The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-07-13
French Forces Advance Lines
More Than One Mile Along
Avre River Northwest of
Montdidier.
TAKE 500 PRISONERS
(By Associated Press)

| This farm together with the Loges
farm. nearby, was captured by the
French in a local operation on the
| evening Of July 8. The statement
reads:
Between Montdidier and the Disc
the French in the course Of the night
| advanced their forward posts 500
metres In the region of the Porte
farm.
Several raids were carried out by
French troops north Of the Avre
| (southeast of Amiens) in. the region
Of the Disc, on the Marne. and in the
Champagne, resulting in the taking of
prisoners"
BRITISH TAKE PRISONERS
(By Associated Pressl
LONDON, July 13.-Successful min
or enterprises were carried out by the
British last night on the Flanders
| front near Vieux. Berquin and Merris.
as a result Of which 96 prisoners were
taken and a few machine guns cap
tured. the war once announced today.
A German raiding party which ad-
| vanced upon the British lines in
Flanders, in the Meteren sector, was
repulsed.
The German artillery developed ac-
tivity during the night on the Flan-
ders front and opposite Beaumont
Hamel.
Allies Push On.
Success has crowned further allied
smashes into the German lines be-
tween Ypres and Rheims. For more
than two weeks the Allies have been
jamming into the German defenses
here and there the results now are
| just as favorable as at the beginning.
For the first time since the attrition
campaign was undertaken the French
have struck with force in the Picardy
battlefield.
Along the Avre river, northwest OF
| Montdidier, the French advanced their
| lines more than q mile on q front Of
F.! three miles and captured over 500
| prisoners. This blow, like the recent
ones by the British astride the Somme
| has driven the enemy back on a sector
| vital to the defense OF Amiens, the OBJ
| jective Of the first German offensive
begun on March 21.
Hun Positions Endangered.
In capturing Castel and strong forth
fed positions the French have advanc-
| ed almost to the western bank of the
i Avre. Further gains southward to-
| ward Maflly-Raineval will endanger Sc
riously the German positions west Of
the Avre to below Montdidier
At an advance toward Amiens, the
Germans would either follow the Som
me or go up the valley of the Avre
| which Joins the Somme near Amiens.
Between the Aisne and the Marne,
the Germans apparently still do not
take seriously tue French gains east
Of the forest Of villers-Cotterets.
Several villages and fortified farms,
including Corey and Longpont. have
been taken by the French this week
but the Germans have made no serious
efforts to retake the positions and are
slowly being forced of the high
ground.
Last night was rather less active
than has been the case recently in the
;; way Of fresh enterprises by the en-
tente troops under the present plan
Of pounding the German lines here
and there at frequent intervals. The
French, however, were engaged in a
i lively operation in the region north
west of Compiegne The action OF
last evening carried the French ad-
| vanced line a little more than 4 quar-
ter of a mile in the Porte farm region,
to the west of the Compiegne road
running past Ampheul. They also car.
red out raiding operations in the re
gion Of the Avre. southeast Of Amiens.
The British activities were confined
to raiding operations mainly in the
Flanders area, in which nearly 100
prisoners and few machine guns
were taken. The enemy artillery Is
continuing to show more or less acti-
vity on the Flanders front. while in
the Metern sector on the road to
Hazebrock the Germans sent out
raiding party. The British easily
drove off the raiders.
British Airmen Hindered
Bad weather continues on the Brit
ish front, especially hindering the
bombing activities of British airmen.
The Germen artillery fire is strong
on the Lys salient At Bucquoy. be
tween Albert and Arras, the British
drove on German raiders.
Continuation of the rain on the Brit
ish front may hamper German plans
as the battle grounds Of Flanders and
Picardy are likely to turn into seas
OF mud. Rain has been falling on and
on. on the British front for five days
Berlin now reports that the sixth
American airpiane of the squadron
which was flying toward Coblenz was
brought down. Thursday It an
nounced that five out of six machines
with their crews had fallen into Ger
man hands.
italians are Progressing.
Franco-Italian successes in Albania
have enabled the allies to establish Z
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