Show UNS' UNS ON V VESLE LE i ii i i I Bf p 14 f c 1 1 t 1 1 1 1 HAIGS HAIG'S FORCES SWEEP ACROSS CANAL DU NORD NORDIs NORDI I Enemy Is Expected to Make I f e 5 Stand Behind Rebin nd Big Ditch Bitch as 5 Tanks 5 Cannot Maneuver l el to immediate I V Wrest West cst of Cambrai Associated Press With the American Army on the Vesle Front Sept 4 A A German withdrawal from the Vesle has begun Combat patrols of Americans and French are close on their heels to the west of Bazoches and eastward toa to toa a point beyond Fismes Smart machine gun resistance is being encountered By all indications the Germans have withdrawn their main bodies to the north possibly preparatory pre pree para tory to crossing the Aisne Light forces of Americans have advanced their lines some north of the Vesle Associated Press W WITH ITH THE BRITISH ARM IN FRANCE Sept 4 British British troops are on the Canal du tIn Ford Kord practically along its whole length from Peronne to north of the Arras Arras Cambrai road and in the south sonth at two places where There the canal is only onh about half constructed at Ruyaulcourt and Mois- Mois w lains Patrols are pushing forward Along Alon the canal to the north the enemy is holding the east cast bank bonk apparently apparently ap in great strength anti and has been cen using his machine guns guns' freely all aU day Patrols have been heavily hen fired upon The Germans have hate desho destroyed ed all the bridges and crossings over o the canal Exhausted and in confusion the enemy is being subjected to heavy shell h ll fire But the thc British for the moment are making no DO attempt to drive him lim further J It appears l' l that the b G Germans r ans intended to make mak a a. desperate stand here in m front of trio tho famous Bourlon wood and Camb Cambrai al The 1101 Northern them part pad part part-of of the thc line is is' being cleared d. d Allied Amell troops tr ops are nrc making mak ak ri rif progress pr gle astride it in Iii a n southeasterly s direction North of the the the-Peronne Peronne the British have advanced to the east ast and while the actions have ha not been fought bt with the violence which characterized those in the past four da lays days s 's being mainly between strong strong- British advanced ad patrols anti and German a rear ear guards additional ground round has bas been gained The enemy artillery seems to have ha stiffened all nIl alon along the line Villages have been taken at the Hie crest of the advance had bad previously previously pre i been heen evacuated by the enemy In at nt least one town some French in inhabitant inhabitants inhabitants in- in habitants habitant including women managed to hide bide s 's in the cellars and alter enduring several days In s 's of shell fire first from the approaching British then from the retreating Germans finally were rescued When British troops approached the town of St. Quentin Q lentin three men in in civilian clothing emerged to meet them On the strength of tho the story they the told the British troops rushed into the town and there found six forty persons thirty of whom were hiding in in cellars They were helped o out t anti and come came back across the hat battle lIe field struggling over o shell sheH craters and occasionally menaced by u a hail bail of indirect machine gun fire from the W Germans It was a strange and pitiful situation Both men and women had hod been under the domination of the Germans since September 1914 the thc they hadnot had hadnot hadnot not seen a single allied soldier since then for fOl this tins was the tho first t time me that tho the ground round in the locality of their village had been out of the possession of or orthe the Germans German since the beginning beginning- of the war Survivors Are Overcome by Rescue There were unkempt old Frenchmen staring at the tile bare shell shattered fields and roads alive c with ith troops and women carrying parcels or Continued on Page 2 1 I Haigs Haig's Forces Sweep Across Canal Du D Nord Continued From P. Page e 1 their few v children fiel fields pushing perambulators bearing belongings or 01 across s' s where one o of the most furious h battles of the war hn had been l fO fought ht They The were almost delirious with joy as tc they e their way to the rear between long stretches of guns glues ambulances ambulance horses and khaki clad soldier soldiers On the tile road rend they 1 passed men Ines who ho had hail d been wounded or 01 l killed I the combination of such sights and th tutor their ir grateful emotions at being delivered ered from the Germans sending tears streaming lows down thin cheeks More lore than ono one laughed and Hul cried alternately as m they again ain trod the free soil of France nn and tried to thank tho soldiers who had helped them from their bon bondage age The three men who had first come out of the time town to meet tho British returned r today but the rest of the party becoming by the enem enemy shell fire had found shelter in the du dugout out at nt the front They were given warm food and advised ad to remain there for a n while One man told a story of how when the time town was gassed ossed he lie ha had searched around until he found a dead German wearing wearing- a n has gas as mask taking it back bad to his mother who was hiding in a cellar On September 3 1 1 he lie said Raid the entire population was ordered evacuated b by the Germans Some decided that rather than to miss the chance of escape thy would hide and await de de- de liverance Tho The Germans anxious to get bet away themselves did not take e timeto time time- timeto to search the town thoroughly The TIle refugees said that since the food had steadily become worse until at last it was just enough h to keep them alive but it did hl not give i e them sufficient strength to work It H was vas almost impossible for them to get het clothing clouting They ha had not been allowed to leave leae their little town since the Ule Germans first swept into it almost four years ago ngo Headquarters Headquarters' reports from the northern part of t the he front say that further progress has been een made at several places along the line Enemy Likely T To Make Stand Soon Associated Press London Sept d A- A Field J. Field Marshal Haig's Haigs s 's forces today crossed the Canal du qu Nord and find reached the western outskirts out of Neuville nearly a n mile to the east of the canal according n to advices received here tonight fr from m the battle front I The British also reached the north northwestern part of Havrincourt Ifa wood Other British forces occupied loe l ivres six miles west of Cambrai Th The Canal du Nord was crossed by the British on a front of or three miles I North of Peronne British patrols entered l and crossed the canal there The British firmly hold bold Manancourt t and As regards tho time course of or the battle on the British front where here the Germans have hae installed themselves behind the Canal du Nord there was no indication today just holy ko strongly the enemy intended to resist on this line and the front northward along the time Sensed It is believed belie he will make an effort at nt a stand however as the canal offers a n good line of defense the huge dry ditch precluding tank lank work immediately to the west of of Cambrai The Time canal is farther south an and the tanks could penetrate the theline theline theline line there in the time opinion of the experts Enemy Troops Depleted by Losses It has been definitely established that in tr trying ing to stem the lie drive begun beg by Iby h the time lie August 8 S the Germans have hae twice use used twenty five five of their divisions di Ei Eight ht other divisions have been recreated and sent back into I Ithe the fighting w with th three companies comp nies instead of the normal four to a battalion At least two divisions of of Austrian troops have been in action I IThe The The British British losses are firc still reported lighter than limn might be expected is iD IB operations of this magnitude lude The tactics of the Germans in Flanders where the line moved moed sli slightly slight 1 forward main ain today leads to lo the belief that the enemy intends ulti ultimately to retire to the line held hed in 1917 This is cast of or the ri ridge ge where here it is reasonable to assume t that the enemy will at ot least fight a n strong I rear guard action French Make l Gains Northeast of Noyon 0 Paris Sept Sopt 4 4 In 4 In ad addition to forcing forc forc- ft forcing rc- rc ing th the Germans to retreat north of the Olse and on the Vesie front the 1 rench toda today made big gains northeast northeast north north- east eaRt of or Noyon oon according to tho the war office announcement tonight ht The greatest gains were made north of or tho the Vesle which has been crossed on a front of or nei nearl nearly twenty miles mho Tho statement r roads reads ds Our troops after alter having broken on Oil tho preceding days the stubborn resistance of ot the lie enemy forced him toda today to retreat north of the Oise and andon andon andon on the Vesle front Between n the Canal du u Nord ord and the Olse Oise our advanced nd elements on tho the heels of ot the tile enemy nem rearguards ha have hagon gon gone 1 be beyond Liber- Liber I r- r mont and reached the time outskirts of or and occupied the Boise Doise de L Further south our line extends C I n along long Guiscard neau l s Mondescourt and 1 More lole to the ea east t we wo crossed the Allette and reached re Marizelle l northeast of ot The enem enemy I left ft In our hands numerous prisoners guns and mi material and considerable blo supplies Between the and the Aisne Ahme the thO battle continued on the plateau north of or Sols ons Menaced d on Kis is rl right hl flank tine the enEm enemy has hns retired north of or tho time V Y Vesle We c took Long Le and I north of the Aisne Further to the tho right our troops troop having hn crossed the on a front of or orI Urt thirty kilometers kilometer advanced ond b b Chassemy Brer lle Vaux- Vaux I cere and y and pained gained a footIng footIng foot- foot Ing Ins on the lie northern crest of or Baslieux |