The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-07-30
IBy Associated Press)

was Tecdptured from the enemy
IBy Associated Press)
The Germans have thrown more
than a million men into the gigantic
battle between scissors and Rheims
and have been viciously counter at
tacking all around the circular line
that stretches from scissors to the
neighborhood of Rheims.
Even this formidable force. how.
ever. appears to have made not more
than a dent or two in the allied front
in its latest effort while at various
points progress for the allies, slight
but important, is reported.
n Hun Divisions Used.
Regarding the strength of the Ger
man forces, unofficial advices state
that there are II German divisions
engaged in this struggle. The strength
of German division is about 13 500
on normal footing so that if all the
units resisting the allies north of the
Marne have been kept so that if al!
units resisting the allies north of the
Marne have been kept up to the stan.
dard there are 95S,50O men trying to
hold the line until the situation is re
lieved.
OF these divisions there are ten
drawn from Crown Prince Ruppercth's
army in the north.
The German crown prince had ir
the neighborhood of 500, 900 men be-
tween Rheims and Chateau Thierry
when the attack across the Marne
began on July Is. The increase in the
number of divisions engaged in the
battle would appear to indicate that
he had since that time drawn heavily
on other army groups. 1t would also
seem that this action on his part re.
fleets the Importance of this battle
in the eyes of the German high com.
mand
Americans Forced Back
Through the German counter blow
the Americans were driven back from
Cierges. southeast of Fere en- Tarde.
nois, while to the northwest of Fere
the Americans have also been forced
out of BeugneuX into which they had
penetrated after passing through
Grand Rozoy
Buzancy, situated on the west side
OF the Crise river, about miles south
of scissors. has also been the scene
of heavy fighting and the battle ao-
pears to have been general along the
line south of that point, nota bly, in
the Plessiar wood, near where the
front turns abruptly to the east.
On the other end of the battle line
there has been short engagements.
but reports credit the allies with hay-
Ing made an advance at Aubilly in the
Andre salient, west of Rheims. They
have also forged ahead farther down
toward the bottom of the pocket.
Counter Blows are General
While these counter blows against
the allied line are general and of
great violence it is not believed in
London the enemy intends to make a
real stand south of the Vesle river.
Paris, on the other hand, seems to be-
lieve that the Germans may have
fixed upon the present location of
their army as the field at which they
will turn at bay
There have been patrol operations
along the British front but nothing
significant has occurred there. Little
has been reported to ampIify the
Copenhagen dispatch that Turkey and
Germany have broken off relations.
Amsterdam advices, however, indicate
that Turkey intends to pursue an ag-
gresslve policy in the Caucasus region.
the field supposedly set aside for Ger
man exploitation.
Vicious counter attacks with large
forces and violent artillery and ma
chine gun fire marked the German
effort to stops the oncoming allies.
But the enemy has been unable to
halt the steady advance, although
holding it up temporarily at several
points. The base of the pocket is al
most traight except for a jagged sa-
lent south of Ville-en-T -Tardenois.
Allied hammering on the sfanks is
beginning to tell. South of scissors,
Scottish troops are pressing forward
through Buzancy. Between there and
the Ourcq, French forces have gained
appreciably and are now forcing their
way up the slopes of Hills 205 and 206,
north of Grand Rozoy and which dom
mate the plane between Grand Rozoy
and Fismes, the most important Ger
man base south of the Aisne The
Germans lost $50 prisoners in this
region.
Best Enemy Shock Troops.
On the east, southwest of Fismes,
the British and French have advanced
farther west of the Dormans-R Rheims
road. Around Bligny and ST. Eu-
phraise, where the German line had
stood firm against repeated attacks in
the past ten days, the allies also have
progressed.
Especially bitter has been the Ger
man effort to check the French and
Americans advancing northward from
the Marne. In a sanguinary combat
at Sergy, east of Fere-en-Tardenois,
American troops have bested the
Fourth Prussian Guards and a Bavs,
lCantinued on Pa2a Eight