The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-08-10
ASSOCIATED PRESS SUMMARY
EXPLAINS IN DETAIL HOW
FocH FOLLOWED PACE SET BY
BYNG IN USE OF TANKS.
Associated Press Summary.

German lines in the Picardy front
south of the somme have been badly
broken by the savage thrust OF the
British and French armies.
A wedge has been driven into the
enemy territory. to depth of eleven
miles along the Amiens-Chaulnes-La
Fere railway and early today the Brit
ish were only a mile away from the
Chaulnes-Roye railway, which runs
southwark from Chaulnes and forms
the chief artery of supplies for the
German troops fighting in the Mont
didier sector of the front.
London announces that $4,000 pris-
oners and guns too numerous to men
ton" have been taken in the first
twenty-four hours of the drive. The
result Of this attack, loosed against
the Germans on the Aisne front Thurs
day morning, appears to have eclipsed
those obtained by the Germans on the
first day of their terrific offensives
Of the past spring and summer. So far
as reports show the progress of the
fighting south of the Somme the allies
are going forward almost without Sc
rious opposition.
on the north bank of the stream the
Germans have held their lines strong
ly but have lost Morlancourt, their
stronghold there, after hard fighting.
The French further to the south,
have had their advance retarded at
numerous points but the towns of
ficially reported to have been reached
are evidence that the momentum of
the allied drive has not nearly spent
itself.
From dispatches from the battle
field it now appears that the allies at
tackled the Germans with little artillery
preparation, the method pursued re-
sembling on a grand scale that adopt
ed by General Byng before Cambria
last November. Armored tanks in
great numbers tore through the Ger
man first line positions, infantry
masses followed and then through the
gaps in the enemy line the cavalry
and armored motor cars swept into
the back areas, surprising German de-
tachments and throwing the whole de-
fensive organization of the enemy into
chaos.
Hardly had the German reserve
along the Somme been reported@fD
dispatches began to tell of a German
retirement in the Flanders sector
LOGON, LeCornet Malo, Quentin, LIE
Petlt Pdcdut ana Les Art, Ilttle VII
lagos on the extreme western tip of
the Lys salient, have been abandoned
by the Germans and are now held by
the British. This is looked upon as
the carrying out OF a German with
drawal from the Lys salient. which
had been forecast in recent dispatches.
The ground held by the Germans in
Flanders is very low and is dominated
by the allied artillery and a retirement
there has been expected.
In it's larger aspects, the success OF
the allies south of the Somme con-
stitutes a very serious threat to the
German line, especially to the south
ward. The advance has not so far
weakened the German positions north
ward to Arras, but the enemy finds
himself in an embarrassing position
around Montdidier and srom that town
southeastward at least as far as the
Oise river. A further advance OF the
allies in Picardy would outfiank the
whole German line as far the Disc
and probably cause an Immediate re-
treat to positions which can be linked
up with the AiSne line.