Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1918-08-21
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST ri, 1918.
GERMANS APPARENTLY WEAKEN
Blows of the Allies Have Left Forces
IN Bad Shape.

mans on three important sectors of
the western front have been COM
PEELED to give up positions of great
strategic value under the onslaughts
of the British and French troops.
In the Lys sector, west of Armen-
there's. the enemy has retreated over
front of nearly six miles. leaving
the town of Merville In British
hands. Between the Matz and Disc
rivers the French have fought their
way to the western outskirts Of the
farther south in this hill and wooded
region have debouched from the
Thioscourt wood and also captured
the town OF Pimprez, situated in the
Disc valley on the Neyon- -Compiegne
| road.
Around the curve in the battle line,
northwest Of Soissons. the French
from near Carlepont to Fontenoy on
the Aisne, a distance of approximate
| ly nine miles, have driven back the
| enemy to all average depth Of more
! than mile and captured several
villages and 1900 prisoners.
Unofficial reports record the cap
ture by the British OF the railway sta
tion on the western outskirts Of the
| important town Of Roye, one of the
pivotal points on the battle front be-
| tween the Somme and the Disc, but
| there Is no official confirmation Of
this.
| Viewed on the war maps the gains
In the new operations are most i'm
portaht ones for the allies, for, aside
from wide areas over which the en-
emy has been compelled to acknowl-
edge defeat, the weakening in tho
German defense Is becoming daily
more Noticeable and apparently with
In short time they probably will be
forced to commence retrograde
the entire blotting out Of old lines
and the taking up Of new ones to the
| east ard southeast, possibly from the
! region Of Rheims to Ypres
| Under the new gains OF the British
around Roye and particularly those
made by the French from Lassigny
to the Disc valley and northwest Of
Soissons, the Germans now are in a
bad predicament. Here their posi-
tions are dominated by the allied
| guns from the west, southwest and
south for many miles and apparently
a retreat eastward across the plains
Of Picardy and over the Somme and
even from the western Aisne will be
necessitated.
The latest German official commu-
nication asserts that French attacks
between the Disc and Aisne, deliv-
cred over wide front. failed. but
the French war office statement is
specific in announcing the penetra-
tion o! the environs OF Lassigny, the
cutting OF passageWay through the
Thiescourt wood and the capture of
Pimprez. That there has been hard
! fighting, however, is indicated by the
British official statement, which says
that northwest Of Chaulnes the Ger
mans succeeded in penetrating the
British lines at several points, but
were later driven out.
On the other battle front thero is
little activity, except in the nature
of artillery duels and patrol encoun-
| ters.
| Additional American troops ar
rived last week in Vladivostok to aid
the other international troops in
their operations against the Bolshe-
vik aud German forces in Siberia.
French Capture Many Prisoners.
| Paris, Aug. 17.-The French made
further progress to-day north and
south Of the Avre, having taken l.
600 prisoners and numerous machine
guns since yesterday, according to
the war office statement tonight.
They captured the village of Canny-
sur -Matz and in addition took enemy
| positions on front of nearly two
miles to depth of more than a mile
in the region Of Autreches. in the
Soissons sector.
Twelve enemy airplanes were
brought down yesterday.
Prussians Gave Up.
With the American Army on the
Vesle Front, Aug. 20.-Sixty Prus-
slams have been taken prisoner by the
Americans near Fismette, north Of
Fismes, without either side firing a
shot. The Prussians were machine
gunners and all that remained Of a
| company which had been in line less
than month.
American detachments went out
few nights ago, the location Of the
| machine gun positions having been
reported by prisoner. According to
the Americans, the Prussians were
waiting to be taken prisoner. The
intelligence officer who questioned
the Prussians asserted that nearly all
had agreed to surrender If the slight
est opportunity arose.
The Americans who took the pris-
oners do not claim any credit for the
capture, declaring that the Prussians
virtually deserted their posts.
A German prisoner taken Sunday,
told an intelligence officer he believ-
ed that II the battle line recedes to
Germany proper, the fighting spirit OF
the German soldiers will be greatly
stimulated.
Heavy Fighting Recorded.