The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-06-11
FRENCH YIELD
SLOWLY TAKING
TERRIFIC TOLL
Germans May Throw In Their
Last Reserves.
Supreme Effort To Separate
Allied Armies.
HAVE DRIVEN IN SIX MILES
Important French Positions
Are Threatened.
German Losses Are Said To Be
Tremendous.
AVE DRIVEN IN SIX MILES
Important French Positions
Are Threatened.
German Losses Are Said To Be
Tremendous.

Moving with steadiness, in spite OF
the frightful losses inflicted upon
them, the Germans, in their plunge
southwark on the line from Noyon to
Montdidier, continue to gain here and
there in the center of the line, where
their greatest effort has been exerted
and where the French resistance
might have been expected to be most
stubborn. The enemy's greatest ad-
vance is at Vignemont, six miles from
the line as it stood last Saturday.
French Launch Counter Attacks.
The French have launched counter
attacks on the left of their line which
may be an indication that they have
reached the front where they will
make their final stand. This line
seems to be along the Aronde river,
small stream flowing west and north
west from the Disc and roughly para
leling the line of the advance. The
Germans according to the official
statement issued by the French war
office, reached the vicinity of this
stream. This marked the limit of their
Immediately attacked and drove the
enemy back to the line crossing thru
Belloy south of st. Maur, south of
Marqueglise and Vandelicourt. The
retaken by the French Monday night.
Telling Gains on Right of Oise.
This part of the battle front, how
ever. apparently is not the most men
acing to the French. 1t is further
east that the Germans seem to be
making their most telling gains. Here,
along the right bank of the Disc, they
have reached Antoval, a village which
lies on the crest of the hills above the
important town of Ribecourt lying
on low flat lands west of the Oise.
The French admit their line of re-
SlSt1nCR a h nf he-
court has been withdrawn in conse-
quence.
This movement has not resulted as
Yet, according to reports in the with
drawal of the French lines east of the
Oise from the Ourscamp and Carle-
pont forests. a strong position from
which the French defended their DO
sitions in the earlier attempts of the
Germans to cross the Disc south of
Sempigny.
Battle Reaches Crisis.
The battle in the new area may now
be considered as having definitely en-
tered its critical stage, as in the
Somme, Flanders and Aisne combats
the third and fourth days of the of
tenslNe were most menacing to the al
lies. 1t now seems certain that the
present German operation constitutes
a very serious blow at the allied lines
from the Disc to the Marine, as well as
threatening the level country behind
the present battle lines. Before this
can be reached, however, the Germans
may encounter even greater resistance
than they have overcome since their
offensive began
The only other operation of signi-
ficance reported was carried out by
Australians on the British front at
Morlancourt east of Amiens. Here the
British advanced half a mile over a.
front of a mile and a half and cap
tured more than 200 prisoners.
(By the Associated Press.)
All the advices from the battle front
show that the enemy is putting forth
every possible effort in his design to
push toward Paris throwing division
after division into the melting pot. So
far he has succeeded, in two days of
fighting, in carrying forward his line
at the maximum point of advance at
Vignefont, a distance of six miles. nj
this he has been materially aided by a
considerable number of tanks which
the French artillery was at first un-
able to demolish. The enemy further
succeeded in widening the point of his
wedge by bringing up two divisions of
the guards and two Bavarian divisions
borrowed from the army group of
Crown Prince Rupprecht. These troops
captured the villages of Merry St
Maur and Belloy, giving him a plateau
behind which he can mass troops part
ly screened from observation by the
French.
If the danger to the French is In
losing ground that is valuable as room
In which to maneuver, the German
peril lies in their human wastage tina It
is IN progress. The German army as
whole has been engaged for the last
three months with slight facilities for
renewal. The balance seems to be
in favor of the French. The resistance
that is being offered by the French
forces in this battle has not been sur
passed for determination during the
whole war. Thus one little group OF
cismounted cuira ssieres at Plemont
where, almost surrounded, it beat off
fourteen German alta cks, contributed
largely to the checking tf the German
advance.
In summary of the Paris news
tContinued on Page Two.J