Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-08-18 | Page 7 | Work of Third French Army

v II OF THIRD v IHfiilf I General Humbert, Back on Lassigny Massif, Determines Deter-mines to Stay. Describes Wiping Out of Montdidier Salient by the Allied Forces. WITH THE FBEXCH ARMY IN FRANCE, Thursday, Aug. J5. (Ky the Associated Press.) The commander of the French third army, General Humbert, Hum-bert, on receiving the correspondent today to-day after th& capture of Ribescourt, . declared that he had got back on '"" to the Lassigny massif and would stay ' there until he went farther on. lie described de-scribed graphically the work of his men. I The operations of the third army which resulted in the wiping out of the Montdidier salient, was subordinate to the attack of Field Marshal Haig's forces north and south of the Sonune. As soon as the Germans .began to give way before the combined French and British forces, the third army began be-gan to advance on August 10. The battle began without artillery-preparation. artillery-preparation. 1 The Germans were therefore caught by a storm of rifle bullets, shells and machine-gun fire from tanks. Cuvilly, Rcssons-sur-Matz and Chevincourt, - which had been assigned as the final objectives of the attack, were reached in the first hour and the drive was continued con-tinued toward Roye. Prepared During Night. At Thiescourt the Germans began during the night to send material to the rear for the purpose of organizing final resistance farther back. General Humbert reached Boulogne-le-Grasse, Ricque Bourg and Helincourt the next evening. This precipitated the flight of the Germs ns from the vicinity of Montdidier. The French advanee over very difficult diffi-cult ground paved the way for the second sec-ond phase of the battle, which was the attack eastward in the direction of Ribeeourt and Noyon. German reinforcements rein-forcements began to arrive, the ground became more difficult among the wooded wood-ed ridges and ravines of Thiescourt and progress was slower. In an advance ad-vance of three miles, however, the French third army reached the plateau of the St. Claude farm and pushed farther on to the Ecouvillon farm. Rear Menaced. Ecouvillon height overlooks the val-Iey val-Iey of ihe little river Divette. The French, therefore, menaced the rear of the enemy's troops which were still on the riglit .bank of the Oise. Hibecourt fell on the morning of the 14th -in spite of the arrival of fresh reinforcements. New - divisions were - identified among these German troops. The conquest of the rest of the Thiescourt massif will bo a more difficult dif-ficult task. The Germans hold very strong positions on the Plemont heights and on ridges on both sides of the Divette. Supported by their earthworks, earth-works, they are able to make a very serious detense to frontal attacks, although al-though exposed to a turning movement to the north of the first French army ' along the Lassigny-Roye line. General Humbert's men are now only u mile and three-quarters south of Lassigny. Las-signy. Huns Beaten Back. WITH THE FRENCH ARMY IN FRANCH, Aug. 17. (By the Associated Associat-ed Press.) The capture of the Mono-lithe Mono-lithe farm in the Thiescourt region Thursday dealt a severe blow to the German defense on - this southern part of the Picaidy battle line, provoking verv strong" counterattacks during the night of Friday. Thesc; however, resulted re-sulted only largely in increasing the enemy 's losses The French lines were maintained every where. The great activity in the rear of the enemy lines suggests the possibility that tlie Germans are preparing another ' ' Hindenburg line. ' ' There are reports that the Germans 'arc utili'.mg the-labor of the inhabitants inhabi-tants of this region in erecting fortifications. fortifi-cations. The l''rench are now within a mile of Rove ou.tvvo sides. Will Evacuate Salient. PARIS, Aug 17. (Ilavaa agency.) The Germans are planning to evacuate the Royc-Lnssigny-.Noyon salient, says the Echo de Paris. It is indicated, the paner adds, that German prisoners and laborers are working behind the German Ger-man front lines on a new Hindenburg line.