Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-09-13

new line by advancing it to Moislans
and to the east of Melville. Then, on
Monday, came a grand British smash
which wrecked the ~much-vaunted Wo-
tan switch line of the Hindenburg line.
from Drocourt to Queant. Despite the
resistance of great masses of infantry
and artillery, the British rushed for
ward on a ten-mile front and speedily
made a gain of some five miles, the
German losses being frightful. In the
succeeding days they kept up the drive
remorselessly, putting much of the Ca
nal du Nord behind their lines and APP
preaching within a few miles Of Douai
and Cambria. These two cities were
so important to the German defensive
system that large numbers of troops
were rushed to their rescue and the
British drive was slowed down percep-
tibly by the end of the week, though 1t
was by no means stopped.
All through the week there were re-
ports that many towns and villages
DdCh VI lhC 0CIl Il AAA1C IA l. 4
were in flames and it vas certain that
the foe were destroying great quanti-
ties of supplies which they were not
given time to nov
Ia
In the Lys sector, the salient west
of Armentieres, the German retreat,
under compulsion, continued steadily
and the British advanced as far as
Neuve Chapelle and Laventie, taking
a number of villages. The northern
part of this sector became of especial
interest to Americans because the Yam
KEGS were there engaged in their first
battle on Belgian soil. These troops,
later identified by General March as
the Thirtieth division Of Tennessee,
North Carolina and South Carolina
men, captured Voormezeele and other
towns in the vicinity, and next day
pushed on further eastward. Thurs
day the British, presumably aided by
these same Americans, took Ploeg-
steert village and Hill 60, dominating
points on the Messines ridge. By that
time the British, from Neuve Chapelle
south to Givenchy, had reached the line
they held before the German drive of
April 8 last, and east of Givenchy they
had occupied parts of the old German
positions.
Altogether 1t was a highly satisfac-
tory week on the west front. The
German military critics have given up
tying to conceal wholly the truth of
the Hun reverses, but some Of them
predict that the retreat will not go
much farther. The German crown
prince broke into print with an inter-
view in which he declared the German
idea of victory now is ito hold u
w and not allow ourselves to be
vanquished." He said only the allies
were waging a war Of determination;
that the Germans wished to annihilate
none of their enemies. The Hun peace
offensive seems to have petered out
entirely for the time being.
Ia
The British government, aroused by
the sacking of it's embassy in Petrograd
~ In L VI Odpl0Ah O4OlnlC liz
British attache, has sent an ultimatum
to the soviet government at Moscow,
demanding reparatiOn and prompt pun
ishment of the guilty and threatening
to hold the members of the bolshevik
government individually responsible
and to have them treated as outlaws
by all Civilized nations. Meanwhile
the British are holding Litivnoff, boil
shevik representative in London, and
his staff under arrest pending the re-
lease of British officials who we're ar
rested in Russia.
Be1ated dispatches from Siberia tell
Of the destruction of the bolshevik
army east of Lake Baikal by the
CZecho-Slovaks and say the Cossacks
are cooperating with the Czechs. 1t
appears that uninterrupted connection
has been established between the al
lied forces across Siberia all the way
from the Volga to Vladivostok and
that the vanguard of the Czechs has
Joined hands with General Semenoff's
troops ON the Onon river.
In northern European Russia the
allies and loyal Russians have gained
further successes south of Archangel
Inc inflicted severe losses on the boil
sheviki.
Ia
On the Ussurf front in eastern ST.
IBERIA the allied forces have been driv-
ing the bolsheviki northward, defeat
ing them in every engagement and in
ficting heavy casualties. The Ameri-
cans under General Graves !Nined In
these operations.
The suppression Of the Social Rev