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Show HUNS OH IK i OF NECESSITY Are Now Flying Eastward From Their Old Battle Positions. a Seeking Some Haven of fj Safety From Allied Hawks' Talons. I By the Associated Press. L On the wings of necessity the Germans ig are flying eastward from their old battle (I positions from Douai to ! .a Fere ami ' northward from La Fere to the Meusc j river. Their flight is toward some haven of safety from the talons of the allied j hawks which everywhere are menacing ? them. , i Meanwhile there have been sent broad- cast further reports that Austria-Hungary i and Turkey, seeing, that the trend of J events spells ultimate defeat, have in- formed Germany that they will accept n President Wilson's peace terms. Not- vj withstanding the advantages that are be- jj ins achieved over the common enemy on the battlefronts and the reace feelers in the air. President Wilson. Secretary of !j State Lansing, Secretary of tjie Treasury j WcAdoo and. In fact, all the high of- tj flcials of the government are warning the American citizenry that the situation still tj 1b critical and that every one should rally to the support of the fourth Liberty jj loan. U Allies Advancing. G All along the battlefront the allied H troops are advancing. From the south of W Douai to the east of Laon the enemy jj evervwhere is giving ground eastward. P The famous Chemin-des-Dames. the ridge B which the Germans had believed to be U an Insurmountable harrier to an advance nortliward from Soissons. is being evacu- gj ated. while in Champagne and along the j Meuse river farther eastward the French and American troops are pushing further H northward their lines in the great con- H verging movement, which is fast driving R the enemy from Belgium and the greater j portion of invaded France toward his own m borders. m Douai now is completely outflanked by M the latest operations of the British, while gj between Cambrai and, St. Quentin the 8 British and Americans are still chasing w the enemy. To the south of St. Quentin jfl the French over a wide front have crossed j the Olse river and, in conjunction w ith the retirement of the enemy from the Chem- K in-des-Dames. are forcing the Germans to jj give up the great St. Gobain forest, the & bastion at the bend of the line where it gj turns eastward, and also the stronghold "g of Laon. the keystone of the entire south- 0 ern German line. - fj - May Effect Escape. "While from the war mars it would ap- W pear to the casual observer that the -Ger- jj mans in this bend of the elbow are likely K to be cut off. it seems more probable that g they will be able to use the railways and H hich roads lead in s in all directions from v Laon like the main branches of a spider's I? web and effect their escape without preat W losses in prisoners. Nevertheless the ret- jj rosrrade movement here of necessity must lj have a strong bearing on the stability of $j whatever new line the Germans may j choose to stand upon and their still reia- H tivelv strong fronts in Belirium and from 1 Verdun to the Swiss border. The Italians K are taking a great part in the driving of the enemy from the Chernin-des-Da nips. hi East of Rheims the Suippe river has i been crossed by the French at numerous t places. West of the Argonne forest, which fcj now is held by the French and Americans. K the Germans are in retreat and a number u of additional towns and villages havp been w taken by the Franco-American forces. K Fast of the Argon?ie and along the L Meuse valley the Americans are still in progressing satisfactorily. k Retreat Too Fast.' B The retrea t of the enemy along the iy thirty-five miles of the western line from t ivniai to the southeast of St. Quentin is H still too fast, except on isolated sectors, K for the foot troops of the British, Amer- ffl icnn and French to kep in contact with w him. The cavalry and tanks on Die plains 9 and through the wooded sectors, however. S have taken a terrible toll from the rear a guards, while still further back allied air- ? men are cutting to pieces the columns of the bewildered foe as thev try to make y their way to thir next defense line. Yfr- Ij 1 tuallv no infantry opposition is being en- 1 countered. The machine gun seemingly L Is being chiefly depended upon by the Germans to hnld back the foe as their main forces retire. R |
