Of prisoners. They smash
cd down strong points held by rear
guards, who had been waiing for the
cavalry knowing that il had come
through the line
Turning Geemnn Lines
Officers directing the attack were dis
tinctly satisfied as the news came back
In reports from airplanes and by run
ners, but finally one came back that
showed better than anything else how
completely the enemy had been defeated
This was a report from an air patrol
that British infantry had been seen
marching as IL on parade in Il column
of fours to and through tho town of
Eertry Cwest of lie CateauD. The men
were swinging along entirely unmolested
by the enemy.
Another patrol brought word of the
Germans fleeing in the greatest disorder
AS far east as lie Cateau.
e, Unprecedented Advance
Such a thing as troops who have just
attacked marching through town l0,-
0gQs yards from the place where they
ssWftsd is a thing that has not happened
IN this war for long tVe. Such a
thing could only happen now. when dhe
ebemy, is defeated. disorganized, dis
heartened and running for his very ex-
>istence. The troops at Bertry did not
tsrry there. but kept right on marching
tt British cannon had been on the move
eastward all day long. In many cases
batteries would gallop over the rolling
plains of Artois. They would stop,
wheel about and fire for while, then
dash on and repeat the performance.
This has developed from a battle of
movement to one of very rapid move
ment.
Pass Escsut Canal
There is no intention to let the Ger
mans get a chance to regain their
breath and organize their smashing
forces. British troops are advancing
eastward astride the road from Cambrai
to lie Cateau, and every hour has seen
them further east. The t.scaut Canal
north of Cambria, has been passed Nir-
tually along its entire length. II has
been left far behind
In the fighting south of Cambria they
have cleared the enemy from the last
line of the Hindenburg system which in
this locality was extraordinarily strong.
Trenches protected by belt of wire
fifty yards deep In which there were
numerous concrete pill boxes were COM
mon obstacles.
The British broke through after
smashing down the wire. repulsed
counter-attacks, and then swept down in
the rear of the line and wiped out strong
German garrisons. The ground in this
locality Is soaked with German blood
and covered with German dead,
Germans Burning Towns
II was soon after the Germans broke
and ran that fires began to break out in
the whole district behind them and the
ground rocked with terrific explosions as
ammunition. which they had no time tc
save, was destroyed, Everything COM
bustible in the area around Caudry
Inchy, lie Cateau. st. Benin. st. Souplet
Nau-Andigny and Bohan was fired ant
since then towns and farms well to the
eastward have started burning.
Latest reports say that the advance