The Robesonian., 1918-09-12
VOL. IXL
IMPORTANT GROUND GAINED

IMPORTANT GROUND GAINED
Daring and successful Attack by
Americans and French in Lorraine
British Also Are Making Gains
There Was Pause in the Allied
Offensive Yesterday. =
Latest reports from the front tell
of q daring attack made by the Amer
cans and French in the St. Mihiel
sector in Lorraine in which important
ground was gained. The report says
that the British are also making i'm
Dortant gains i'm the northern sector
If the battlefront. Reports coming
in today look much better than those
If yesterday.
The Associated Press gave this
,aorning the following summary OF
he war news:
Eight weeks to the day and for The
first time the great allied offensive of
Marshal Foch is at virtual pause.
True, both the British and French
on isolated sectors on the front ex-
lending from Flanders to the east o.
SCISSORS again have recorded ad.
vances, but Wednesday witnessed no
such progress by the Allies toward
strategic detectives as past days has
brought them-before the torrential
rains turned the lowlands into i'm
passable marshes and the badly worst
ed enemy rushed large renforcements
forward to stop the gaps through
which the British, French and Ameri-
can armies were threatening to filter
and wreck his entire military situa-
tion.
During the eight weeks that have
elapsed, the allied troops have cleared
almost in it's entirety the enemy-held
territory from the Marne to the Aisne
in the great triangle which had Chat
eau-Thierry at its apex and SCISSORS
and Rheims respectively it's western
and eastern anchor points. From
scissors to Arras, the old bulge west
ward to Montdider and toward the
doorstep of Amiens has all but been
oblterated and the Allies now are
standing across large portion Of the
the old Hindenburg defense line and
virtually are upon the remainder Of it
while to the north in Flanders, the
deep salients which threatened the
English channel ports have bent east
ward and the enemy is expelled from
the vantage points from which he had
expected ultimately to make his drive
i nan endeavor to gain the seaboard
and thus cause a diversion of the
transport service from England to
southern France.
Until the rains began falling there
has been no letup in the allied often
sive, Notwithstanding the fact that the
German high command had stifened
it's resistance everywhere. discarding
ipfsntry units as such, and training
them into machine gun companies and
bringing up large numbers of guns
Of all cs.libres to hold the aggressors
back. Wherefore it is not improbable
that Fcch, when the skies have clear
ed and the marshes disappeared again
will take up with full impetus his
task of putting the enemy on hismet-
tie, and continue for the two months
of good fighting weather remaining
if not beyond that period, his efforts
with his own now great forces to drive
the Germans farther back toward the
Rhine
The British and French troops ap.
parently are in a hard race for the
prize of st. Quentin, forces of botl
armies now being at equi-dlstan1
points west of the city, the British Il
the vicinity of Vermand and Frence
at EtrillerS and Coupy.
To the north the British, in loca
orerat. ons, have made further prog
ress north of Epehy in the operation
which has for it's purpose the driving
Cf a wedge midway between Cambria
and St. Quentin and also has success
fully sustained heavy counter attacks
by the Germans near GrouZescourl
where the Germans are trying hard tt
hold back the British push towarc
Cambria.
North of the St. Gobain massif the
French have made additional sligh
advances. Notwithstanding the bat
condition OF the terrain and the stront
forces of the enemy aligned agalns
them in an ecort to prevent the turn
ing Of this important position iron
the west. Heavy artillery activity Ii
in progress all along this front ant
likewise on the sector northeast o.
scissors and between the Aisne ant
Veale. rivers, the operations on which
have direct bearing On those Of th'
st. Gobain forest
In Flanders the British have beer
successful in local encounters neal
Armentieres and in the region of Ii
Rassee canal.