Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-14
FRENCH GO FORWARD
In PICARDY DRIVE


IContinucd from First Pagc.1
tually at standstill, and the
advices show the Germans hold
ing Chaulnes heights and seem
determined to cling to their posi-
tons here at all costs.
On the French Front in France,
Aug. 1.-THE Germans are COM
batting the French in the Lasstsny
area generally with machine guns
which are as numerous as soldiers.
The valleys and woods which the
French must traverse are being
flooded with mustard gas. The
French, however, are advancing
through the valleys by infiltration.
The German tactics indicate the
main enemy forces retiring upon
defensive line not far distant.
The French success to-day in gain
ing important positions northeast OF
Lassigny gives prospects of complete
success in overcoming the massif of
Lassigny.
Allied progress eastward in FL
cardy, with the Germans lighting
desperately for every vantage point,
continues to be slow. On the nortn-
ern end of the front the British and
Germans are occupied mainly with
reciprocal artillery bombardmentS,
while on the south the French nave
| advanced farther toward Lassigny IN
heavy lighting.
From Morlancourt south to LII
| hons, the British apparently are
| consolidating the captured ground
! while the artillery is being brought
! up to lombard the Germans who
maintain themselves in the old posi-
| tons of 1861 west of the upper
course of the Somme. The infantry
| activity here Tuesday was compare
lively quiet, Field Marshal Haig re
| ports. but there seems to be little
| doubt that the British are only
awaiting i favorable opportunity to
| again hit the German line.
French Drive Ahead
In the hill and wood region be-
tween the Matz and the Oise, the
| French have made appreciable gains
and are reported, unofficially, to be
holding the important massif of Las
signy against heavy German attacks
North of Curry. the French are fight
ing forward in the park south OF
! Plessier de Roye, while to the cas-,
they have reached Belvel, one and
one-half miles south of Lassigny. Al
! Belval the French outfianked the
western end of the heights south oi
Lassigny. East of Belval the Ger
mans apparently have been able tc
! hold the French in check. Alons
the west bank of Disc the French
have gained one and one-half miles
| toward Noyon.
Seemingly the massif of Lassigny
| is in danger of being lost to the Ger
mans if they already have not beer
! forced from the higher points. Ger
man prisoners taken at Belval NUM-
bered III and they declared they
had been ordered to hold on at al
costs. This high ground is important
to the enemy because French guns
placed there could command all the
terrain northward toward Roye anf
eastward toward Noyon.
Desperate German Effort
With the massif in possession oi
the French, the Germans probably
would be forced to evacuate LassiGnA
and Noyon, and possibly the entire
line southwark from Chaulnes. Thi:
would have some effect on the enemy
position eastward to Rheims depend.
ing on how far the Germans woulo
have to retire before reaching new
defensive line which most probably
would be through Nesle and Guis
card and based on Ham.
Field Marshal Haig reports ina
since last Thursday the allies have
captured $4,000 prisoners and 500
guns. Several thousand machine
guns and much war material hlst
I were taken.
Air Warfare Intense
Aerial activity continues intense
\ German airmen are engaging the al
j lied fliers IN combat to prevent re
! conraissance and bombing work
Forty-eight German machines were
accounted for Monday and "a tons
of bombs dropped on military tar
gets behind the enemy lines.
j Berlin reports the shooting dowT
of Twenty-Five allied airplanes.
Berlin reports that all allied eff
forts Monday were repulsed, espe
ciaIly attacks by strong Frencf
forces between the Matz and The
Disc.
Americans Take Over Line
Patrol activity continues in Fland
ers, but there are no indications tha
heavy fighting is about to begiT
there. Along the Vesle the German'
have not repeated their ineffectua
attacks, but are bombarding th'
Franco o-American lines with high eX
! plosive and gas shells. 1t is an
nounced that the American Firs
Army, which has just been organic
ed, will hold the western front "soutl
of the Marne," which probabl!
means from St. Miriel to Switzer
land, where the allied positions arr
near the German border or beyont
1t.
German Towns Bombed
Much material damage was don,
at Frankfort and Karlsruhe by re
cent British aerial bombardments
according to reports received il
Switzerland. In Karlsruhe clever
persons were killed and twenty-si!
injured.
German submarines sank tw'
French steamers in the Mediterran
can in mid-July. From the transpor
Djemnah, 442 men are missing
Seven sailors were killed in the tor
pedoing of the steamer Australian
and three passengers are missing.
British Gain Ground
So Sho ve CnIionf.