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LATEST DEVELOPMENTS OF GREAT WAR According to Associate Press dispatches of late yesterday the American and French troops have be ¬ gun a turning movement that if successful will compiI a German retirement over a wide sector east of FeroenTardenois at the center of the SoissonsRhcims salient salientThey They have attacked over a front of more than three miles on each side of the village of Xesles the apex of the allied wedge north of the Ourcq Their greatest advance was toward the east where the Americans pushed on some distance from the town of Sorgy and approached Chamery ChameryAlthough Although the announced purpose of the attack was the straightening out of the line between Seringes and Cierges this is really secondary to the out ¬ flanking of the Germans to the southward The enemy is holding strong positions at Rondures and St Gemme where his line is still less than five miles from the Marne and a continued advance between Xesles and Merges would force him to fall back to escape being cut off from the rear rearA A dispatch from the American army headquar ¬ ters on the Marne front says the Germans are using less artillery depending on theit machine gunners This with the stories of prisoners and deserters indicates plans for a new withdrawal to the Vesle river A deserter said orders had been issued for a series of retirements until Fismes on the Vesle was reached The Germans Wednesday used a new gas having a white flame and smoke smokeThe The allies brought into action their heavy artil ¬ lery their aviators and patrols having repbrted mile after mile of barlnd wire standing along the Gorman lines The heavy guns soon found the range of the entanglements Sonic enemy infantry had dug in behind the wires but the lines were for the most part manned by machine gunners gunnersThe The Gorman artillery reply consisted chiefly of shells from the 77s and 105s The machine gnus with the heavier pieces indicated were active in an effort to prevent an allied advance advanceThe The purjHjse of the American and French attack which was in a northeasterly direction is prob ¬ ably for the purpose of outflanking the Meuniere wood and in cutting off the blunt edged salient in the line Itetween Boniingny and Cierges This salient was made more acute by the American ad ¬ vance north from Cierges to Seriuges
