The Washington herald., 1918-09-05
Cross River Be-
tween Bazoches and Fis-
mes on Smile Front.
ADVANCE PROGRESSING
Our Troops Push Onward
Despite Resistance; Yanks
in Big Fight.
BULLETIN.

BULLETIN.
The following official COM :
munique from Gen. Pershing,
covering Wednesdays opera
tons, was made public by the
War Department early this
morning:
Section A-Yielding to the
continued pressure of the al
lied forces, the enemy is in
retreat north of the Vesle.
Our troops, in close pursuit,
have taken Bazoches, Perles,
Fismette and Baflieux, cap
turing prisoners and machine
guns. They have reached the
line Bauxcere- Blanzy lie
Grand -Hameaux. In the Vos-
ges a hostile raiding party
was repulsed, leaving prison.
ers in our hands.
Yesterday (Tuesday) our
aviators successfully bombed
the railroad yards at Longu-
yon, Dommary, Daroneourt
and Conflans.
With the American Army on
the Aisne-Vesle Front, Sept A.
Light forces of Americans have
crossed the Vesle River between
Bazoches and the east of Fismes
"a front of some three miles) en-
countering German rear guards
of a screen of machine
gunners.
Our advance is progressing.
With the Americans North OF
Scissors, Sept. 4.-American troops
have been used four times in ma
jor operations on the West front
and each time they were placed
at points in the line nearest to
Paris which, as is now known, was
always Ludendorff's goal in his
offensives this year.
In May, after the Germans had
tried to split the French and Brit
ish armies asunder, Americans
were entrusted with the task OF
storming Cantigny and wiping out
the salient there which marked
practically the nearest German
step toward Paris.
In June, when the German
crown prince had rushed Chateau
Thierry, Americans were thrown
in astride the main Paris highway
at Belleau Wood.
In July when Foch began his
great counter offensive, Ameri-
cans were used northeast of Vii
lers Cotterets, where the German
menace to the French capital was
grave indeed.
Americans Used for Blow.
Finally, when Mangin struck north
of the Aisne. Americans were placed
in the storming line to carry Juvigny
Plateau, where the Germans had the
nearest striking points toward Paris.
Veteran French office.s' regard tho
Juvigny fighting as the most desperate
of the whole war. Those who have
viewed the battlefield assert the num-
Der of German dead exceeds that of
the first Marne battle, as we'll as the
German losses at Verdun. This is
due chiefly to the accuracy of the
American artillery and machine gun
fire and to the efficiency of the French
tanks.
The stubbornness of the fighting
was due to Ludendorff's appreciation
of the value of this terrain, which un-
locks the western end Of the Chemin
des Danes and the key to Laon. the
principal railroad and highway center
behind the German armies on the
southern part of their Western front
Ludendorff ordered Gen. Won Carl
owitz to defend the Juvigny posi-
ton to the last man, placing the best
divisions at his disposal as rein
forcements.
These reinforcements were slow
" but surely fed to the corps under
Gems. Won Stein, Won Hoffman, and
Won Staab, between the Aisne and
the Ailette. and were gradually con-
sumed in the furnace OF our bonn
bardment.
Cornerstone Position.
A, captured German army order de-
scribes the Juvigny Plateau as the
cornerstone position of the West
front, exactly as Fort Douaumont had
been described on February 16, 1913
when the Crown Princes Brandeburg-
ers captured the citadel
Curiously, it, was Mangin who re-
captured Douaumont in 1916 and it is
his troops, with the Americans incor.
porated in his army that now has re-
captured the new German keystone .
Enemy military critics writing priol
TO our successes agreed as to the I'm
portance of the Juyigny Plateau ane
eoNuNuED ON PAGB xnEx