New-York tribune., 1918-08-26
Mangin's s Drive on
Oise Nets 300 Guns
And 1900 C. sptiues
(By The Associated Press

WITH THE FRENCH ARMY IN
FRANCE, Aug. 25.-The first phase of
the battle of the Asne and Disc has
the entire south bank of the Disc. west
/ of the Ailette, and also the Ailette
River from the Disc to Pont St Mard
At a point near whore the Ailette is
crossed by the road from Chauny to
Scissors, General Mangins men along
the Ailctte. and further south at
Crecy auM Mont, Pommers and Juvigny,
command this important road all the
way from Soissons to the Disc They
which, from the region of Coucy-l -le-
Chateau northward, runs nearly paral-
lei with that road.
The Germans are thus thrown back
upon the hilly forest region of Coucy
for communication between their
troops operating on the Disc above the
Allette and their troops on the Aisne
east of Sossons.
Both sides command the Disc with
their artillery. French scouts recon
noitering the stream have found it so
nests and by artillery behind in the
hills, all along from Noyon to Chauny,
that it will require considerable work
by the heavy artillery to deal with the
situation before q crossing IN force is
attempted
On the right bank of the Ailette the
Germans are resisting stoutly from a
strong position along the edge of the
T forest of Coucy. Small parties of
French have effected a crossing of the
stream, but no serious effort has yet
been made to establish position on
the opposite bank
\,
Mangin has won an incontestible and
substantial victor, of which there is
plenty of material evidence on the field,
besides $4,000 prisoners and 800 cannon
captured. He set out first to drive the
Germans from the plateaus of Andigni-
court, Nampoel and Carlepont by a
violent thrust northward, then bv a
quick facing about toward the east to
drive them off the heights west of the
Allette, thus clearing the south bank
of the Disc and lending support to the
third army's action in the hills of
Thiescourt
Flee in Scant Attire
The programme succeeded in every
form and SO rapidly that though the
enemy may say that he retired un-
hndered some Of his staff officers were
obliged to flee in scanty attire A
one of the exits of Il cavern at the top
OF Mount Choisy without boots or sus-
penders just as French soldiers ap-
.peared at the other entrance
Ihe correspondent, who later visited
that cavern, found in it other evidences
of the hasty departure of the German
divisional staff that had occupied it..
along with the generals boots and sus-
pcAders, there were several pairs of
costly tleld glasses, complete tele-
phone system and other booty.
In the piles Of arms and ammunition
that have been collected on and around
the height there are a considerable
number of bayonets with saw-tooth
blades.
If the Germans did not intend to re-
main south of the Oise they evidently
thought they could hold this position.
and they were driven out Of it pre-
cclpltately, though it was stoutly de-
Tended and proved to be a hard task
for General Mangin's army.
Enemy Doomed to Defeat
ne slopes are covered with brush
that hides the gullies and cavern en-
! frances, where machine gun nests in
ambush held up the division that was
engaged IN the attack from o'clock in
I me morning to in the evening. The
Germans were even preparing to spend
the night in their elaborately fitted
headquarters in the quarry at the top.
But after short artillery prepara-
ton the place was stormed and the
German staff had only just time to ret
away On officer who was taken pris,
oner said: "The French are making
war IN an entirely new fashion. 1t is
d great attack"
Rank and file prisoners without ex-
to defeat Most of these men we're in
machine gun sections that the new
German tactics sacrifice to protect the
retreat, and they expressed their re-