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Show BRITISH OFFICERS DIE TO BLOW UP BRIDGES Retreat Is Orderly; Enemy Uses Enormous Number of Machine Guns. AVITH THli; FRENCH ARMY IN FRANCE. May 29. (By the Associated Press. ) The G ermans ad va need agai nst the French lines again today after throwing throw-ing further masses of troops into the buttle. Both of the flanks of the battlo line were the sceno of very heavy fighting fight-ing by inferior numbers, against superior, with the result that the allies were obliged to again concede ground at several sev-eral points. Besides Von Boehm's and Von Below's armies, manj' divisions of Von Su tier's troops were engaged. These especially trained units had participated in the first rush on March 21 and had since then been reconstructed. An enormous number of light machine guns were employed by the Germans, as well as a large fleet of tanks and much heavy and light artillery, while the German Ger-man aviators were extremely active. From the plain toward Juvincourt, Vlllc AUX Bols. Pontavert and Berry au Bae, numerous tanks came Into action. For a considerable time the thin allied line held out, but as the enemy debouched, wave after wave, the French and British, al-TTiost al-TTiost submerged, fell back slowly, getting across the river. Several British officers afterward sacrificed their lives in destroying de-stroying the bridges. Almost simultaneously overpowering enemy forces made their way to the lop of the Chemin des Dames ridge and also to the western end of this road in the neighborhood of Chavignon and Mal-maison, Mal-maison, and the troops holding these points were obliged to recede. The allied movement to the rear was executed with t he greatest precision; there was no, disorder and all the units kept in constant liaison. En the direction of Soissons a readjustment read-justment of the front line became necessary neces-sary In consequence of the falling back of the center, whero the Germans were pushing hardest. The f Ighting has been continuous for two days through a country composed ot a series of chalky plateaus, with winding valleys, whose slopes are half clothed with trees and contain many caverns. Along the top of one ot the principal ridges runs (Continued on Page Nine.), BRITISH OFFICERS DIE TO BLOWUP EM (Continued from Page One.) the famous Chemin des Dames, fiom which valleys spread angularly toward ihe Aisne. The allied possession of this ridge compromised the security of the German southern flank. The enemy's torrent of divisions, rolling forward, found only the thinnest line of allied troops facing the advance. These fell back before the irresistible pressure, retiring, but struggling valiantly. The torrent, as it moved forward, became even stronger, for the Germans added new forces to it. Even the Aisne did not stay its rush. The Germans followed the allies across the river and at the same ' time spread along its sides, the allies having decided that it was useless to sacrifice men in efforts ef-forts to hold these positions with too few defenders. The southern slopes of the Aisne valley offered good ground to the allies to stand, had they been in sufficient force. But the Germans were in immensely superior numbers and the allied commanders chose to retire to the positions beyond and thus give an opportunity for the reserves to concentrate. It is probable that before the advancing German torrent weakens further territory will fall into the hands of the enemy. That, however, in the opinion of French officers, will not affect af-fect the strength of the allied forces, which retain their striking power for the future. The French and British kept in the closest touch throughout the battte, working work-ing together as asingle unit. The spirit of comradeship was touching. Both in the ranks and along the roads wounded men of both nations, when able to walk, were helping each other toward the dressing dress-ing stations, while all the soldiers indiscriminately indis-criminately gave aid when possible to the civilian refugees. The reserves are proceeding toward points where they can oppose the German Ger-man rush. Among the allied troops of whatever nationality, despite their lost positions, confidence is great that the desperate effort of the Germans will not succeed in inflicting more than a glancing blow on the allied forces, and that the present situation is only temporary. |