The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-10-14
Ran Generally From
Confines to North.
British Press on Both Sides Of
Douaf Today.
PRISONERS NUMBER 461, 200
French Are Within Four Miles
of Guise, to South.
In Champagne, BerthelOt Near
RetheI-VOuzieres Taken.

hetuel. vOuZlereS ldkcns
With the Allied Armies in Flanders,
Oct. 14.-British, Belgian and French
forces attacked at dawn this morning
on wide front in Flanders. The ai-
lied troops are driving in the general
direction of Ghent and Courtrai.
The attack seems to be generally
from Confines to the northward. The
troops of the three nations went over
the top with crash" bombardment
only There was no preliminary bonn
bardment. 1t undoubtedly tactically
surprised the enemy.
In the British formations were some
of Great Britain's best troops and the
forces of the French were of famous
fighting organizations. The Germans
appear perhaps best prepared to retire
to the Client line. By the fury with
which the attack was launched 1t is
evident that the fighting armies are
not paying the slightest attention to
the peace talk" They smashed for
ward with all the dash characterizing
the recent operations.
The blow in Flanders may prove to
be Marshal Foch's master stroke. is
the allied progress is continued the
Germans thruout a wide stretch of
territory, taking in the most important
part of the Belgian coast, including
possibly the important German SUBJ
marine bases as well as the forces in
the entire Lille salient, either will have
to get out or face a second Sedan.
(By tie Associated Pressl
German forces have abandoned
Laon and the whole st. Gobain re-
gion. The French, after reoccupying
Laon, have pressed on until their line
now runs from the Disc river above
La Fere to the eastern end of Chemin
des Danes.
When the Germans began to fail
back out of the bag into which they
were being slowly caught by the rapid
advance of the allies on each side, they
went with such speed that the change
in the battle line in that section of
the front during a few hours was
astonishing. Not until the French
reached the Laon-La Fere railroad did
they encounter any real resistance.
Italian troops participated in the ad-
vance and are now engaged on the
hills north of the Ailette river At this
particular point the German lines have
been pressed back or have been with
drawn SO that a sharp angle has been
created.
With the exception of the area
north of Douai there appears to have
been a slowing down of the allied ad-
vance during the past couple of days.
At point have the British and
Americans swept ahead as they did on
Thursday and Friday last week.
Reach Hunding Line.
This may indicate that the Germans
have reached what is known as the
Hunding. or Brunhild. line. This posi-
ton which Is much less formidable SO
far as known than the Eindenburg
system, is still strong enough to re-
strict pursuit by the allies. and per-
haps hold for some time.
The Hupding line runs from
Antwerp to Client and thence to
Journal, Conde, Valenciennes, So
lesnes, Guise. Rethel, Vouzieres. Dun
Sur-Meuse, and then down the base
of the st. Mihiel salient to the Mo-
selle, where it joins the old front run
ming thru Lorraine and the Vosges to
the Swiss frontier. French and Brit
ish forces have virtually reached thix
line east of Cambria and ST. Quentin.
British units reported at Solesmes.
while the French further south, are
within four miles of Guise.
Berthelot Near RetheI.
On the Champagne front. General
BertheIot is less than five miles from
Rethel, while, further east. General
Gouraud has taken VouZieres, but has
not penetrated much north of that
place. Americans fighting in the Ar.
gonne region are thru the Kriemhilde
line, but their progress there Is very
slow.
Study of the tactics followed by the
Germans during the past week has
shown that they are following the
methods of retreat used in the Marne
and Somme salients in July and Au-
gust. They have held their fanka
fairly secure and have withdrawn their
center. They have thus. apparently
escaped disaster around Laon, where
military experts have said the Ger
mans had delayed their retirement too
long for their own safety.
Advance on Coast.
With the Allied Armies in Flanders
Oct. 14.-Reports from the advanced
positions this morning indicated that
the three groups of allied troops were
making excellent progress in the Bel
gian coast salient from which the Ger.
mans have been precipitately remov.
ing war material for two weeks.
Every foot of ground gained here
also deepens the Lille salient and sue
cess means that the enemy will be
obliged to eyacuate the region to the
south as well as to the north of the
front attacked. The attack would have
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