Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-10
Advance on Chipilly Com
pels Germans to Retreat.
in Hurry
LEAVE OFFICIAL PAPERS
Other Personal Property Falls
Into Hands Of Attacking
ing Army
By HENRY W. NEVINSON
Special Cable to Evening Public Ledger

Copyright. 1918. by Ne,o York Times Co.
With the British Army, Aug. 10.
On the south of the British lines,
between the Ancre and the Somme,
and the straight road from Amiens to
Roye. the British have taken the vii
lage of Quesnel and the line runs north
and slightly east, just beyond the sta
ton of Harbonnieres, to the Somme az
Mericourt
North of the Somme the British have
not been so successful in the advance,
for the considerable village of Morlan.
court is still in the enemy's hands
and by strong counter-attack Thurs
day afternoon German division, be-
lieved to be the Twenty seventh, sue
ceeded in recovering the Gressaire
wood, Just above the Somme, south.
east or Morlancourt, and also the VIII
lage of Chippilly. who projects on a
spit of high land into the Somme,
and inflicted damage on British guns
and tanks from across the river during
thursdays advance over the exposed
and fiattish plain.
This dispatch was written before
Allied troops captured Morlancourt
yesterday.l
No Germans There
At present, however, the position ap-
years to be unoccupied. for walked
at leisure from Merincourt down the
river close in front of Chippilly, and
II the Germans had been there they
would certainly have had shot at
me, but all was quiet.
Except for slight check at Nor
iancourt, the whole advance so far has
peen entirely successful
In one prisoners camp near our
front line found over 500 men, taken
at once in a train that was held up
by the British cavalry as it entered a
certain station. They were In a dirty,
miserable condition. as quite natural,
some were quite young. and only a
very few were Of the best German
physical type.
AS If supposing the advance was
over, small parties Of Germans yester.
day were seen trying to return here
and there, but only to discover that
they were mistaken in their direction,
Yesterday morning from all early
tlefield north Of the long, straight road
running from Amiens through Villers.
BrettonneuX due eastward I visited
advanced points between that road
and the winding Somme, beyond
which river the chalk hills rise in cliffs
and the downs are fairly well wood.
ed. 1t was thus that I came in front
OF Chippilly, and now as I write of.
l1clal news reaches me that the British
are again advancing upon that posi-.
ton and making good progress.
The wide and slightly undulating
plain over which l passed was much
like other battlefields except that the
dead were being buried with unusual
rapidity, though the bodies of the
enemy were still very numerous.
Foe Left in Hurry rs
The surprise evidently had been
startling, for the ruined houses and
dug-outs were full of personal belong.
ings, such as letters. official papers,
photographs, books and changes of un.
der clothes and uniforms, hurriedly
left behind
Along the banks of the Somme. row
upon row Of huts, dug-outs. and caves
had been constructed in the chalky
slopes and cliffs, so that one was dim.
ly reminded of abodes upon precipices.
But out in the open plain, though
the steps to some shelters went down
twenty or thirty feet, the usual covers
for the men were very poor, being lit
tie more than short and shallow
trenches, barely covered with tar. ,
paulin or corrugated iron.
Many of the guns; both field guns
and heavies, were left in position and
the camouf1age was in ordinary man.
ner. Several dumps Of ammunition
were also left and long rows of shells
Overhead the British airplanes now
swarmed in great numbers, frequently
attacked by German arches. I saw
one plane fall in flames. but it was
too far away to distinguish the mark
ings.
I am told that the armored cars did
great service on the advance burning
trainsy attacking transport COLUMNS
and increasing the confusion Of the
retirement They were especially ac.
tive in the Frame River region Just
south of the village of Proyart, which
is not yet included in the British line.
But, in fact, 81 is very difficult after
so sudden an rapid an advance to
draw any definite line between the
opposing armies.