The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1918-07-30
ENEMY SPEEDS
WITHDRAWAL
RITTER FIGHTING OCCURS IN
RAVINES AND WOODS BE-
TWEEN CONTENDING FOES.
IS ESTIMATED THAT 10000
GERMANS HAVE BEEN CAPTURED
Allied Counter Offensive Goes ON
Successfully and Town After Town
Is Being Wrested From the Enemy.
Cutting Into German Lines.


The second battle of the Marine be-
gan lust fortnight ago. 1t is not
vet ended, but the only question at
issue is the size of the allied victory
On this same battlefield in Septem-
Der, 1914, the French fought and
won the first battle of the Marine,
saving Paris from the enemy and
changing the aspect of the war from
one of motion to one of entrenched
positions. Today, in these same fields
and woods and cities, still showing
their scars of 1914, the French and
Americans, with the aid of small
British and Italian forces, are put
ting the finishing touches on an
equally epic struggle. The first bat
tie of the Marine prevented a German
victory in the war; the second bat
tie of the Marine makes certain a
German defeat
CHANGED TO DEFENSIVE.
The much-heralded German drive
of 1918, with all its victories" and
its acquisitions of territory, is now
at an end Berlin, by summer and
autumn of sledge-hammer blows, ex-
pected to beat France and Great
Britain to their knees and to dictate
victorious peace before the spring
of 1919. Yet by the middle of July
the offensive power of the Germans
had been completely broken and the
initiative had passed to the allies.
There may be other German drives
this summer, but none of the size
and scope that has marked Luden-
dorff's strategy since the twenty-frst
of March. In fact, they will be moth
ing but counter-bloWs, launched with
the hope of relieving the continually
Increasing allied pressure against the
shell-torn German ranks.
The battle has ragged with great
intensity on the tOrtuous -windings of
1 the 90-mile front from westward
from Scissors to Montdidier, the tip
Il Of the German drive toward Paris.
Attack and counter-attark have fol-
lowed on the heels of each other for
the last ten days, but always it is
the allies who attack, and the Ger
mans who counter.
WHAT GERMANS HAVE LOST.
Not only have the French and
Americans retaken the narrow strip
Of ground occupied by the Germans
during the first two days of their
3 NTH offensive, but they have cut
away great deal of ground taken
oy the crown prince in his Cham
payne drive, began May 27, in which
ne ne succeeded in reaching the Marine
mus, the Germans have lost large
part of the ground they had gained
since June /
Just as the full fruits of victory
nave not yet been realized by the al
he'd armies, so the complete conse-.
quenceS Of this hghtning-Eke change
IN the fortunes of the rival forces
mas not been comprehended. The
herman crown princes group of ar
mes has been completely defeated ;;
III YElS IS patent. But the second battle
y! the Marine has a much wider sig
N than this. 1T means that
IarlS and Amiens are safe from the
evergreen hordes of Iudendorff. 1t
means that the entire scheme of
expressive warfare planned by the
german general staff has fallen fiat.
nuuendortf no longer is fighting to
&pepIure Paris, he is fighting to save
d IerIln' There is a long struggle
aneau' put its outcome no longer is
IN doubt.
SITUATION SUMMED UP.
Al summing up the battle situation
,raoi me AlSne-Marne front at his
mesAIy conference with newspaper
,e si, General March said that it had
suited, according to official adyices,
mi +OiIILg the Germans back eleven
enin. I9rther from Paris and short
"I F1 Inc allied lines by ten miles.
ID + .Lch advance guards have reach
md T 1r north bank of the Ourcq river,
pn nv T ailied troops have entered Fere
H. ib@al n the great German sup
ia I@Se which lies in the middle line
T TIe AlSne-Marne sector.
saTnn, positions on the TANKS of the
Iti!| near scissors and Rheims are
ssi dd''ely unchanged, General March
snift ne uoWnpour of rain has turned
10 tS;aS roads into quagmire. Added
en rtiS Is the terrific allied lombard
Tb'e winch Eh continues night and day.
Fran ne neeavy going has slowed up the
Are nr0nUS[tAimerican advance, but they
aesn H;nSa I'M forward on wide sectors,
b. P'v We t1e incessant machine gun
hent "illch covers the boche retire
FIGHTING BITTERLY.
q
Ivine sef hghting is under way in the
re ana woods in the region of
8rdarUaI!est, to the south of Fere-en-
tn" Us and Ris forests.
isonorsa 'est estimate of German |
OO0' taken since July IS is |
les s ,ne other sectors in France the |
Ono "T VAT German thrusts. There is |
e 5 oehef in some quarters that |
ion n't my will strive to ease the sit |
Dng north of the Marine by a |
n o tsUaek elsewhere, but nothing |