The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1918-10-29
BOUND FOR HOME;
HUNSLEAVING FRANCE
GERMAN ARMIES BEING WITH
DRAWN. SHELLS OF ALLIES
HASTEN DEPARTURE.

PARIS, France.-Overcoming all
the desperate attempts at German
opposition and disregarding weather
conditions, which have changed for
the worse, the allied armies continue
to drive the enemy from Belgium
and northern France.
Belgians, British and French troops
have reclaimed more than one-quar-
ter of Belgium's soil from the in
vaders, and King Albert, after four
years exile from his country, soon
will be reoccupying his palace in
Brussels. British, French and Ameri-
cans are making nearly as rapid
progress in clearing the occupied dis
tricts of northern France, and it is
predicted that, in less than a month,
the Germans will have completely
left French soil
Already more than 100000 Bel
gian and French old men, women and
children have been rescued from
German oppression.
Retreat Not Rout.
The great German retreat, while
it now has continued for three
months, is being conducted in an or
derby manner. There is little doubt
in Paris and London but that Hin
denburg is retiring to the line of the
Meuse river defenses, but he is con-
Quoting the retirement with the
greatest skill, and it is hardly prob
able that any large body of Germans
will be cut off and compelled to sur
render, or that the German line will
be broken.
Fifteen thousand of the kaiser's
troops were cut off in the northeast
ern section of the Belgian coast by
the rapid advance of French cavalry
on Client, farther south, but these
men escaped the allied prison cages
by marching across the border of Hol-
land and being interned by Dutch Of
ficials.
The fighting accompanying the
German retreat is as fierce as any
thing that has been chronicled during
the war. They are offering the strong
est kind of rear guard resistance, and
the allied troops, as they advance,
are compelled to fight for every mile
of ground. But the battle, as far as
the Germans are concerned, is a
hopeless one. The Germans are de-
termined to make the allies pay as
dearly as possible for the territory
given up.
Hindenburg's Tremendous Losses.
The German losses in killed and
wounded, as the result of this policy,
have been very heavy, and the allies
also are bagging from five to ten
thousand prisoners a day. Since Mar
shall FOch began his attack, on July
IS, the allies have taken more than
325, 200 German prisoners and $500
German cannon, this number being
perhaps 25 per cent. Of the German
artillery strength. The enemy, too, is
running desperately short of artillery
ammunition, and this has made the
work of the machine gun and infan-
try divisions opposing the allied adj
vance so much more costly.
In addition to the prisoners cap
tured in northern France the allies
also have $4,000 Bulgarian troops in
prison cages in Macedonia, while in
Palestine the British captures in
Gen. Allenby's drive number nearly
$4,000. Thus the total number of
prisoners taken by the allies during
the last three months is very near
the half million mark.
Retaining Territory Rapidly.
Territory in Belgium and northern
France is being reclaimed at the rate
of nearly a hundred square miles a
day, and villages, towns and cities by
the score.