Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1918-10-11
HUNS, HARRIED
BY ALLIED ARMS,
RACE HOMEWARD
Distance Separating Invaders
of France From Rhine Line
Diminished Greatly by
Two Days' Running.
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
The men of the once formidable
German armies holding the linden.
burg line from north of Cambria tc
St. Quentin are facing eastward, de.
ieated and in retreat.
Their backs are the targets for
the British, Americans and French
troops who bitterly fought them
step by step, out of supposedly I'M
pregnable defenses and now are har-
rying them across the open country
toward the German border. No
where is the enemy attempting a
stand in force.
True, the German border is yet a
long distance away. but the past two
days of chase have materially de-
creased the width of the area sep
arating the invaders from their own
Rhine line.
Infantry Pressing Forward.
lie Cateau, the important junction
point Il miles southeast of Cam
brai, represented Thursday night the
point of deepest penetration by the
allied troops. The British were the
masters OF it.
All along the front, however, the
British, American and French have
been steadily pressing forward their
infantry forces, taking numerous
towns and villages, while far in ad-
vance of them the hoof beats Of the
cavalry horses intermingled with the
roar of the whippet tanks and the
staccato barking of the machine
guns inside the moving forts.
So fast has been the retreat OF the
enemy that at various points the al
lied forces afoot lost contact with
him.
The retreat, which is over a front
of about IS miles, from the south Of
Douai to the region east Of St. Quen-
tin, has left in the hands of the
allies, in addition to the towns taken,
valuable lines Of communication and
strategic positions of high import
ance and driven in a wedge that
seemingly will force the Germans
everywhere from the North Sea to
the vicinity of Verdun to fall back.
Southeast of Douai, one of the re-
naming strong points in the Ger
man line in the north, the British
are standing in Etrun, II miles
southwest of Valenciennes, the
pivotal point in the enemy's known
next defense line and 10 miles to the
south of the city is outhanked at
Solesmes.
Forming Huge Sack.
Meantime the French and Ameri-
can armies on that part of the line
running from northwest of Rheims
to the Mouse river are still press
ing forward in the converging move
ment with the armies in the west and
gradually are forming the entire war
theater into a huge sack.
The Americans continue slowly to
advance up the eastern side Of the
Meuse, while west of the river, in
conjunction with the operations of
the French, they have all but OBJ
liberated the great Argonne forest as
an enemy defense position.
To the west of the forest in the
Aisne valley and still farther west
ward the French also have made
further gains.
Throughout this entire region the
Germans still are offering stubborn
resistance mainly with machine
guns, realizing the importance OF
holding back their foes while their
armies in Belgium and farther south
make good their Iretrograde move
ment.
Serbians Nearing Nish.
Both in the Macedonian theater
and in Palestine the allied forces are
pressing the enemy hard. Albania
is fast being cleared of the Austro-
Hungarian troops, while in Serbia
the enemy is nearing Nish. At last
account General Allenby was still
driving the Ottoman troops north
ward in Palestine.
So lightning-like are the maneuv-
ers of allied armies on the various
battle fronts-from the North Sea
to Verdun, in Macedonia and in Pal
estine-that except to the war ex-
pert with his military maps constant
iy before him, it is almost impos-
sible to visualize the situation and
realize the swift strides the allies
are making in defeating the common
enemy. In France and Belgium in
three weeks five important cities
which have been in German hands
for four years have been recaptured.
Dixmude, Armentieres, Lens, Cam
brai and St. Quentin are now in
allied hands, while Lille, Douai and
Valenciennes seemingly are all but
captured. Serbia shortly is be fully
reclaimed, and the Turks soon will
kno,y the Hafy land No more