The Elk Mountain pilot., 1918-10-03
|YANKSSTART new
CHAMP ACNE DRIVE
CAPTURE TWELVE TOWNS AND
5000 PRISONERS AND GAIN
SEVEN MILES.
FRENCH ENTER SERvON
GERMANS APPLY TORCH TO 30
VILLAGES AS THEY ARE
DRIVEN BACK.
Western Newspaper Union New. ser.le.

Western Newspaper Union News Service
Washington. Sept. 27.-Attackins
Thursday morning over a front Of
twenty miles. west of Verdun, In CO.
operation with the French, the Amer
lean First army advanced to an aver
age depth of seven miles and captured
twelve towns and more than 5000
prisoners. Four of the towns were
carried by storm by Pennsylvania.
Kansas and Missouri troops Of Maj
Gen. Liggett's corps. Gen Psrshins
said in his official statement on the
battle. received at the War Depart
ment. The enemy offered stubborn
resistance. Troops of other corps
forced their way across the FORCES
brook. took the Bois de Forges and
wrested eight towns from the enemy
Gen. Pershing's communiQue follows:
Section A-This morning north
west of Verdun, the First army At
tackled the enemy on a front OF TWEEN
ty miles and penetrated his line to
an average depth of seven miles.
Pennsylvania, Kansas and Missouri
troops in Maj. Gen. Liggetts corps
stormed Varennes. Montblainvills.
Vauzuois and Chappy after stubborn
resistance. Troops Of other corps.
crossing the FORCES brook captured
the Bois de Forges and wrested from
the enemy the towns of Malancourt.
Bethincourt. Montfaucon, Cuisy. Nan
TILES. Septsarges. Dannevoux and
t-et-Drillancourt. The prison
ers thus far reported number more
than 5000"
Paris.-The Franco attack
on both sides OF the Argonne is con.
tinuing satisfactorily. according to the
war office announcement. French
troops have made an advance of near
ly four miles at certain points west
OF the Argonne. The Germans. antic-
ipating the attack, seemingly had
withdrawn a portion of their forces.
According to the latest unofficial re-
ports reaching Paris, the American
advance is progressing well and is
now from five to six miles from the
point of departure. Among the places
taken are Gercourt. Cuisy. Montfau-
con. Cheppy and Varennes. all 9TH
west of Verdun.
Gen. Gouroud's progress has also
been good. his troops having occu.
pied all the enemy's first line. The
new allied offensive in the Cham
payne was begun three years almost
to \ day after the first offensive OF
the French on Sept. 25. 1918.
The French Fourth army IL con.
Quoting the attack In conjunction with
American forces and the front ex.
tends to the east and west OF the Ar
gonne forest.
"The Fourth army" says La Lib
erte, has held this sector since the
first battle Of the Marne. The enemy
expected the attack. 1t IL even learned
that in view of the effort he foresaw.
his troops in that sector had been
given special nourishment. Tho strug-
gle. therefore. will be Of a different
character from those described in re-
cent official communications which
showed the allies almost galloping to
victory"
The number OF prisoners taken by
the French is increasing steadily.
They are filing back by all roads in
groups OF from a score to several hun
dred. Among them there is 4 larger
proportion OF very young men than
heretofore taken. Some Of the cap
tives are recruits OF the 1920 contin-
gent. They are leaving behind them
scores of burning villages. Thirty
had been observed in flames up to
noon Thursday. Even this additional
and unjustifiable devastation csn
scarcely add to the desolation that
has been spread all over this sharply
disputed ground.
In local Operations between Canl<
brai and ST. Quentin on the western
front the British are pushing farther
into the Hindenburg line and captur-
ing points vital to the defense Of st.
Quentin. West and northwest of st.
Quentin the British have advanced in
the region of Selency and Gricourt.
The important Bulgarian center OF
Istib has been captured by allied
troops. according to dispatches re-
ceived from the Saloniki front
British troops entered Bulgarian
territory Thursday. it was officially
announced in London.
The Fourth Turkish army on the Pal
estine front is virtnally surrounded in
the region east of the Jordan and
faces annihilation by General Allen
by's forces