El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-09-30

PUSH FORWARD
Make Marked Advance In
Enemy's Lines, Break
ing Up Formations.
Continued from page II
lContlnued from Pc -

canal. REPORTS from the battle 'front.'
show They are progressing along
the Chemin des Danes, toward the
east. and the enemy is retreaunS ne
'----' BeiEisns Defeat Enemy.
Havre. France, sept 30.-The Bel.
gian and British armies defeated tle
] Germans sunday in heavy fighting on
the FLANDERS ridge and on the Mes
I sines-YT ytschaete position accorollls
/ to the official statement issued by the
I Belgian war office last night
The -yVytSehaete ridge
has been occupied and the Ger
mans have been defeated in ef-
forts 10 defend the approaches to
the river Lys-
British and BelEian troops on sat
urdav and Sunday took more than
more than 200 guns, some Of a heavy
] caliber. as Wen as very considerably
quantity Of other material.
/ King Alberts forces at dusk last
evening were attacking the Germans
at st. Pieler. on the Roulers- Menin
Z road. and at Coiliemolenholk, two
and q hale miles west OF Itoulers-
Progress Is LahOrOus-
] American Headquarters IN France,
sept So ter's)-Fighting along
! the new front northwest Of Verdun
] has settled down to the dreary husl-
reduced modern warfare. Progress IS
being measured by the laborious re-
/ duction Of small points which are
/ held by small groups Of men, unable
i TO paralyZe forces out OF all proper
/ tion TO their fighting value. From a
Z dramatic viewpoint. the greatest
I fighting has taken place in the Ar
\ come forest. where IL has resem bleo
q duel fought TO the finish in a dark
room
ArgOnne Is Dense Forest.
The density Of the forest is COM
! plicated by the strangeness Of the
h ground. which resembles nothing so
\ much as the backbone and ribs OF a
fiat fish with the ribs on one size
b shortened to half their length ana
4 the back bone running north and
l south. These ribs represent series OF
J ridges and ravines, which are almost
i perilously steep on the eastern SIDE
but less abrupt and longer 1urther
I west The rdTines IOi1OW each oLneE
in ceaseless cessation along the back
bone for about IS miles. To force
such a position would be sufficiently
difficult, Il il had been in the enemy
hands only a short time but mucn
Il Harder since he has been in posses
sion OF il for years.
Foe Has Strong Defences-
The enemy had built a series OF
. stone mansions beneath the hilsides
and constructed approaches OF stone
lined trenches. But even more form
: liable than the dugouts and trenches
/ is the wire, woven endlessly among
the trees Hundreds upon hundreds
OF miles OF wire have been struns
there since two years ago Througl
Il have grown weeds and grasses
] more than three feet high. making
the obstacle more serious by conceal
menL
Through such a country have
the Americans been fighting their
way. foot by foot. Dung in years.
5 young in experience and in de-
pressing darkness, where death
may be nmbushed behind any Of
the myriad trunks OF trees. and
where the rattle OF machine guns
, IS multiplied and magnified by
the forest into a deafening snari
CT thunder, every man knows how
small his chances are Of being
seen by friendly eyes II he should
faE.
Even when the indefatiguabl
stretcher bearers find him. the tasl
/ Of getting him out from these sur
roundings is one OF dauntlng magni
tude How the wounded are belnI
/ rescued, only their saviOurs know
Some Americans have actually peel
captured twice and each time hay
been retazen with their captors- IN
, Roadway the Americans have bee
4
Z I shock 10 the enemy. During SATURDAY,
I I men belonging 10 a reserve dtFislo
were captured after being rushed a
5 I top speed TO meet the expected attacH
/ Among other troops captured Wer
some from the guards division som
OF these had had a taste or America
I fighting capacity at Belleau wood an
., recently fought in Flanders
Enemy May Withdraw.
Not only was Saturdays tightin
- extremely cheering, but there wer
o / Indications Of considerable with
. drarals bv the enemy showing hi
/, intention TO shorten the line ho
. mague. where IL was expected IN
a Germans would stand. was reported =
4 flames Later, II became known tna
Z the enemy had evacuated Niilosne
e after having blown up the oullulnA
with mines The bridge across N
e 8Ieuse at that point has been de
Yanks Gain Objectives.
With American Forces SoutnWe l
OF St Quintin, sept Soy ass
cfated Press) .-American division
/ brilliantly attacked on a front OF set
- eraI miles. IN conjunction with U
n British, Sunday morning At nlsh'
Il fall. they were reported 70 nav
Il / gained their detectives only by she'
It might and after killing large number
lei Along the front between S
q Quentin and the sea, important gaiT
ii were made, and last night II SCENE
n that the German resistance va
- slsckened. British, Belgians ar
Americans had the Germans on Il
ego" all day. The situation contain
so many possibilities that anytnlI
nay happen at any moment
l. stiff Resistance Met
The resistance encountered by Il
~ American troops was as strong
o. ANYTHING offered by the Germans Il
y many weeks. The Americans, as We
- as the British, were held up at mar
=, places from time TO time by macnil
- gun fire In some places. this oppos
! tion was overcome by thanking oper'
o. tons and in others, quickly organic
storming parties rushed the eneu
and silenced him.
G One American unit is reported
- have passed through lie Catelet al
re have reached Gouy. Other uni
~ which stormed and captured NauT'
% have passed through lie Caoeret WOO
Many OF Foe Captured.
n Early in the forenoon. 80 Germi
n officers and 1000 Of other rank n
= reached the American collectil
camps, but this number included on
those captured during the ear
stages OF the attack.
It was o'clock Sunday mornn
IS when the Americans. with the Br
- ish on their left and right nan
~ [ showed off" from the HindenDu
~ outpost line. about 1000 yards west
= I the st Quentin canal. which was ca
~ I tured on Friday. After short era
- barrage. the infantry, preceded by
II | large number Of tanks, started a
nd { vancing through the haze. After ha
~