view raw text
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS OF GREAT WAR WARTiie Tiie allies have not only effectively stopped the German drive but have launched the biggest offen ¬ sive move made by them this year The French army headquarters report that the French yester ¬ day morning delivered an attack along the line from the ISiver Aisnc as far south as the region of rellcau a front of about twentyfive miles and made progress at certain points of between one and i half and two miles The situation on the Mcrne and Champagne fronts is unchanged Early in the movement prisoners taken in the advance began coming in The northern point of the front of attack is the town of Fontcnoy nearly a mile north of the Hiver Aisne On the front beyond Ithcims east of the Vesle river an attack by German guard units was completely repulsed In the fighting on the front of the German offensive thu French last night stopped the Germans in the face of violent attacks which the enemy launched southwest of NantcuilLaFosse between the Marne and Ilhcims IlhcimsIteports Iteports reaching London late yesterday after ¬ noon say that the French have gained from two to four miles everywhere on the twentyfive mile front of their new offensive between the Aisne and Marne and that they have captured several thou ¬ sand prisoners and twenty guns gunsThe The Americans are advancing witii the French on the twentyfive mile front between Soissons and Chateau Thierry cables a correspondent from the American headquarters in France The Americans had captured more than a dozen towns and vil ¬ lages taken many prisoners and advanced nearly two miles tip to noon Up to the hour of cabling the Americans had captured the following towns west of Chateau Thierry VillerIIeldou Dammard Courchamps LicyClignon Monthicrs Torcy Bel leau Givray St Gengoulph llautesvenes and other small villages farms heights and woods including Givcry wood The advance reached a depth of three kilometers within three hours after it began Many towns within that depth northward clear to Fontenoy were taken by the Americans and the French The greatest force of Americans which has as yet participated in a single engagement is advancing with the French in this offensive which was launched at 430 this morning Eighteen camion were captured by the French and Americans Latest remits say that the American troops are still ad ¬ vancing along the whole of the twentyfive mile front on which they are cooperating with the French in todays counteroffensive counteroffensiveAccording According to the Associated Press summary of the situation this mornings attack represents what apparently is an important strategic move by Gen Foch the allies commander in chief to counter Hie German blow farther south along the Marnc and on the line to Khoims It is along the line now under attack that the notable series of operations which immediately preceded the start of the present German offensive was carried out by the French and Americans according to an apparently well con ¬ ceived plan of cooperation between the two forces Marked gains were made by the French day bj day in the region southwest of Soissons and farther south along the front edging the forest of Villers Cotlerets The Americans for their part took pos ¬ session of the entire Belleau wood captured the village of Vans close to Chateau Thierry and ad ¬ vanced their lines notably to positions where their guns commanded the villages of Iiourcsches Bel leau and Torcy along the CHgnon river It was quite generally assumed at the time that these attacks were merely for defensive purposes to fort ¬ ify the line against a possible renewal of the Ger ¬ man assault in this direction There were hints however that there might be more important plans behind the persistent aggressive of the allies This front has been pointed to as the logical one for an offensive stroke by Gen Foch when he con ¬ sidered the time opportune to take the aggressive as its success would pinch off the entire Marnc salient and if carried through rapidly would in ¬ evitably result in the capture of large numbers of the enemy and quantities of his guns and ma ¬ terial
