The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1918-10-16
GERMANS Still Being
SHOWED BACK BY
ALLIED TROOPS
American and French Struggling
Valiently Forward in Drive
Northward for
Champagne
HUN FIGHTS DESPERATELY
Particularly Vicious Are Counter At
tacks Americans Are Sustain
ing Along the Meuse

The Entente froces in Belgium and
France continue successfully to drive
the enemy before them. In Belgian
FLANDERS the advance is somewhat
rapid but OF all the sectors in France
the Germans are fighting with dcs-
peration to hold back their foes.
The great wedge lhat is being
driven by the Belgians, British and
French troops in Flanders now threat
ems seriously the tenure by the enemy
of many positions in North Belgium
from the Lys river 20 the sea, includ-
ing his submarine and other bases
along the coast, while to the south the
Lille salient gradually is being
hnmeshed and doubtless soon will re-
ceivc attention from the pincers,
which are being oiled for the task of
retaining this important tract Of
territory as far as Valenciennes for
France.
Franco American Drive
Meanwhile the French and Ameri.
can forces are struggling valiantly
forward in their drive northward for
the Champagne region INTO the coun-
try ever which the Germans must eff
feet a retirement to their own border
in the event of final debacle
AS has been the case always since
the offensive began, the Germans are
vigorously defending their positions,
using innumerable machine gun de-
tachments in endeavors to hold their
ground. Particularly vicious are the
counter thruSts that the Americans
and west Of the Meuse. where the en-.
tire enemy front is threatened with
immediate collapse should Gen. Lig-
gett's men crash through the line for
D." material gains.
Nevertheless both the Americans
and the French are demanding that
their arms be served, and on various
sectors they are meeting with sue
cess. In the Romagne sector further
gains have been made by the Ameri-
cans in the face of terrific artillery
and machine gun fire and the national
defense and great systems Of wire en-
tanglements which are to be ncgo-
tiated. Bad weather mas fallen over
the sector and the airmen have been
unable to give their usual brilliant as
sistance to the manocuvers.
To the west the French are slowly
closing in upon Rethei on their way
to MeZieres, being only two miles dis
tant from the town. West Of Grand
Pre- they have effected further cross
ings of the Aisnc. about eight hun
area HermanS Wer mace prisoner III
this fighting.
Menin and Thour0ut Fall
In Flanders the British have taken
the important railway center of Men
in. Thourout has fallen and the Thou
rout- -Coutrai railroad has almost been
won. Numerous towns nave been re"
captured by the Allied forces and
large numbers Of prisoners have been
taken. Many guns also have fallen
into the hands of the Allies. The cap
ture of Thourout completely outflanks
the German submarine bsae at Ostend
and brings the Allied troops within
10 miles Of Bruges, whence the rail
road line runs northward to Zee
brugge, Germany's other U-boat base
on the North sea.
Reports are to the effect that the
Germans are withdrawing what is left
Of their forces in the north, both
naval and military.
In Albania the Italians have occu-
y pied the Austrian naval base Of Du-
razzo on the Adriatic, while in Serbia
the Allied forces are continuing to
press the enemy troops north of Nish
-W-S-S-