The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-04-01
ALLIED ARMIES
HURL FOE BACK:
3 TOWNS TAKEN
British and French Troops Cap
ture MoreuiI After Terrific
Fighting.
ADVANCE ON 15-MILE FRONT
American Engineers Aid Foch's Men in
Battle Between Montdidier and
Lassigny-Large Number of
Germans Taken Prisoner.

Paris, April lon the southern
battle front the French have recap
tured Ayencourt and MoncheI and
gained considerable ground in the re-
gion of Orvilers, according to the Of
ficiai communication from the war CT
flee.
The battle is sIackening, according
to news reaching Paris. The attacks
of the Germans have been less violent
and less numerous. 1t has been OBJ
served that the enemy is feverishly
digging himself in, particularly in the
neighborhood of Lassgny. The gen.
eral impression is that the situation is
most satisfactory.
London, April 1.-General Foch. in
command of all allied forces, has
struck the Germans a -errific blow.
British and French troops, with
forces of American engineers cooper,
atfng, are smashing forward.
Three towns, many guns and pris-
oners running to the thousands have
pSNh SS'pbulC Cb' All lllC SlOulid S6iIIiSu
by the Germans in their attacks of
Saturday was rewon by the allies in
the first hours of their terrific assault.
Great forces of British took the Of
fensiye north and south of the Somme.
Wait Patiently Time to Strike.
The extension of the German salient
westward toward Amiens gave the al
lies the opportunity for which they had
patiently waited. On the northern
edge of this salient, at Mezieres and
Demiein, the British blow fell.
At the same time there was an at
tack on the German line north of the
Somme to prevent the Germans send
ing help from there towards Mozieres
The French meanwhile launched a
terrific attack between Montdidier and
Lassigny and are pressing forward
successfully. Seven hundred German
prisoners have been taken.
Terrific Battle at MoreuiI
The fiercest fighting was at Moreuil,
which changed hands three times. The
French wrested it from the Germans
WIZ 1OuIlClCd anu lOICSu Oul TIE
Poilus
They reformed and charged with
bayonets. Both British and French
mingled in the same ranks, took part
and gained the town. In the woods
north of Moreuil the French were also
victorious, capturing many prisoners.
The French assaults between Mont
6j6ipr and I,aSSi
of 10 miles.
U. S. Engineers in Fight.
1t was here, according to the latest
advices, that the American engineers
joined the battle. They fought side
by side with the French.
The first French blow was struck
Paris dispatches state, at Rubescourt
almost due south of Montdidier. The
Germans wavered before the French
and fell back toward Montdidier
where they are astride the Amiens-
Paris railway.
Germans Unable to Diq In.
The next shock was felt by the Ger
mans who had tried to dig themselves
in west of Lassigny. The Germans
retired here also, leaving open to at
tack the center of the line between
Lassigny and Montdidier The main
French assault was Immediately
launched there.
News of the opening victory for the
allies brought a thrill to London. The
streets were jammed with crowds
cheering every bulletin that was dis
played
Allied Victory, Experts Say.
Military experts, scanning the first
reports, commented thus:
1.-The great counter-offensive has be-
gun. Beaten at Arras and in the drive
toward Amiens, the Germans have
failed in any plan they may have had
TO reach the coast.
Beaten at Montdidier and LaSsigny,
the enemy must also abandon any hope
of reaching Paris. The British and
French armies have preserved their
entity as fighting unit. All three OBJ
jectives of the enemy have been lost"
French Check Foe and Rewin MoreuiL
Paris, April 1.-The following state
ment issued by the war Office is as
follows: "The struggle continued with
undiminished violence during the night
and the result was to emphasize the
check administered to the formidable
German effort of Saturday to break
through the line.
Between MOntdidier and Moreuil
the fire of the French infantry moved