The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-08-19
BRITISH TAKE RIDGE

WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN
FRANCE, Aug. 19.-British troops aft
er capturing Outtersteene ridge, in
front of the town of Merris, have
beaten off vicious counter-attack
and inflicted heavy losses on the en-
emy. More than 500 Germans were
captured by the British.
There were violent artillery actions
north and south of the Avre river dur
ing the night
Near Merville, at the apex of the
Lys salient the British have made fur
ther progress, from Field Marshal
Haig today. Fifty prisoners and few
machine guns were captured.
French troops penetrated into the
village of LeHamel. on the hills west
of the Disc and northwest of Ribe-
court today according to advices from
the front. During the fighting today
the French were on the aggressive but
made some slight headway against the
tween Lassigny and the Disc.
Line Vital to Enemy.
This line is vital to the German DO
sition on each side of it. If it should
be broken the whole German defen.
sive scheme would be thrown out OF
joint
While the front over which the as
sault was launched is short compared
with those of the Marne. and Picardy
drives. the success attained by the
French appears to point to possi
bility Of Marshall Foch breaking the
enemy's resistance by a flank attack
instead of a direct assault against
the strong positions now held by the
Germans between Scissors and
Rheims, and between the Disc and the
Ancre.
The region in which the attack was
made is quite rough and would seem
to be well adapted to defensive war
fare. It is intersected by ravines Of
some depth and has wooded ridges
here and there. 1t is in extension OF
the hilly districts along the Disc
where savage fighting has been going
on for the past week.
Acticn in Picardy.
Along the Picardy battle front there
have been local actions in which 400
prisoners were taken by the French.
London reports that the French have
captured St. Mard and Beuvraignes.
near Roye, thus increasing the peril
of that position of the German line
west of the Somme.
Farther north the British have pen
etrated the German positions near Ar
ras German attacks in the Flanders
sector have been repulsed.
In the Merville sector the British
have made a new advance, probably
following up the Germans who have
been retiring in this part of the Lys
salient for the past week.
Allies Hold Initiative.
Fighting on the western front still
is confined to local actions with the
initiative in the hands of the allies.
AS in the last week the scenes of most
activity are the Picardy battlefield
and the Lys salient.
South of the Somme the French and
British maintain their pressure
against the strong point Of Roye. but
the fighting is not as general as It
was toward the end of last week when
the French moved forward to within
a mile and one quarter o. Roye.
Northwest of Roye the British have
made progress between Chilly and
Fransart while south of the town the
French have taken 400 prisoners IN
spirited local actions south of Beth
uvraign.
German efforts to hold their line
in thes ector between Royean and Las
signy have been challenged by the
French and with success. Since the
general fighting in Picardy died down
the French have been pushing relent-
lessly northeastward between Rove
and Lassigny with the evident pur-
pose of outflanking both positions:
The Germans have been prssd back
in violent combats as a salient driven
In here might easily prove disastrous
for the entire enemy defense system
on the present line