Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-08-27
FRENCH CAPTURE
5000 GERMANS IN
P|CARDY DRIVE
Gen. Mangin Attacks on 15-Mile
Front Along Disc.
FOES COUNTER IS SMASHED
Fresh German Troops Brought UP to
Halt Blow Are DecisiveIy Beaten
and Many Taken Prisoners
British Advance Along
Scarpe River.

London, Aug. 21.-More than S,OOO
prisoners and an advance of an aver
age depth of nearly three miles are
TO the credit of General Mangln
Tenth French army after a terrific
stroke delivered in the morning over
a 15-nile front extending from Fon-
tenoy, on the Aisne river, to Pimprez,
on the Disc river.
The Paris official communique says
that many villages have been captured
in the operation, which greatly i'm
perils the German line from scissors
westward past Noyon to Lassigny.
Block Counter-BloW.
The French, who struck at 7:1O
O'clock in the morning, broke in the
making, according to battle front dis
patches, German counter-glow, which
was to have been delivered by TWO
fresh divisions of German troops.
These units, brought up during the
night in motortrucks, apparently were
caught in the furious advance of the
French and hurled back with the rest
of the enemy divisions which had been
holding the line.
General Mangln's advance has not
as yet been stayed, and prisoners are
still coming TO the rear.
Take Town Near Roye.
The French official report also an
about three miles south and bit to
the east of Roye, has been occupied
by General Foch's forces after bitter
fighting.
According to latest information Cen
eral Mangin's line. now runs from La
QuenOtierie, north of Bailly, to Champ
de Merlier, to Petit Maupas, 10 Cuts,
to Mill 100, to Vezaponin, and to Val
priez farm, five miles northwest of
scissors.
On Tartiers Plateau.
The French have captured VEGA
pOnin and are on the plateau east of
Tartiers. From that point the line Is
uncertain, but the French are prog
ressing towards Camelit.
The Germans are making stiff re-
sistance at Hill 100, which is east of
LIE Mesnil. The advance is over most
difficult ground, but the attack is still
proceeding.
Up to the north, in Flanders, the
German retirement from the Lys
salient is still continuing, with no in
dication of when the retrograde move
ment will stop The maximum depth
of British advance, on the heels of
the retiring enemy, is now about four
miles.
British Still Advance.
East of Arras, along the Scarpe
river, the British in sharp fighting
have advanced their line slightly to
the east of the village of Fampoux,
while farther north, astride the Lys
river, the British have reached
LBpinette, and north of Merville have
captured the villages of Vierhoek and
La COuronne, according to Field Mar
shall Haig's communication from head
quarters.
Enemy Losses High.
With the French Army in France,
Aug. 21,-The attack of General Man
gins forces from Fontenoy on the
Aisne to Pimprenz on the Disc, which
began at 7:10 o'clock in the morning,
was progressing favorably when this
dispatch was filed.
Prisoners were continuing to arrive
at the rear to add to the several thou
hnfn.o
gain in territory at one o'clock had
been from one to two and a half
miles. The enemy was resisting with
the greatest vigor at vital spots.
Where the fighting is thickest the
ground Is covered with German dead.
Fill RaVine With Gas.
The Germans on retiring filed a
ravine with mustard gas. This, how
evere, proved only temporary trou-
BILE, he entire ravine being turned in
q short time and the French troops
progressing toward Bieranoourdelle.
Just south of Bierancourt and south
east of Noyon.
Farther TO the right Tartieres, two
ana nd1 ulleS southeast OF AlHrSaln.
was entered at nine o'clock and col
umns Of prisoners began to appear
upon the plateau to the rear.
The artillery reaction was very weak
over this part of the front.
French aviators, flying way down
under the low lying clouds, kept the
staff regularly informed as to the
progress of the attack and harrassed
the enemy with machine gun fire.
No German flyers tried TO interfere
with their work Few were seen in
the air during the morning.
The Germans made a desperate de-
Tense in the billy and wooded region
south of the Disc around Carlepont
Caise and Lombray, where they held
strong positions which were profusely
dotted with quick firers. The Four-a-
Verre and CroiSette farm were taken
by the French after a violent strug-
gle, which was very costly to the en-