Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-10-03

! morning resumed their attack north OF
st. Quentin. Field Marshal Haig re-
ported today The Germans continue
! their rearward movement on the front
! from Lens to Armenticres. They are
! evacuating highly organized positions
| in that area along twenty mile line.
In pushing after the retreating enc
| my the British have reached the gem
| eral line of Cite ST. Auguste. Dourin,
east of LaBassee, east Of Aubers and
| west of the Grenfer wood. The ad-
vance is continuing.
A German attack last night on Brit
ish positions to the north of Cambria
was repulsed.
The Germans have fallen back three
| miles in retreat along Lens-Armen-
there's line,.
,Evacuating LaBassee.
Field Marshal Haig's announcement
| that German retreat has begun in the
| LaBassee sector is commented on as
a development of far reaching impor-
| tance. 1t is assumed that the town OF
| LaBassee has been evacuated. 1t Is
believed that the enen1y,s withdrawal
includes Lens and there is report,
too. that the. Germans have ordered
that Lille be abandoned. ~
To the successful operations of the
Belgian. army and General Plum
| mer's forces to the north is attributed
the enemys movement to the rear.
The Anglo Belgian drive has brought
those forces near to Menin. -
Unconfirmed reports come from Hol-
land that the Germans are preparing
to evacuate the Flanders coast and the
towns behind it.
The breach in the Hindenburg sys-
tenn. lie Catelet and St. Quentin by the
British, Australian and American
troops is commented on as an incident
Of great importance. Altho it has not
yet compelled the enemy to withdraw
and while he has temporarily regained
Quehart, it is admitted by Berlin that
there have been retirements in the
neghborhood of st. Quentin, Rheims
and in the Champagne.
Still Resisting Strongly.
Taken in connection with the retreat
in the north it is believed the whole
German line is shaken. Nevertheless
the line is putting up great resistance.
The battle is fluctuating without great
changes from Cambria southwark
It is regarded as an open question
whether the desperate efforts of the
Germans indicate their determination
to hold this sector or is but an attempt
to gain time while evacuating their
present line.
The view is taken by the Mail that
the breach in the line north Of st.
Quentin imperNls the whole German
position. It is said the >break in the
German line was great feat which
eclipsed everything the British did in
the past.
Both Sides Suffer Heavily.
Referring to the struggle Of Tues
day north OF Cambria the Mails cor
respondent tells how in a sunken road
there was an enemy machine gun
every four yards, but most Of them
had been knocked out by artillery fire.
The fighting never ceased and as the
day advanced German reinforcements
streamed forward in successive groups
The light was good and the British
gunners fired round after round with
open sights. Germans fell by the hun
dreds but the gaps in the ranks were
filled and the enemy still came on in
great numbers. <They reached the
points where the lines we're being
fiercely attacked and even dented the
British lines and stopped for the time
being further progress there.
That evening deadlock was reached
and one Of the bloodiest combats in
recent history developed. It resulted
in considerablee~but not ambitious
advance by the British. The enemy
suffered heavily. The British did not
escape unscathed. sy