The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-28
AMERICANS WIN
4 MORE TOWNS
IN THE ARGONNE
CamerOn's Corps of New
Jersey, Ohio and Western
Troops Honor Men.
CAPTIVES NEAR 10000
Total Gain by Pershing's Men
Nine Miles, While French
Advance Five.

fARiS, sept. St.-Wltn increasing
vigOr the great armies of America
and France driving forward in the
Argonne, northwest of Verlun. and
| in Champagne, Immediately to the
left, penetrated to-day deeper into
the German defences in this region
and increased largely the bag of pris-
Oners, the taking of whom Is now
the main objective Of the Allies on
oil their fronts. At an early hour
to-day the number was placed at
more than 10000; it is believed that
1t is now more than 10000, as the
| French official report tonight states
that Gen. Gournud's poilus have cap
tured more than 10000 in the two
days, together with a great amount
of war material.
The total advance made by the
French Is about five miles on q front
Of twenty-one miles; that of the
Americans eight or nine miles on q
twenty mile front. 1t is estimated
that more than 100000 Americans
are concerned in the offensive, and
| while the French force Is not stated
it must be nearly If not quite as
large.
Banks of Py River Reached.
Arrival of the French infantry on
! the banks of the Py River marks the
successful termination of the first ,
! phase of the attack. The line now
runs almost directly west to east from
| south Of the Somme-Py to south OF
, the Cernay Woods. We hold the town
| Of Cernay.
The line thus indicated marks an ad-
vance over extraordinarily difficult
| ground covered with trenches and deep
barbed barriers. Early in the attack
few prisoners were taken. but the loss
| of the line of buttes cost the Germans
very heavily in killed and prisoners.
Berlin in it's official report admits
that the Germans were forced back
from their front fighting lines as
far back as Montblainville and the
| bend in the Meuse northeast of Mont
| faucon. 1t Is asserted that the lat
| tempt to break through failed on the
first day" but adds that fresh battles
are imminent. A report from the
Austrian War Office says that Austro-
Hungarian troops "are taking glori-
Gus part" in this fighting, or more
correctly in the German retreat.
The battle was resumed at 8 o'clock
| this morning. The German resistance
stifYened because the allied troops had
| reached his main line of resistance,
which was more densely held than
most of the positions taken yesterday.
| In addition it was thickly studded
with hidden machine gun posts.
Three More Defence Lines.
| In this region the reserve positions
| of the Germans are somewhat COM
plicated. The Americans have taken
what may be considered the, front line
but behind that are strong trenches
called the Hagen positions. Behind
these and again Joined up to them
by a good deal of wire and all sorts
of defensive works are the Volker po-
| sitions which connect a series or
strong places. All these must be
passed before the Kriemhilde positions
tho line on which the enemy has
placed his main reliance-can be
| reached.
The American front from Bannevoux
| to Eglise Fontaine now has broken
! through the Hagen position and the
| Folker position, which we're the enemy's
subsidiary defences behind the Hinden-
burg line and between Nantillois and
Mont Blainville the Americans are less
than a mile from the head OF the en-
emy's three standard gauge railroads.
| Miles of Railway Taken.
! On the ground of the advance the
| Americans captured scores OF miles OF
| light gauge railway. 1t will be inter-
esting to see what sort OF stand the
enemy will make to cover his rail-
heads or whether he will withdraw
| behind the much talked of Kriemhild
position, some little way beyond them.
BY their failure to check the American
| advance the guns of the Germans seem
not yet to have reached settled positions.
| Early this morning the starlit sky
was Illuminated for miles by the ex-
plosion OF ammunition dumps Of the en-
emy who also In reported to be blow
ing up works and bridges indicating In
tentiohs Of a further retreat
| In getting his guns back to new po-
sitions the enemy will have the advan-
tage of sounder ground, for the whole
region around Verdun has been smashed
by the years OF shellins and Is In an
indescribable torn up condition.
The enemy's morale seems better than