, 1918-06-20
Germans Push South Between
Montdidier and Noyon But
Again Are Checked.
BLOODIEST FIGHTS OF WAR
Americans Drive Huns Out of BelIeau
Wood-FaIse Statements by Prus-
sian Minister Of War-Gallant
Exploit of italian Tor
pedo Boats.
BY EDWARD w. PIokARp.

Aiming at Compiegne and Estree st.
Denis, with the evident intention Of
forcing the French out of the Noyon
salient, the armies, of Crown Prince
Ruprecht of Bavaria, under the imme-
diate command of General Won Hutier,
started a great drive southwark be-
tween Montdidier and Noyon on Sun
day. The result was the most desper-
ate and bloodiest fighting of the entire
war, for the French resisted iercely
and slaughtered the enemy In tremen-
dous numbers. By sheer weight the
Germans were able to push forward
down the valley of the Matt for several
miles, making their greatest advance
to the southwest, but by Tuesday they
were brought almost to a standstill.
Then General Foch struck back with
force n on the west side Of the enc
my salient drove the Huns to the east,
retaking Courcelles, LIE Fretoy, Merry,
Belloy wood and other strong posi-
tons and reaching the edge Of st.
Maur. The defense of Courcelles, Inn
portant because of Its commanding
heights, was especially heroic, the Ger
mans trying by every mean to gain
and hold the village, In vain.
On the east of the salient the Ger
mans, by tremendous efforts, were
able to force their way past Ribecourt,
and by Tuesday they had reached the
Disc 1t Machemont and Bethancourt,
the latter village being the scene of
especially sanguinary fighting. This
so threatened the French troops In the
thin wedge extending toward Noyon
that In the night they were quietly
withdrawn without the knowledge of
the enemy, and the line, thus short
ened and Strengthened. thereafter was
held. In this move the C%arlepont for
est was abandoned and the new line
extended through Bailly, Tracy lie Val
and Nampcel.
With the west jaw of the pincers
thus pushed down the Matz, the Ger
mans tried to shove the other jaw in
from the east, between Scissors and
the Marine, but there they apparently
were almost unsuccessful, for the
French gave ground only slightly oil
the plateau west of the villages of Gut
~ and Dommiers and repulsed attacks
against st. Pierre Algle and Ambleny.
At Haute Bray, north of Scissors, the
Huns met a smashing defeat.
ia
' Further to the south, In the region
Of Chateau Thierry, the Americans
and French continued their good work
Of the previous week. Each day Per-
shing's men struck at the foe hard and
by the end Of the week they had
scored considerable advances, the
most valuable gain being the taking
Of Belleau wood. which had been full
OF machine gun nests. In the Clignon
valley, just north of this. the Germans
used up five divisions in futile as
saults on the American positions. The
French in this region occupied Mont
court and part of Bussiares.
In the latter part of the week the In
domitable French struck heavy blows
at the Germans On the eastern wing
of the new front and drove them back
across the Matz with severe losses.
Between the Aisne and the villers-Cot-
terets forest the enemy made some
progress, but southwest of Scissors his
attack was broken.
ia
The outstanding fact In last weeks
fighting is that the Germans suffered
enormous losses, in return for which
they gained ground that is compare
lively unimportant. Certainly at the
beginning of the week there was a feel
ing Of among the allies
the civilians, not the soldiers-but this
quickly disappeared and was replaced
BY the former confidence in the ability
Of the allied armies to resist the ham