The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-11-02

wooded and much broken mas
 uraI fortress which remains tt
 dennes.
 Every since September 27 the Ger mans have clung to the Argonne in spite of the unremitting endeavors of the French army on the west and the Americans on the opposite side of the forest. After a series of extremely
 difficult and hotly contested opera tions, General Gouraud has succeeded in establishing himself on the left bank of the Aisne between the villages of Terror and Falaise, distance of about five miles.
 With the river at their backs and little more than mile from the Ger man trenches between them and the forest, the operation was one of con-
 siderable difficulty. The night was spent in throwing bridges across the Aisne in preparation for the passage of an important force with its material. The enemy knew that the attack was coming, but seems to have been unaware that it would extend as far north as 1t did, and left the bridgemakers almost undisturbed.
 BEGAN AT 6 O'CLOCK
 The attack was launched shortly be- fore o'clock after a whirlwind artii- lery preparation of 30 minutes The Germans had not acted wisely in leav- ing the bridging troops unmolested. The Aisne was crossed opposite the village of Voncq, and this important position was occupied soon after o'clock. The loop Of the Aisne oppo- site Semuy, which was held by the en- emy and formed salient in the allied line, protected by the winding course of the river, was carried Rilly-aux- Dies then was captured and the French troops pressed up the river bank op- posite Semuy.
 By the middle of the morning Gen. eral Gouraud's men had largely occu- pied their first line of objectiveS Tn spite of an energetic and increasing resistance on the part of the enemy. Semuy was endangered. Voncq, which is situated on a lofty spur overlook ing the river and was the most import ant position on the front of the attack. was carried with a considerable bag of prisoners.
 HILL 193 CAPTURED
 Possession of Voncq enabled the Ger mans to enfilade the whole Aisne val ley, as far south as Vouziers and gave them wide views up and down the river. Farther south Hill 193 on the left bank was captured. Falaise has been oc. cupied and the line is making satis- factory progress eastward in the. teeth of stiffening artillery fire.
 The enemy's omission to provide for an attack north of Terror, which marks the limit of Gouraud's holdings on the left bank of the Aisne, seems to have assured the success of the first day or the new operation.
 The attack of General Gouraud's army must be taken in conjunction with the American attack on 8 much larger scale which is progressing in the most en. fashion on the other side oI the Argonne. Last night as has preVf ously been stated, Gouraud held mar row strip about five miles long on the left bank of the Aisne marked by the of Terror, Vandy and Falaise 1 South of Falaise his line passed by Ol1zy through the Argonne to Grand Pre- on the eastern edge of the forest. At Grand Pre- Gouraud is in touch with the Amer ican army on his right.
 FLANK WELL PROTECTED
 North of Grand Pre- the enemy's flank is protected by an impenetrabie laby- l Iinth of wooded hills and ravines. the 1 ravines, the Bols-de-Bas and the Forest de-Boult which is in the interest of both the French and American armies to turn General Gourauds front of attack is di- rected northeast; that of the Americans is directed straight north. It is clear that as Gouraud's army advances north l east across the Argonne in the d1rec- | ton of Le Chesne, while the Americans l progress northwards, that the mass of the Boult forest and the Bois-de-Bas will 1 be turned by the French from the north- l west and by the Americans from the | northeast and must be evacuated by the | enemy.
 The future operations toward Mezieres | and the German main lines of communf- cation with Germany seem to depend | largely on the success of the battles | today on both sides of the Ar gonne When the enemy has been evict~i from the woods and ravines or the great forest and the French and American armies have joined hands beyond 1t, the way to the north will be clear.