New-York tribune. [volume], August 09, 1918, Page 2, Image 2

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The Great War?1465th Day
the Avre was cleared and fighting proceeded around Hargicourt and
Courtemanche. The same night the Allies reached the whole railroad
line, and on August ? and 7 further progress was made.
Bonar Law Tells Commons
About Franco-British Victory
LONDON, Aug. 8. Seven thousand
prisoners and 100 guns have been capt?
ured in the Franco-British offensive,
Andrew Bonar Law, Chancellor of the
Kxchequer, announced to-night. He
was addressing the House of Commons.
"Up to M o'clock this afternoon, on
a twenty kilometre front between Mor?
lancourt and Montdidier," the Chan?
cellor said, "we have reached all our
objectives and captured' 100 guns and
V.000 prisoners.
"The advance was to be between four
and five miles and at one point seven
m i les "
Desires Not to Exaggerate
Mr. Bonar Law said that the ground
over which the attack was mude wus
immediately in front of Amiens, and
that its strategic importance was ob?
vious.
"I do not desire," he continued, "that
ifny one should exaggerate the im?
portance of the achievement. It. is
quite possible indeed, it may be re?
garded as probable that the Germant?,
on account of previous attacks, had in
tended to re^re. But this attack has
come upon them as a complete surprise
and has upset whatever plans they had
formed.
"I am sure that it affords the House
the greatest satisfaction for this ses?
sion to end with a result that without
exaggeration is an indication of 'the
complete change in the military situa?
tion since the last few weeks."
"The Daily Mail's correspondent at
British headquarters says the hardest
lighting occurred on the extreme
northern and southern wings of the
British advance, the passage of the
river Luce and the capture of the
southern woods particularly proving
very tough operations, which checked
the advance a while.
Tanks Do Magnificent Work
"But, notwithstanding these checks,"
says the correspondent, "the advance
went with astonishing speed all along
the line. The tanks, which did mag- j
niticent work, helped the speed, but the;
prime credit belongs to the dash and j
training of the infantry. They sinoth- :
ered the German infantry as our gun-j
ners smothered the German gunners.!
Their movement was quick and con?
certed. The enemy had little time to
remove his guns.
"It is reported that all along the
line field guns were overrun, and a par?
ticularly large group of them were
captured north of the Somme, near
Chipilly, where escape was impossible,
owing to the sharp bends in the Somme
River.
"I believe that more guns, and, of
course, machine guns, were captured
than can be catalogued iti a day or two.
Some few of them were used against
the enemy quite early in the day."
(ierman Guns Silenced
"The feature of the day was the ex?
tinction of the German artillery. Its
answer to our barrage was rather
slow And patchy. It was up to the
standard at some places, but it lasted
a very short time in the first degree
of excellence.
"One isolated shot deserves men?
tion. It hit one of our ammunition
lorrie's engine, but it did not explode
a single shell or hurt the driver.
"Such partial successes were few,
and as soon as the infantry was well
on the move the enemy's gunners be?
gan to pack up. Many of them must
have had little chance of saving their
batteries.
"As the sun conquered the mist our
airmen saw scenes of complicated con?
fusion much further ahead. Batteries
and strings of vans scampered off, and
in the middle of the hurry our airmen,
with machine gun and bomb, took all
advantage possible.
German Defences Inadequate
"All the prisoners agree that the at?
tack was an overwhelming surprise and
that full advantage was taken of it
by the assaulting troops.
"The German defences, at any rate,
behind the front line, were for the most
part very inadequate. The old zeal
of digging in and going to the ground
seems to have been lost. Nor did most
of the Germans fight well in the centre.
"The prisoners were very numerous,
though an extremely few were taken
on the front lines, owing to the de?
vastating effect of the four-minute bar?
rage on the indifferent defences. The
proportion of men killed was. large,
and at one place the numbers were
quite unusual."
British Take So Many Prisoners
They Have Trouble Handling Them
(By The Associated Press)
WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN
FRANCE, Aug. 8.- The prisoners taken
by the British in the drive started to?
day are so numerous they are having
difficulty in handling them.
On the horizon enemy motor trans?
ports have been visible, scurrying
away.
The 27th. 4od and 108th divisions of
Crown Prince Rupprecht's army have
suffered heavity, and the 117th Division,
which only came into the line last
night, has been badly cut up.
The only determined enemy stand
was made around Morlancourt, where
there was fighting throughout the day.
The enemy made several counter at?
tacks, but without recovering any
ground.
French and British tanks have
crossed the Avre-Luce Valley.
Attack Launched in Mist
The main weight of the Allied blow
was directed against General von Hu- |
tier's 18th Army.
The British launched their attack in
a mist after only three minutes of
artillery preparation. Three-quarters
of an hour after the British attacked
the Germans the French took up the
battle.
Details of the fighting are coming
to the rear slowly. "Going fine," con?
stitutes the best available information.
The greatest secrecy surrounded
plans for the attack. During the night
the Germans heavily bombarded the
British line,, but their shells were in?
effective.
New Division Identified
Early in the fighting it was dis?
covered that one new enemy division !
had just arrived in this area. Prison?
ers taken from it said the Germans
believed the British were going to at
[ tack, but did not know what day the
i attack was going to be launched. It
is evident, however, that the attack
was a surprise.
Other prisoners taken were from
various Prussian and Bavarian di?
visions.
What reserves the Germans have at
the rear is uncertain, but presumably
they are not in strong force, as Crown
Prince Rupprecht on this front had ;
been keeping the bulk of his forces <
behind the old Hindenburg line. The |
ground between this and the present
fighting front has for the most part |
been fought over two or three times
before, thoroughly wrecking the region.
Dujring the morning the weather be?
lied its early promise of clearness. The
sky became overcast and the cloudy
haze increased along the battlefront
so that the flash of the guns could
hardly be seen a little distance away.
The poor visibility favored the
Allies. No enemy airplanes had ap?
peared over the line until 8 o'clock,
and meanwhile the Allies had pro?
gressed far.
Fochfs Reserves Enable Him
To Initiate Two Offensives
WASHINGTON'. Aug. 8.?So far as
known here to-day no American divi?
sions are involved in the Franco-Brit?
ish thrust south and southea.sc of
Amiens. American troops formerly in
the Cantigny sector, where thj first
American attack resulted in the capture
of the town of Cantigny. art- under?
stood to have been withdravn many
weeks ago.
The troops who captured Cantigny
have been engaged in the fighting in
'he Aisne-Marne salient. Some Amer?
ican units are brigaded with British
units, however, and may be participat?
ing in the new blow struck by General
Foch. It is also possible that Amer?
icans are with the French first army.
The outstanding fact in the new
drive to observers here was that Field
Marshal Foch found himself able to
strike again on the heels of the vic?
tory at the Marne, which still is being
pressed.
The supreme commander has made
it evident that he has the men and
means to keep up the aggressive battle
T'or which American officers have been
desirous. The reputation of the great
French strategist is that he is the ad?
vocate of attacking the enemy without
rest. He is living up to that reputa
iion to-day as never before, and indi?
cations to-night were that hp had
scored another punishing surprise blow
on an enemy already staggering under
the rush that swept him out of the
Marne salient in two weeks' time.
As the situation is seen here, the
enemy now faces alternative operations
'?ii at least two fronts. Pressure along
'hr Vesle line is being maintained vig?
orously, and even while the new drive
was getting under way on the Albert
Montdidier line, to the north, French,
American and British troops were ham?
mering away between Soissons and
Rheims in a way that made it virtually
eertam that the Aisne-Vsslo triangle
would be cleared of the enemy shortly
and the Allied line here carried for?
ward to the Aisne or possibly across it.
The enemy now fares the necessity
?f bolstering up his lines along the
hot'orn of the Picard y salient without
delay or undertaking immediately a
great wthdrawal there. If he with?
draw? troops from the Aisne-Vesle
line, it is certain he will be forced
back there, and if he calls in the re?
serve? from the north, a British attack
t? flatten out the Flanders salient is
almcxt ? certainty.
Enemy Destroying
Bridges Over Aisne;
May Quit Vesle Line
LONDON? Aug. 8, News from the
Soissons-Bhsims front Is that the Ger
UU are holding the northern bank
wtwkm ?sei? im ?Htuidurabl* strength,
i
[ with a large number of guns. They are
believed to have destroyed some of the
| bridges over the Aisne and to have
I taken some of their heavy guns across
| that river.
It is considered probable that the
enemy may be forced to abandon the
line on the Vesle.
It is regarded in London as possible
that the enemy's withdrawal in the
Lys salient may be preliminary to a
i general retirement from that salient,
where his position is very unfavorable
because of the waterlogged ground and
I also by reason of the fact that he is
dominated by the British guns from
, the neighboring high ground.
It is also regarded as possible that
the Germans may contemplate straight
j ening the hole in the front between
i Bailleul and La Bassee Canal.
i ~
! More Americans
Push Across Vesle
Under Heavy Fire
( Uy The Associated Press)
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY ON
TUB VESLE, Wednesday, Aug. 7. -The '
i River Vesle was crossed east and west
' of Fismes late to-day by additional
' American infantrymen. West of Fis
; mes the Americans are breaking up
; counter attacks by German infantry
! and are holding their ground despite
I the enemy efforts. '
In support of the Americans who
had crossed the river Tuesday night
? and Wednesday morning a detachment
of infantry crossed the Vesle under
a Franco-American barrage just before
r<on to-day, The other detachments
?cached the north bank during the j
afternoon. J
The Germans counter attacked the |
Americans west of Fismes this after- !
noon, but were scattered by the Amer- j
iean artillery fire. The enemy is en- j
deavoring to prevent the American ad- !
vanee, but the Americans have pushed
on under a heavy fire and in bitter
fighting in which the men from over?
seas used their bayonets effectively.
A few Germans were taken prisoners
and the others retired.
The stiftest resistance now facing the
American infantry north of the Vesle
ir. the region west of Fismes is from
a knoll north of Bazoches. Here a
number of German machine gun com?
panies have dug in and are clinging
desperately to the hill despite the fire
f.r' the heavy Allied gun?. One of the
American detachments which crossed
the river to day reinforced the Amer- ]
icans along the Rhtims-Soissons high
way, who are endeavoring to drive the !
Germans from the knoll.
Among the prisoners taken were an J
officer and several privates from a
WHERE ALLIES ARE "EVADING" LUDENDORFF ON SOMME
The area shaded in horizontal lines shows the territory wrested from the fVe in the first day of the brilliant
offensive Foch launched yesterday east of Amiens. This wedge driven into tli ! enemy line puts the Germans
around Montdidier, to the south, and Albert, to the north, in great danger of envelopment unless they* can stop
the victorious Franco-British.
fresh division which has just arrived
from the German front in Flanders.
Franco-British Drive
Likely to Hamper
Enemy Along Aisne
PARIS, Aug. 8. -The Franco-British
offensive southeast of Amiens has been
expected for some time in well in?
formed quarters. The recent advances
in Picardy and Flanders suggested that
such a step was in order.
The axis of the man?uvre in the
present attack seems to be the railway
from Amiens to Ham. Tcrgnier and
Laon. The battle may have great ef?
fect upon the struggle going on be?
tween the Vesle and the Aisne. Fail
ure to obtain reinforcements to combat
the Franco-British armies, it is believed
here, may force the German Crown
Prince to retreat beyond the Aisne,
possibly to the Chemin-des-Dames.
If the offensive from Montdidier to>
Albert is successful and the army cr
von Marwitz is forced to retreat, the
armies of von Hutier and von Eben,
which are located between Montdidier
and Soissons, will be in danger of a
compulsory retirement.
Foe in Panic
Quits Guns as
Tanks Charge
Continued from paRe I
Dodo Wood and Hamel Wood and the
nearby high ground.
Slightly north of hero the British
batteries moved forward so rapidly
that they were up and firing in their
new positions thirty minutes after
midnight when the infantry went over
the top, followed, at first, in this par?
ticular case, by the tanks 1,000 yard?
to the rear.
Heavy Mist Covers Field
At 6 o'clock the weather was so
thick that objects twenty yards away
hardly were visible, and the British
were not slow to take the opportunity
to plunge through under its protection.
About 0:45 the first prisoners began
coming back. They were unwounded
and looked clean, as if they had just
come off parade, showing how com?
plete had been the surprise. The Brit?
ish pounced on them before they had
the slightest chance to give battle.
The prisoners that arrived later were
not so clean and they came rearward
and carrying wounded on stretchers.
The British army, which had started
with a thunderous roar, by 7 o'clock
had quieted down to a virtual silence.
This was because the artillery had
ceased firing while it was being ad?
vanced to keep up with the infantry
and the tanks. It was the tanks which
by 7 o'clock had rolled ponderously
into Cerisy, driving out the enemy, and
a few hours later in a difficult man?u?
vre took the woods opposite.
Tanks Cross the Avre
The tanks crossed the Avre and did
excellent work here, too. with the in?
fantry. On the peninsula between the
Ancre and the Somme the British capt?
ured many guns.
Reports from the south say that
things are going in splendid fashion
there and that the French have been
equally as successful as the British.
Hastily organized counter attacks have
developed here and there along the
line, especially north of the Somme,
but so far all are reported to have I
broken down under the hot lire of the i
Allies.
It may b>> taken for granted that !
further enemy counter strokes will de- !
velop, either organized from the forces
now in front of the Allied troops or
from fresh forces that Crown Prince
Rupprecht undoubtedly will try t<>
hurry up from other sectors. Further
reports of heavy fighting, therefore,
may be expected.
German Vandalism
Spurs Americans to
Fight More Fiercely
LONDON, Aug. 8. Colonel lioose- !
vclt's advice of not to hit soft is hard?
ly needed by the American troops be?
tween Soissons and Rhcims, says
Reuter's correspondent on the Amer?
ican front. There has been no soft
hitting on the part of the Americans
thus far nor any inclination in that
direction.
"The Germans asked for a rough
war, und by heaven we are here to
see that they get it," is the remark
of one American soldier reported by j
the correspondent, who says the Ger?
mans who fought in the Marne salient ?
doublt less realize that fact.
"
Official Allied \ Statements
BRITISH
LONDON (NIGHT).?The opera?
tions commenced this morning on the
Amiens front by the French First
Army, under command of General
Debentry, and the British Fourth
Army, under Sir Henry J?awlinson,
are proceeding successfully. The as?
sembly of Allied troops was com?
pleted under cover of night, un?
noticed by the enemy.
At the hour of assault French,
Canadian, Australian and English di?
visions, assisted by a large number
of British tanks, stormed the Ger?
mans on a front of over twenty
miles, from the Avre River at
Braches to the neighborhood of Mor?
lancourt. The enemy was taken by
surprise and at all points the Al?
lied troops made rapid progress.
At an early hour our first objec?
tives had been reached on the whole
of the front attacked. During the
morning the advance of the Allied
infantry continued, actively assisted
by British cavalry, light tanks and
motor machine gun batteries.
The resistance of German divisions
in the line was overcome at certain
points after sharp fighting, and many
prisoners and a number of guns were
captured by our troops.
The French troops, attacking with
great gallantry, crossed the Avre
River ai'.d, despite the enemy's op?
position, carried hostile defences.
North of the Somme the greater
part of our final objectives were
gained before noon, but in the nigh
borhood of Chipilly and south oi
Morlancourt parties of the cnemj
observed prolonged resistance.
In both localities the lighting was
heavy,. but ultimately our troop!
broke down the opposition of tin
Ge| man infantry and gained their :
objectives.
fcouth of the Somme the gallantry
of the Allied infantry and the dash
unf vigor of thei'- attack had gained
duvng the afternoon the final ob?
jectives for the day on practinlly
thejwhole of the battle-front.
Assisted by our light tanks and
I armored cars, cavalry passed through
the infantry and beyond our ob?
jectives, riding down the German
transport and limbers in their re?
treat and capturing villages and tak?
ing many prisoners.
The general line reached by our
troops runs from Plessier-Rozain
villers to JJeaucourt, to Caix. to
Frame rv i lie, to Chipilly and to the
west of Morlancourt.
No accurate estimate can be given
concerning the number of prisoners
or guns or the amount of material
captured, but. it is known that sev?
eral thousand prisoners and many
guns have fallen into our hands.
LONDON (DAY). At dawn this
morning the British Ith army and
the French 1st army, under command
of Field Marshal Haig, attacked on a
wide front cast and southeast of
Amiens. Reports indicate that the
attack is progressing satisfactorily
FRENCH
PARIS (NIGHT). The attack
made this morning by our troops
southeast of Amiens, in conjunction
with British troops, continues in
good order. The details are given
in the British communication.
PARIS (DAY). At 5 o'clock this
morning (Thursday) French troops
in company with British forces at?
tacked in the region southeast of
Amiens. The attack is developing
under favorable conditions.
Italian Retirement
In Albania Stopped
| Allies Now Occupying Strong
Positions and Still
Hold Berat
LONDON,'Aug; 8.?Advices received
I in London are to the effect that the
I Italian retirement in Albania has been
? stopped and that the Allies are now
; occupying strong positions and still
hold Berat. Bacsu. in the Caucasus,
is still occupied by Armenians. The
Turks attacked the town August ". but
were repulsed.
The Turkish operations in the Cau?
casus are said to be in disregard of
German wishes.
WASHINGTON,'Aug. 8. A telegram
from Rome to the Italian Embassy to?
day says:
"The Austrians on the Albanian
front are profiting by the period of in?
activity to strengthen their lines ol
resistance. The only actions of anj
importance in the last few days wen
incursions by the Italian cavalrj
against the enemy's flank south o
K?ci and attacks by the infantrj
against the enemy units which, profit
ing from the shallowness of the river
succeeded in crossing west of Kuci
They were Iriven back north of tht
Semeni.
"According to reliable information
reinforcements are floooding tin
enemy's front. General Pflanzer ha
ordered the placing of machine gun
on the heights north of Kuci Moun
tain to prevent his own troops, hell
under the fire of our cannon, fron
passing the Semeni, according to re
port."
Former Bellevue Interne
Gets Croix de Guer?
First Lieutenant Max Philip Cowot
of Chicopee Falls, Mass., who was a
interne and house physician at Belli
vue Hospital from 1915 to 1917, h;
been awarded the Croix do Guerre r<
conspicuous gallantry. Word of th
honor paid the young physician, wh
was called Into the service last fal
was received yesterday in a letter I
one of tho presenl staff at the ho.
pit al.
Dr. Gowetl was graduated fro
Bellevue Medical College m 1915 hi:
was Immediately assigned to Bellevi
Ho..-pitnl.
Says Americans Have
Turned Battle Scale
"Westminster Gazette" Corre?
spondent Argues Against Giv?
ing Foe Breathing Spell
I ONDON, Aug. 8.?-The military cor
: respondent of "The Westminster Ga?
zette." combatting the proposal that
the Entente Allies should mark tima
while accumulating men and materials,
asks: "What will be the value of men
or material if meanwhile the blunder
is committed of giving the enemy a
breathing : pace and of treating the
energy and freshness of tin- American
troops as of no account? Our lirst
?concern is to hit the enemy hard and
, to keep on hitting."
The Cern?an offensive might have
gone on had not the Americans ap?
peared in .strength, he says, and adds:
"The appearance of the Americans in
time has killer! the enemy offensive
Their weight and value already have
turned the campaign right around.
"The suggestion that, owing to thei
i newness in staff work, the American:
need time to tit their necks to the col
lar ?s on a par with the suggestioi
that an expanded British army couh
? not be relied on to fight well. Th
| American troops, as it is, are equa
to any in the world. It is not a disad
, vantage to come to the. tactics of to
I day with an open, alert mind. It is a
i advantage.
"The public believes in American in
fervenlion out and out, and the pul:
lie is right. The Now World has, i
literal truth, redressed the balance r
the Old World and the balance ha
been redressed once for all."
338 'Planes Downed t>:
French Airmen in Jul;
PARIS, Aug. 8. "During the mont
of .Iu!y 184 enemy airplanes wei
downed." says a statement by tr
French War Office. "One hundred ar
fifty-four were seen falling out of cot
trol inside the enemy lines, of whii
number fifteen had been damaged I
the tire of our anti-aircraft guns. Thi
338 enemy machines were destroyed i
badly damaged.
"In addition, our airplanes set <
fire forty-nine enemy captive balloor
''During the same month our hoi
barding squadrons during the daytir
dropped 194 tons of explosives and
the nighttime more than .'loti toi
thus making a total of 550 tons dropp
on bndges in the Maine Valli
on enemy troops that had advanc
south of Aisne, and mi railroad static)
in the region of Laon, Hirson a
Bethel."
Americans ht Our Side, Victory
Is in Sight, Retain Tells French
PARIS, Aug. 8.?General P?tain, commander in chief of the French,
armies, has issued the following order of the day to the French troops:
Four years of effort, with our stanch allies; four years of trials
stoically endured, begin to bear fruit.
His fifth attempt in 1918 smashed, the invader retreats, his man
power decreases and his morale wavers, while at your side your
American brothers have no sooner landed than they have made a
baffled enemy feel the weight of their blows.
Incessantly placed in the advanced guard of the Allied peoples,
you have prepared tVie triumphs of to-morrow.
Not long ago I said to you:
ABNEGA riON. PA TIENCE, VOIR COMRADES ARE ARRIVING.
To-day 1 say :
TEN ACHY, AUDACITY: YOU SHALL FORCE VICTOR)'.
Soldiers of France, I salute your banners illuminated with new
glory.
Military Comment
By William L. McPherson
Copyright, 1918, by The Tribune Association (The Neic York Tribune)
ONE thing Ludendorff will not
have to do this morning.
He will not have to ask
General Baron von Ardenne, the
distinguished military critic of the
"Berliner Tageblatt": "Well, gen?
eral, have we recovered the of?
fensive'.'"
Ludendorff hasn't recovered the
offensive. And it looks as if recov?
ering the offensive is the last thing
that will worry him for some time
to come. With him it isn't a ques?
tion of driving any more salients
into the Allied lines in France, but
ni' extricating himself from the
salients he has already driven.
The Marne salient played him a
shabby turn. Now he is in equally
serious trouble in the Montdidiei
salient. Foch shot again yesterday
a bolt out of the blue very like thai
with which just three weeks ago h(
smashed the exposed German righl
wing between Soissons and Ch?teat
Thierry. Under the command o I
Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig ar
English army and a French armj
broke through the Crown Prince o'
Bavaria's lines south of the Sommt
and in one day attained objective;
which put them on the flank ant
rear of the German forces holding
all the lower part of the old Mont
dider salient and the smaller salien
created early in June by the thir<
German drive?out of Lassigny fo;
Compi?gne.
The initial success of this strok
was even greater than the initia
success of -the Franco-Americai
drive on July 18 last from Villers
Cotteretts Forest. The front at
tacked yesterday was between Mor
lancourt. a short distance north o
the Somme, to Braches, belo?
Moreuil?a stretch of over twent
miles. North of the Somme and be
low Moreuil the operation was of a
holding character. The main pene?
tration was up the south bank of
the Somme, up the Luce River Val?
ley and northeastward from Mo?
reuil. In this area there was a maxi?
mum advance of eight and a half
miles, from the Villers-Bretonneux
plateau east to Framerville, which
' lies a couple of miles north-north?
east of the important railroad junc
! tion of Rosi?res-en-Santerre.
The Allies have driven a huge
wedge into the German positions. It
? is in the form of a right angle. The
southern tip rests on the Avre
River at Braches. Thence the line
runs northeast, through Plessier
Rozainvillers to Beaucourt, which is
j four miles east of Moreuil; then to
! Caix, which is two to three miles
j west of Rosi?res-en-Santerre; then
I to Framerville, at the apex, two
1 miles north-northeast of Rosi?res.
j From this point the upper leg turns
northwest toward the Somme, pass
! ing through Chipilly, just north of
i the river, and bending back to the
, old Allied line west of Morlancourt,
' a little below Albert. It is a
! formidable wedge. representing
j more progress for the first day than
has been attained by any other of?
fensive?German or Allied?on the
\ Western front. It needs only to be
' driven in and widened to the south
' to put the whole German line from
; Montdidier to La F?re in peril.
As in the case of the offensive
against the west side of the Marne
salient, the Allied objective was a
railroad?the north-and-south line
coming down from Albert and Bra\
i to Montdidier. This is the main real
: supply line of the German front be
low the Somme. It makes a curv<
to the east around Rosi?res-en-San?
terre, where it crosses an east-and
? west railroad running from Amiens
Retreating Boches Leave
Death Traps in Wake
Wires in Abandoned Chateau Connected to Powerful
Explosives?300 Live Shells Left in Cellar of
Ruined House to Kill Pursuing Allies
By Wilbur Forrest
{Special Cable to Ihr Tribune)
(Copyright. 191S, by Tha Tribune Association)
WITH THE AMERICAN FORCES IX
THE FIELD, Aug. 8.? Two American
engineer officers from California to?
day told The Tribune correspondent
how they had foiled an act of Ger?
man treachery and vandalism seldom
equalled in this war.
Following the steadfast policy of
employing extreme caution in the ex?
amination of anything the Germans
leave behind them intact, officers were
the first to enter an ancient ch?teau
north of Ville-en-Tardenois after it
was abandoned by a German divisional
statf who had occupied it for several
weeks.
Strands of wire running throughout
the structure into practically every
room and scattered carelessly in the
hallway seemed to ind'eate that the
staff had abandoned the place precipi?
tately without taking the time ever
to cut the telephone and telegraph con
nections. The fact that the enemy ir
his customary manner had not smasher
mirrors and carried off all cxpensiv<
bric-a-brac as well ns the fact tha
the chateau was almost intact arouse*
suspicion immediately.
The wires therefore rem. ined un
touched until examination proved tha
they were connected with great quan
tities of powerful explosives ingen
iously hidden under the floors and at
tached to the wires so that careles
tripping over the latter would sen
the chateau and every one within sk
high.
The Ch?teau de Fere is well know
in France and is owned by the ancien
Villeneuve family. It was built i
1539, within a stone's throw of whs
now are the historic ruins of its pr?t
eccssor, built in HOu.
(?ireful inspection elicited the infoi
mat ion that the wires also extend?
to the ruins, wherein about a ton c
explosives would have dealt with
great standing archway representin
one of the most perfect specimens i
twelfth century architecture remainin
in France.
Thus the enemy's trap failed con
plotoly. More than three tons of e:
plosives were removed from the di?tes
and ruins after the wires had bee
carefully cut. The Tribune corr
spondent personally investigated the
chateau affair to-day.
Another ancient though less well
known chateau, in the vicinity of Fcre
en-Tardenois was blown up when the
(ierrnans left.
Wherever they had time death traps
were left for the unwary. The cellar
of the ruined ch?teau near La Vraine
Farm was found to contain 300 live
shells, each with its fuse attached to
| a wire which would have detonated
all if disturbed. A road and a bridge
near by were mined with a time fuse,
which was destroyed by the Americans
before it was detonated.
Another act of shameful vandalism
which should damn forever those re?
sponsible was personally investigated
by the correspondent to-day in the vil
I l?ge of Beauvardes. The French civil
i ?an dead in the village cemetery had
? been exhumed and German military
dead buried in their places. The grave?
yard had already suffered from terrible
shellfire, massive tombstones in many
j cases being pulverized.
Profiting from voluminous reports
from the French General Staff regard
j ing hundreds of death traps which the
I Germans had left in the Aisne region
when they retreated in 1917, American
losses from similar devices during the
present retreat have been ni!.
The destruction of Novon. wherein
among others two French Deputies were
killed, forms an exact parallel to the
attempted destruction of the Chateau
de Fere. However, vandalism which
cannot be frustrated only strengthens
the determination of every American
that the Germans must pay dearly in
I legitimate warfare in the future.
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_ADVERTISEMENT
KNOXl
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to Nesles, Ham, I.a pere ??
Laon. This is a vital line of PPit
mun ?cation between the German lin
facing west below Amiens and-th
German line facing south beb'
Lassigny and Noyon.
The Miies crossed the north-am
south railroad before they reach?
Framerville. They are now ?n
position to envelop Rosi?res-en-Sai
terre and Lo make both lines us
less. They also threaten the Ge
man north-and-south railroad lii
from Chaulnes to Roye, and then
south into the Ressons-sur-M,
salient.
Yesterday's offensive seems
have caught. Ludendo?ff asleep. B
there was no reason why
shouldn't have been prepared for
There have been for four or fj
weeks past the same prelimina
activities on this front as preced
Foch's blow against the west si
of the Marne salient. The All
have pushed their lines ah?
steadily. Recently the Crown Prit
of Bavaria seemed to have tal
alarm. He withdrew his forces
the west side of the Avre River,
surrendered the initiative ;
strengthened his defence. ]
when the blow came his lines i
lapsed. His armies did not re?
slightly to prepared positions :
then stand and tight. They
hurriedly. They were von-Hutiei
One hundred cuns were lost
7,000 prisoners.
Foch's strategy has become
orously offensive. It is the strat
he delights in. And (he exp<
German salients on the West fi
give him ample opportunity
practise his theory of an econom
offensive. Big results can
achieved at a moderate cost w
the enemy refuses to recognize
peril involved in defending p'osit
which have no value except for
fensive purposes.
The old Hindenburg line whs
excellent defensive line. If the (
mans are now definitely pir
down to the defensive (as they g
to be), their only safety lies in
ting hack to that line, But cet
back now may prove a very troi
some and very costly operation.
If anything was Needed to s
the false position in which Lu
d<_ rff now stands, the Marne op
tion, followed quickly by the Soi
operation, furnishes evidence s
cient to overwhelm even a Ger
military critic.
Concerning Fits
'I he gentlemen you see up
there in the eirele are not I'?r'
amount customers. Bui diey
ought to In .
Long, lean, short or fat, ??
have your size and arm length
in those fine Par amount Dr
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One of tin mam advan?
tages of having five bus?
shops -a big, varii d stock to
please all comer-..
Ties, rollars. underwear,
socks too alway s the best at
standard prices. And back
goes your money . quick as >
uink. if you aren t satisfied.
No grouches here. Our job
is to make friends and hold
them.
(nine in today and sff he*
it feels to deai with dtntf?'
cans.
t. onliall v
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