Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1918-10-09
HUNS ABANDON
ALL IN GREATEST
RETREAT OF WAR
Germans Are in Wild Flight From
Lens to the North
Sea.
HUGE VICTORY IS ASSURED
Lille Is Being Evacuated, Cambria and
Il. Quentin Are in Flames as the
Allies Hold Hindenburg Line
Retirement General.

--hettrement General.
London, oct Binder the terrific
blows of the French, English and
American forces the German armies IN
France and Belgium have been driven
into the greatest retreat in all history.
|, The evacuation of Belgium is under
way
From Lens TO the North sea German
armies have turned their back to the
channel ports and are marching home.
The great French city of Lille.
which the Germans have held for four
years, is being abandoned.
Cambria has been left in flames and
ruins to the victorious French.
General Deberey's troops have
swept through st. Quentin and are
pursuing the fleeing foe in the open
country beyond.
The great Hindenburg line between
Cambria and St Quentin is inhabited
by French, English and American
troops.
Along the Belgian coast British war
ships are Smelling the Germans out of
Ostend and Zeebrugge, their U-boat
bases. Huge fires are seen along the
coast.
Haig Tells of Pursuit.
The official reports announce new
British successes south of La Bassee
canal.
Field Marshal Haig reports the Ger
mans in retreat along a wide front,
with British troops in close pursuit
Another wide retreat has been
forced upon the enemy north of
Reims. Between the Vesle and the
Aisne the Germans have been driven
back TO the line of the AisneMarne
canal. Desperate fighting is in prog
ress.
The fighting on the northern end of
the flaming front is fraught with the
greatest possibilities.
Despite increased resistance on the
part of the Germans, the allied envel-
oping movement against Lille, Roub-
ak and Turcoing was greatly acceler-
ated.
Dispatches revealed that General De
Goutte, without a French RAINY, has
joined King Albert's men and the
British Second army in the big drive.
General De GOutte recently command
ed the left wing of General Mangin'S
French Tenth army, along the River
Aisne.
The French and Bulgarians made
at,I,I rlT.x1.a
and Roulers. The British captured
Ledghem, on the Roulers-Menin road,
and further south crossed the Lys be-
tween Wervicq and Confines.
The Germans are fighting with des-
peration and the knowledge that a fur
Their advance by the allies of five miles
will make Ostend untepable and jeo-
pardize the entire coastal flank.
Armentieres Doomed.
Armentieres seems doomed. The
British today took LeBisbet, hamlet
just north of the city.
The Ostend railroad passing through
Roulers and Thorout to Courtrai, is
under bombardment over its entire
length, and this valuable line of COM
munication has been rendered useless
to the enemy.
Further, the Belgians are now astride
the Roulers-Menin road along a con-
siderable stretch. Heavy rains are in
terfering with operations, and at places
the allies have advanced through lit
eral seas of mud.
The Germans only alternative to a
flight back, at least to the Belgian
fortress line, is an eleventh-hour CON
centration of their main forces at one
or the other vital sectors of the col
lapsing front, and there try to halt
the allied tide and throw it back.
Such a dramatic maneuver, however,
would entail the risk of allowing large
allied forces to pour through the front
or fronts left open. and to get into the
German rear where the main battle is
to be fought.
Down in the Argonne sector between
the forest and the Mouse the Germans
have shown sudden signs of reaction
A fierce battle has been raging since
early morning, the Germans counter
attacking violently. The Americans
all reports agree, are fully holding
their own, though for strategic reasons
they abandoned Exermont, five miles
north of Varennes.
Bitter Fight in Woods.
In the wooded valley of the Aisne
east of Liry and northeast of Boucon-
Vile, which had been transformed into
a series of centers of resistance. a very
hard struggle took place, ending in the
occupation of the most important posi-
tons by General Gouraud's men, who
at the same time took great amount
of booty.
The fighting extended farther east,
where the Germans had flooded the
region north of Challeranges. Here
the French troops. advancing with the
same intrepidlty as they have shown
throughout this battle. tocS he farm
of .Toyeux md the railroad station at
Autry. Condo Les Autry. Forth of Bin
arvi.ie. also fell into the hands of the
ErCuch .ffpr sharD lighting.