The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1918-09-06
British, French and the
Americans Press Back
Ypres-RheiIns Front.
Face Turning Move
ment.
BRITISH IN NORTH"
CROSS CANAL DU NORD
With Dsbaele in South Complete
Crisis Apparently at Hand for
Huns in North-Lens Region
Entirely Evacuated by the
Huns.


The Germans are now giving
ground over the entire $50 mile bat
tie front from Ypres to Rheims.
Seemingly the question whether
the Germans will be able to hold
even relatively their present line
from Flanders to Champagne is be-
ing answered. And the answer ap-
parently is in the negative. The
strategy of General Foch, which i'm
posed upon the Germans the neces-
sity of falling back in Flanders, Ar
tois and Picardy, now likewise is
compelling the enemy to withdraw
from the Vesle River between Sois-
sons and Rheims, northward toward
the Aisne in order to avert disaster.
Outhanked on all defensive works
along the western spart of the battle
line and in great danger of turn
ing movement eastward from the
regions of Noyon and Scissors, the
German high command at last has
been forced to begin the retrogade
movement in the Soissons-Rheims
sector which military experts long
had predicted would be necessitated
through The successes of the British,
French and American armies.
The climax to the German man.
euvers along the Vesle eliminated
when the French virtually swept
away the last remaining portion of
the old salient in the region of Noy-
on and the French and Americans
ncrth Of Scissors and along the
Vesle reached portions dominating
the Aisne and the Chemin- n-des-
Danes and crossed to the north side
of the Vesle on a front of nearly
20 miles.
While the debacle in the south
seems complete, in the north the
Germans also are facing a crisis.
Everywhere from Peronne to Ypres,
Field Marshal Haig's men are keep
ing hard after the enemy whose
lines daily are being bent back fur
ther eastward, giving the British
better points of vantage from which
to work in their task Of regaining as
their first objectives st. Quentin,
Cambria, Lille and Armentieres.
From Ypres to Lens additional
towns have been recaptured and the
old salient more nearly reclaimed.
Lens, the famous coal city, is said
to have been entirely evacuated by
the Germans and the British are
only awaiting the dissipation of the
no1ous gases and the rendering of
tie city safe from the possibility of
the detonation of mines of subterre-
an coal to enter it.
From Arras southwark to Peroane
English, Scottish, Welsh, Canadian
and Australian troops everywhere
are harassing the enemy, meeting his
violent machine gun fire with. such
: irresistible pressure that the enemy
has been virtually nonplussed and
has retired at some points almost
precipitately.
To the north of Peronne over an
eight mile front between Moisloine
and Demicourt, the British at sever
al points have beaten their way
across the canal and Wednesday
night were pressing the enemy well
to the eastward.
Eastward to the old Drocourt-
QUAINT line the enemy has been push
ed across to the east bank of the
Canal Du Nord, where at last ac-
counts he was endeavoring to pre-
vent, by the use of innumerable ma
chine guns, a British advance over
the ditch. 49,. ..,.