Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1918-09-06
FRENCH DRIVE On
YAHRS IN FRAY
Fall of Noyon Forecast by New
Gains of French.
AMERICANS FOIL COUNTERS
British Continue Drive In Picardy-
CroiselIes Falls, While Haig's
Men Gain Four Miles In
Flanders.

Paris.-The Germans facing the AL
lied forces from Arras to scissors ev'
erywhere are in dire peril. On almost
every sector Of the battle front this
enemy lire continues to crumble be-.
for the Allied attack, Notwithstanding
the violence, born OF desperation, Of
the counter-offensiye tactics.
Near Arras the old Eindenburg line
now is well outfanked; from the
Scarpe to the Somme the hostile line
gradually is falling back, while from
the south Of the Somme to scissors
the enemy front has literally been
smashed and the German hosts ap
parently are caught in two distinct
traps, escape from which without
heavy losses in men made prisoner
and guns and material captured seems
almost impossible of achievement.
Scores of additional towns have been
captured by the British. French and
American troops, the Americans hav.
ing entered the fray with the French
northwest of Scissors, while all Of
the old German salients in the Allied
lines now have been flattened out and
the Allies themselves have dug deeply
into the eneTny's terrain.
The first trap in which the enemy
finds, himself is the triangle formed by
the sharp curve of the Somme River,
with Peronne its apex and with Curlu
on the Somme and Fresnes, respective.
y. its northern and southern bases.
This triangle is little more than
three niles deep and six miles wide,
aad IN it the Germans are fighting with
tleir backs toward the Somme on both
the. north and the east Desperate
resistance is being offered by the
enemy in order that his men may
have time TO reach haven Of safety
across the stream, but the British are
hard after their quarry, and with the
French a little to the south alncst up
to the river to aid them by an out
C2Tk:1g :rovement Il would seem that
tha odds are heavily against the Ger
mans.
Il was the French troops who sprang
the other trap. VIZ: the fall OF Chaul-
nes the French forces routed the
enemy over a front of about 10 miles
and penetrated the region to depth
st some points of nearly seven miles.
From the north Of Chaulnes to Ne6le
the penetration of the French reached
the heights on the left bank of the
Sommc southward the advance left
the French along the Canal du Nord
at various points between Nesle and
the outskirts OF Noyon: south and
southeast of Noyon gains also were
made. and Noyon and the entire region
between Nesle and Sotssons now are
in great pocket, with the French
piIcers working hard to close upon it.
The Americans are fighting with the
French northwest of scissors In the
operation which has in view the blot
ting out Of the Noyon sector and the
outfianking of the Aisne and the old
CheInin des DANES positions. Official
reports have the Americans ana
French fighting violently with the
enemy around Juvignyn where they
have gained some ground. The Amer
leans have successfully sustained sew
eral heavy enemy counter-attacks in
this region. The Americans and Ger
mans <kio are engaged in bitter bat
ties around Bazoches ard Fismette, on
the Tcalo. The Germans endeavored
to ford ire Ees.e south Of Bazochcs,
but wei nod by the Americans. Like
wise III @nemy assault against Fs-
mcita vas >s0pGad. The German oli-
ciai c0n,.4ua;cst.Ga %ESerts that the
Ana icaRs hare suffered severe losses
AMI lc:t -11-c t3aa $50 prisoners in
the battle a-pAJ tie Vesle.