Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-01
FRENCH BEGIN A
FLANK MOVEMENT


Continued from First Page
OF the line. between Seringes and
Cierges, this really is secondary to
tne outflanking of the Germans to
the southwark. The enemy is hold
ing very strong positions at Ron
cheres and st. Gemme. where his
line still is less than five miles from
the Marne, and a continued advance
between Nesles and Cierges would
force him to fall back to escape
tefng cut off from the rear.
With the American Army on the
Aine-Marne Front. Aug 1.-The Fran
co-American forces on the main battle
front continued yesterday the pro-
cess of Strengthening out the line.
They scored advances in this effort,
the Americans pushing beyond Sergy
to within two kilometers of Chamery.
American and French troops
launched an attack Wednesday after
noon from Seringes to Cierges, on
the center of the Marine front, for
the purpose of Strengthening the line
and demolishing the barbed wire en-
tanglements which the Germans have
placed through to the hills, forests
and open places.
The Germans Wednesday used
new gas having a white flame and
smoke.
The allied forces effected their pro-
gress against stubborn German re-
sistance.
Chamery, the town the Americans
now are approaching marks the spot
where Lieutenant Quentin Roosevelt
fell to his death recently with his
| airplane.
Af hn oVaH
French attack which is in a north
easterly direction probably is for the
purpose of outfianking the Meuniere
| wood and in cutting off the blunt
| edged salient in the line between
, Romingny and Cierges. This salient
was made more acute by the Ameri-
| can advance north from Cierges to
| Seringes.
Wire Torn Down
The allies brought into action
J their heavy artillery, their aviators
and patrols having reported mileaft-
er mile of barbed wire standing
along the German lines. The heavy
| guns soon found the range of the en-
/ itanglements. Some enemy infantry
| had dug in behind the wires, but the
| lines for the most part were manned
| by machine gunners.
The German artillery reply con-
sisted chiefly of shells from the IT'S
and 105's The machine guns with the
| heavier pieces indicated were active
| in an effort to prevent an allied ad-
vance.
J new phase in the bitter fighting
in the Aispe- Marne salient is immi-
| nent. On both sides the infantry
| rests while the respective commands
- a.,
| the great struggle in which there has
been no letup since July Is.
Allied gunners are hurting shells
| of all calibers into the German po-
sitions and in the communication
area northward to the Vesle to blast
, a path for the infantry when they
move again. The enemy is retaliat-
| ing with high explosive and gas
shells.
Future Not Clear
| What the lull portends is not clear
The possibilities are many. But the
fact stands out that the Germans are
not anxious to meet the hard-hittinG
| allies oftener than is necessary FOR
they have not taken the opportunity
| to counterattack and attempt to re-
take important positions on the cen
ter, held by the Americans, and
on the west flank in the hands of the
French and British. This may bear
out the opinion in some allied quar-
ters that the Germans fully intend 10
| retire to the Vesle, or beyond, as
soon as their plans have been per-
fected and that the enemy efforts
of the past three or four days have
been wholly for the purpose of COW
ering important movements.
AS long as they remain south of a
1annro11xr hot
Rheims and Scissors the Germans
are subject to violent bombardment:
from the allied guns which can de.
moraliZe their communication system
more or less. However, the bulge
in the salient has been lessened anC
the Germans are on higher ground
than form merly. But at two vita
poInts-Seringes and north of Crane
Rozoy-there are deep intentions II
the German lines. These points Offer
good jumping off, places for the
Americans and the French wher
they again are ready to move for
ward.
Many Prisoners Taken
A brief calm in the infantry fight.
ing last week was broken by Genera
Foch launching an attack across the
Marne east of Dormans and this hac
a good effect on the situation to the
west, where the Germans subsc
quently were forced out of the re-
gion of Fere-en- -Tardenois. Ther,
are no indications, either official oil
unofficial, however, that any sucf
Dlan now is under way.
On the whole the most signifi
cant straw seems to be the failure
of the Germans to attack when they
relaxed momentarily.
Berlin while reporting the repulsC
of allied, and especially American
efforts Tuesday on the Marne bat
tlefield. admits the loss of Merris tc
the British. The German war office
claims that the prisoners captured
in the fighting since July Is now ag.
gregate $4,000. The latest unoffi.
ciaI total of Germans taken by thi
allies was 10000.
German Cities Bombed
The opening of the fifth year of the
great war finds other sectors ant
other fronts-in France, Italy anC
acedonia-relatively quiet. There
have been artillery actions here and
there, but except Off the repulse of g
German raid in the Montdidier area
the infantry is inactive.
Unofficial reports received in Pari.
are to the effect that the German
command has attempted to with.
draw more troops from the eastern
front The German commander ir
Rumania is said to have declared II
would be unsafe" to take troop,
from that region at present
British aviators again have bomb.
ed the Rhine cities of Stuttgart and
Coblenz. A fire was started at Stutt,
| IL