The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-09-21
British Smash the Wotan Line
and French and Yankees
Drive Huns North.
GERMANS QUIT VESLE RIVER
Continue Their Retreat From Lys Sec
tor, Where Americans Fight on
Belgian Soil-BoIsheviki Are
Defeated In Siberia and
Northern Russia.
BY EDWARD w. PlcKARD.

The whole western front, from YpreS
to Reims, was ablaze all the week, and
throughout all the long stretch the Ger
mans continued their retreat The ar
mics of the allies followed closely on
their heels, hammering at them day
and night and giving them not a mo-
ment's pause for reorganization of
their wearied forces. 1t was another
week of uninterrupted allied success,
and the withdrawal of the Huns was
extended to include the Vesle river
sector, between scissors and Reims.
Until Wednesday there had been little
activity there, except continuous artil-
lery work and some sharp fighting be-
tween the Americans and the Germans
in the region of Fismes and Fismette.
But in the first days of the week air
plane observers reported evidences Of
a coming retreat by the enemy, and
this developed on Wednesday. The
American and French patrols pursued
the Huns promptly and by Thursday
had reached the crest dominating the
Aisne, across which river the Germans
seemed likely to take the main bodies
of their troops.
This retrograde movement was made
necessary by the successful advance of
General Mangin's army north and
| northwest Of Scissors between the ALL
| cite and the Aisne, threatening the
| Chemin des Danes and flanking the
enemy line toward Fismes. With the
aid of Americans, Mangin was moving
steadily down the Aisne plateau and
in the direction Of Laon and it ap-
peared doubtful that the Huns would
be able to remain long south of the
Hindenburg line through Anizy and
Craonne. They were driven out of
Clemency, Bray, Missy-sur-Aisne and
many other towns in this region, and
the French as early as Wednesday
night were In the outskirts of Coucy,
one of the important German bases on
the edge of the st. Gobain forest. Be-
tween there and Chauny the enemy
was forced from a series of dominat-
protect La Fere. To the northwest
of Chauny equally important victories
gave General Humbert possession of
Guiscard and Maucourt after he had
forced the retirement Of the enemy
from Mont ST. Simeon and the Canal
du Nord. This latter action was
desperate fight, for the German posi-
| tons were protected by wilderness of
wire entanglements and by innumer-
9ble machine-gun nests. Captured off
GERS said they had orders to retreat to
the region of Bethancourt, northwest
OF Chauny. There were indications
that the Huns planned to make a stand
on line through Ham, but the French
advance was so swift that their abil-
! ity to do this was doubtful The
French First army was moving ire
sistibly on Ham from Vesle and the
| Canal du Nord.
At Fresnes the French and Ameri-
can advance reached the old linden
burg line, had Ham practically fanked
and was rapidly approaching Laon.
The last named city has been one of
the most important of the German
bases in Picardy and the heart of the
present Hun operations. 1t is great
center of railways and highways and
its capture by the allies, 1t was said,
must mean the further retirement Of
the enemy.
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