Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-07-22

! the Germans viii finally have to
/ the Germans viii finally have to
withdraw to line from Reims to
scissors, or along the Nesle, are be
I coming brighter. Only one small
/ piece of railroad still is in use by
| the enemy and this sector has no
| connection with the main German
| bases to the north. The enemy
troops are reported to have small
/ supplies of food and ammunition
and no adequate means of getting
more.
In the past "a hours, most pro-
sgress has been made in the Chateau
/ Thierry sector and the enemy has
been driven back there about five
! miles eastward from Belleau and
three miles northward from the
Marine at Chateau Thierry. Both
/ the French and Americans have
made notable progress in this reg
! ion since the occupation of Chateau
Thierry Sunday morning.
VIII Soon Clear Marine.
From the Ourcq to the Marine, the
allied line now runs through La
Croix, Grisolles. Epieds 10 Mont St.
| Pere on the Marine, where the
French have crossed the river. The
allied advance apparently is to-
ward -Tardenois, which is
under heavy artillery bombardment
and if it continues as it has begun
will soon see the Marine again clear
ed of the enemy The Germans now
hold but a small portion of the
Eorth bank east of Charteves.
SnnDrhnad iG hninU drIV-
en- toward Fere-E n-Tardenois
row are within a mile of Oulchy-
Le-Chateau, the largest point west
of Fere. Between the Ourcq and
the Aisne, the allied advance has
been less rapid, but the Scissors
Chateau Thierry road, except for
small sections here and there, is
entirely within the allied lines.
scissors still holds out but the
French seemingly are content to
dominate it with their guns and
thereby render the city useless as
a base while saving themselves the
danger of a flank attack which
might arise if they held the city.
Allies Gain Mile Near Reims.
Next to the advance around Cha
teau Thierry, the most notable de-
Velopment has been the forward
thrust by French, Italian and Brit
ish troops southwest of Reims. On
a front of six miles, an average
advance of about one mile has been
made. the villages Of BOuilly and
ST Euphraise and the Reims and
Courton woods being cleared of the
Germans. The allies are meeting
with strong resistance and the en-
envy is reported fighting hard to
hold the thrust in check as it is a
serious threat to the German troops
between the Ardre and the Marine.
Yankees Gain Over Mile.
Since the Germans have Esen
ousted from Chateau Thierry, the
most interesting events of the battle
are south of scissors, where the
Americans are reported to have ad-
vanced a mile and a quarter the
Ourcq valley where the allies are
pounding their way toward Nan
teuil-Notre Dame and southwest of
Reims, where there seems to be an
indication that the allies have mi
tiated a new drive for the purpose
of outf1anking the Germans between
MorfauX and Chatillon.
If this last moment develops, the
allies nut cracker" will be in full
motion. Between the known allied
front south of scissors to the town
of Bouilly, southwest Of Reims,
there is a gap of "a miles. If the
French, Italian and British troops
southwest of Reims make an ad-
vance of any Importance, the posi-
ton of the Germans further south
will be made even more critical
than it is known to be at present
FOch Draws Trap Tighter.
There appears to be at least two,
and possibly three enveloping
operations along the western side
of the salient south of scissors. The
first of these, evidenced by the
breaking through of the allies
northwest of Chateau Thierry on
Sunday morning, had immediate re-
suits in forcing the Germans back
from the extreme tip of the salient.
The second envelOping movement is
proceeding up the Ourcq valley and
at last accounts was very near
Chy-Le-Chateau. The third is
the advance of the allies south of
Scissors. Thus Foch has pro-
jected tentacles eastward to catch
the Germans retreating from the
Marine If another claw is thrust
out from the ReimS salient, the
situation will become much more
perilous for the enemy.