The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-08-13
GERMAN LINE IS
CRUMBLING AS
ALLIES PUSH ON
Enemy Unable to Attack
Strongly Except at Lihons
and Chaulnes.
SALIENT IN DANGER
Teutons Expected to Intrench
and Renew Efforts to
Negotiate Peace. S.
BY II. sIDEBOTHAM.

One of the Foremost Military Critics of
Europe
Special Cable Despdtch 10 The suS from the
london Times.
Copyright, 1918! all rights rsserred.
LONDON, Aug. 12.-The latest news
from the battle front may be stated
in a couple OF sentences. The British
improved their positions in the neigh
borhood OF Bray, and after falling
back at Lihons Saturday recovered
that village and held It against strong
German counter attacks.
The French are slowly eating their
way into the German salient at Roye.
which Is now in great danger. Over
the high, wooded ground between the
Matz and the Disc they are approach
ing Lassigny and the crest OF the
nearby plateau.
| The victorious armies are cashins
their gains. among which We may
soon hope to count Roye and Las
slgny, and are adjusting their line
between Albert and Ribecourt. The
German reaction Is generally weak
except in the neishborhood Of Liheas
ana aChauaasss- ,E-v.,9y-
| Proaress Of the Batsls.r-. "A,
The bulletins from the front 40 not
carry the complete story OF the day OF
their issue. There is In consequence A
great deal OF confusion in the chronology.
:, The sequence OF events OF the first three
, days OF the battle appears to be as fol-
| lows:
On Thursday Field Marshal Haig de-
! livered an attack astride the Somme, In
which he achieved complete surprise and
advanced between the Somme and the
| Luce seven or eight miles.
North Of the Somme the British prog
ress was less rapid and the surprise less
complete, as a result OF which the fght-
ing was much harder. The enemy coun-
ter attacked with great violence north
OF the Somme on Thursday and drove us
! out of Chipilly and of Of the ridge be-
tween that place and Morlancourt.
Friday noon the Allies reopened the
attack on a wider front and advanced
beyond Framerviler. which was our fur
thest east Thursday. North OF the
| SOmme tne bTltlsn ana american tIoopc
carried Morlancourt and the ridge at
Chlpilly.
! Movement Against Montdidier.
! The British right and the French left,
| advancing between the Chaulnes railway
and the Roye road. began to threaten
Chaulnes junction. But more important
was the entirely new movement begun
| by the French on the extreme right
against Montdidier. This movement had
been part OF our projected plan from the
first. Bonar Law spoke on Thursday
night of Montdidier as the right Of our
/ attack, although on Thursday there was
no fighting south OF Breaches. The Ger
mans were evidently deceived into think
| ing our object was to man9uvre them
ou, OF Montdidier by an attack toward
| Chaulnes junction.
| They were right. but that was only
half Of our plan. and they had not bar
gained for an extension OF our front
south OF Montdidier. BY Friday night
| the French had encircled the city from
the south and the British we're in Lihons
! On Saturday night the French en-
| tered Montddier and pushed forward
rapidly to the wooded country TO the
cast. They outmaneuvred the Germans,
Continued on Ftfth Pape.