Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-08-02
T0day's War.
Summary
(By The Associated Press)

WATERING their path through strong
German defenses Allied troops have
made substantial gains on either side
of Fere-en-Tardenois. Fierce fighting
continues on both sectors with the
enemy being forced back steadily.
Taking advantage of the two sail
ents driven into the German lines,
General Foch launched heavy attacks
and their results already have proved
the value Of the positions. West of
Fere the salient has been widened
while east and southeast the Germans
In the small pocket between Sergy
and Romigny are in a fair way tt be-
ing cut off completely.
Combats of the greatest intensity
marked the Allied forward movement
Thursday and Thursday evening. The
age to the full and had protected
their positions with plenty of barbed
wire and hundreds of machine guns.
Several hundred prisoners were
captured by the French, British and
Americans, bringing the total for the
second Marine battle to over $4,000.
Between July Is and July 80, 33,400
Germans were captured by the Allies,
besides many guns, great numbers of
machine guns and large quantities of
material of all kinds.
Surging forward between the Ourcq
and Plessier Huleu west of Fere, Brit
ish and French troops captured Cra-
moiselle and Cramaille and important
heights and are approaching the hills
around the head waters of the Crise.
From their new positions the Franco
British forces outflank the German
line northward to Scissors, which has
been virtually unchanged since the
first days of the Allied counter Often
sive. They also threaten the strong
enemy position in the woods north OF
Fere.
At Cramaille the Allies are within
seven miles of Bazoches, one of the
two German bases along the Vesle
the other being Fismes. It is reported
unoficially that the Germans have
begun a retreat from Launoy, two
miles north Of Grand Rozoy.
East and southeast of Fere, Ameri-
can and French troops carried the
burden Of the day as successfully as
their comrades to the west. Here the
salient driven in earlor in the week
by the Americans IA utilized as the
starting point of a further advance.
This, with the French blow OH the
eastern flank which resulted in the
capture of Romigny, places the Ger
mans in the v shaped pocket south
west of Ville-en-Tardenois in the
most difficult position from which they
will nave trouble escaping.
The Americans, in desperate hand
to-hand fighting in which the enemy
only gave Nup a position when he was
overwhelmed by sheer force, advanced
northeastward from Sergy almost to
Cambry and eastward from Sergy to
49, NE1,,o:@-o r,~&I th@ o@rfI4e4 ~
of, which they occupied. French
troops gained Cierges, west Of Meu-
Mere wood, and pressed on. complet-
ing the capture of the entire wood.
A line drawn eastward from Cra-
maille held by the French, leaves St
Gemme the apex of the V salient east
of Fere, six miles to the south. Thus
the Germans would have to retire a
minimum of six miles to place their
line east Of Fere on a horizontal with
that to the west.
prince has resolved to hold his present
line at all costs and to go northward
to the line Of the Vesle only before
Allied pressure. Reports from the
battle zone say the Germans are fight
ing to the bitter end and seldom retire.
notwithstanding this resistance and
the evident intention to fight rather
than to withdraw. the Allies continue
to progress in the center Of the pock-5
ct. General Foch's policy seems to
be to hammer hard at vulnerable
points and thus ease the way for
gains on adjacent sectors. These tao
tics brought worthwhile gains Thurs.
day and appear likely to provide more.
Only the artillery 10 active else
Where on the western front. the Ger,
mans seemingly paying all their att
tention to the Marine battlefield. The
aerial fghting on the British front has
been heavy for the past few days. gem.