Salt Lake Herald-Republican | 1918-08-04 | Page 7 | Yanks Hammer Retreating Foe Toward Aisne

J ANKS HAMMER RETREATING FOE TOWARD AISNE Pershing in Direct Command land landof of More l Than Million l Men len llenin in His Own Area Washington Aug 3 The 3 The first army corps commanded by Major General Hunter Hunter- Liggett Is still Ull driving at the center of or the retreating German lines tines and hn haT has reached Fismes the enemy's enem 5 main ba base e for the Marne battle theatre according to the French announcement announcement announcement an an- tonight There was wall every e Indication the enemy could not halt hall his retirement short of or th the Aisne line Within a few hours today unofficial advices showed that the whole line had surged forward to tho the Vesle Aisne-Vesle front and thrown cavalry patrols be beyond beyond beyond be- be yond It General March farch announced General Pershing now had more than a million men under his direct command In his own area Presumably bly he referred to the section of or the front rant from north Continued on Page S. S YANKS HAMMER FOE TOW ARO AISNE AISME Continued from PC Paso C 1 of oC Verdun to the Swiss border where American troops have ha been rapid rapidly taking over tho line The first army corps first of the major tactical American Amer Arner- lean ican units to be bo formed probably represents represents rep rep- resents relents the mobile reserve to be bp contributed con con- b by General to th flit x pooled reserves rC plan and Is counted ala as al asa asa a part of the million men There are arc eight divisions of ot Americans AmerIcans Americans Amer Amer- or In the nel neighborhood of m men n now In the fighting zono zone where the great battle Is going forward and anti I General March pointed out that General Gen Gen- General eral LI Liggett gett had set his hla headquarters In the center of ot the line where his MX six with divisions are arc assembled together two additional divisions dl General LI I Iett zett ett Is the thc first American officer to to command a n wl wide e section of oC the front fron and anti to hh his lot has fallen Callen the advance that th has han broken the back of ot the this German German Ger Ger- man effort to halt his lino line within the salient linn hun Droll Carpet Mount General March again described the objective of ot tIle the American and allied drive as the other arm army It was apparent that he expected it to be pressed vigorously and effort be bc made to destroy destro as much of oC the thc crown princes prince's fighting force torce as possible He lie read a aI cabled report show showing In that vast quan quan- of ot guns juns ammunition anti and war material ma ma- I had been captured and that th the German dead around cn Fere carpeted the ground Tho The principal portion of General Genera March's statement follows follows- When hen I spoke to you ou last on Wednesday th the two opposing lines had hall been nearly stationary and anti cna en engaged en- en aed a ed In more or less desperate fightIng fightIng fighting fight- fight Ing during July Jul- 30 and 31 Since that time blows on both flanks were re resIsted resisted re- re slated by tho the Germans until on August August Aug Aug- List 1 I heavy attacks b by the British and French on the plateau south of ot and further southeast south south- cast east around bent back the enemy's line lino at this point for tor a distance dis lIs- lance tance something like two miles The result of ot these blows on the tile flanks Janks forced Corcell a n. retirement along the entire German front on August 2 On the west flank lank the enem enemy h had hai d to retire across the Crisc Crise river and tho the French walked RII Into Soissons In Ii Inthe tho the center dunin during the da day dav of August 2 2 the retirement covered an average distance of ot from three to four our miles mileson on a front of ot thirty miles Final Advance One Mile U II f On tho the east flank on tho the heights west of oC Rheims our advance was finally on a n tour mile front for a tL distance distance distance dis dis- tance of about one mile Our line lino last evening c ran nearly parallel to tho the valle valley of the combined Vesle and Ardre rivers ers and the distance distance dis dis- tance tanco from where wo ae aro are to their position position po po- po- po which Is a a. more or less natural defensive e position Is only a little more than six miles The Tho perimeter of oC this gradually di diminishing diminishing di- di salient has now come como down downto to forty eight miles on August 2 Z from seventy four miles at the tho start The depth of oC the enemy's retirement Is Isnow Isnow isnow now sixteen miles During this advance beginning with tho the counteroffensive we e have ha had eight United States divisions now engaged First engaged First Second Third Fourth Twenty sixth Twenty-eighth Twenty Thirty Thirty- second and Forty second Wo Yo have located d definitely the troops which were engaged against the tho Fourth Prussian Guar They were ere tho the Fort Fors For For- ty second t s division the Rainbow divi divI- divIsion sion The uThe objective of ot our forces Is still sUll the enemy's ni-my ni and tho the success of or orthe the advance Is Indicated b by tho the confidential confidential cablegram which I j am going to read to you Embark In July An officer of or General Muirs Muir's Twenty eighth division Just returned from Fere en reports that It does not seem possible for tor an nn arm army to have havo gathered as aa man many nany guns as much ammunition as the Germans had abandoned abandoned aban aban- In their retreat which had been so hasty hast that they the had not tie to bury iry their dead The ground was so covered coy cov ered with corpses that It was Impossible ble to advance athance without walking over them and further that the advance of ot tho el eighth Twenty division hall hail been extremely rapid In Ill spite te of oC the fact that their position was some somo distance from the nearest railroad In connection with the tho American forces abroad there has been some discussion die dis about tho the proportion of the forces which Is brigaded with the British lInt Brit ish and I will sa say that General Per Per- slung has In his own area aiea as his own on force torce not brigaded with the tho British over I The number of or men embarked durIn durIng during dur dur- In ing the tho month of oC July Just closed was over That breaks the tho record the tho previous high record was In the preceding month when we e reached The number of oC m man n embarked to toI I France Is now over It was ns In reply to questions that General March revealed that tho the first American army corps under General GeneralLI LI Liggett ett Is operating as a unit on the sector southeast of or en Fere Ho He also revealed that the tho Thirty fifth division has replaced tho the Thirty-second Thirty division on the Swiss frontier General March farch refused to reveal re the Identity of or the combatant unit sent to Italy saying he did not think tho the unit had been identified by b he enemy So Sotar Sotar tar far as has been reported this unit has not yet actually entered the tho firing line tho the general f said cald The Tho ninth Eighty division Gen General ral March said has reached France but no further report as to its location has been received I s