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Show J1ERICI1S CAPTURE 133JUNS General Pershing's Report Re-port Covers Battle Only Up to Saturday, When the Enemy Was Still in Full Retreat. 1 i HUNS UNABLE TO STEM THE TIDE Allies Reaping Full Fruits of Victory in the .isne - Marne Salient; German Losses De-. De-. dared to Be Enormous. WASHINGTON, Aug. 4. "Our troops have taken risnies by assault as-sault and hold the south bank of the Vesle in this section," says General Pershing's communique covering cov-ering today's fighting, as received tonight by the war department. WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 Allied troops . in the Aisne-Marne salient reaped "the full fruits of victory" on Saturday, "when the enemy, who met its second great defeat on the Marne, was driven in confusion con-fusion beyond tiie line of the Vesle," General Pershing reported, in his communique com-munique for yesterday, received by the war department, American troops alone have captured 8400 prisoners and 133 Elms. The text of the statement lollops: Section A: The full fruits of -victory in the counter-offensive began so gloriously by Franco-American y troops on July 18 were reaped today when the enemy, who met its second sec-ond great defeat on tho Marne, was driven in confusion beyond the line of the Vesle. The enemy, in spito of suffering the severest losses, has proved incapable in-capable of stemming the onslaught of our troops fighting for liberty side by side with French, British and Italian Ital-ian veterans. In the course of the operations S400 prisoners and 133 guns 'nave been captured by our men alone. Section B: There is nothing to re-Port re-Port in this section. GERMANS ADMIT RETREAT ON BOTH X SIDES OF ALBERT BERLIN, via London, Aug. 4. The Germans nn both sides of Albert have reti'oatod from tho western to the eastern east-ern bank of the Ancre river, according (o the German official communication issued today. The statement says the withdrawal was made without opposition. opposi-tion. The text of the statement follows: Huritig the night there was a violent vio-lent artillery activity, which increased in-creased to great intensity at times 'south of Ypres and on both sides of lio Botmne. On both sides of Albert we withdrew, with-drew, without enemy interference, our rests on the west of the Ancre to the eastern bank of the river. In successful forefield engagements, south of the Luce brook and south-wt south-wt of Montdidicr, we captured prisoners. pris-oners. There have been no fighting operations opera-tions on the Alsne north and east t Soissons. On the Vesle wo aro ' tigiuiug contact with tho enemy. SALIENT IS GONE AND THE ALLIES ARE VICTORIOUS jrfXiX. Aug. 4. Telegraphing at 1 Vr;.'00' Sunday aftnrnocn. Kejtcr's cor-X cor-X jsponclent al American headquarters on ' ". Aisne-Marne front, snys: ' The talient is gone. The allied troops ! "'ready are holdinc the south bank of the ,lp!;. river. Fismes Is in flames. Je wagons of the retreating German Wjntinued on Page Three.) give evidence of fine discipline and determination, deter-mination, and not of that sort of thing one is accustomed to fing behind defeated armies. "So far as I can see, the enemy counted exactly the cost of his retirement, and paid not a man or a gun above his margin. mar-gin. As a soJdierlv achievement it nrved one to admiration, and. cheered as one must be by the confession of weakness which the retirement implies, there is nothing In the retirement on which to build exaggerated hopes of the future. By far the most hopeful feature of the whole business is the difficulty of explaining it on any other hypothesis than that the Germans are much shorter of men than we had supposed. "Their advance on the west Rheims was a big art illery bluff, which could only have beer, justified by the success of the attack on the east cf it. "Luclendorff calls the opera tior a strategical success. No, it is not that. It is a great strategical failure, relieved by various tactical successes, and u may not be too soon to say that the failure, even retrieved as it has been, probably epells ruin to the German offensive for j this season, at least, against Paris. I "True, they have an attack they may 1 deliver in Flanders almost any moment 1 they please, if Crown Prince Rupprecht's : reserves have not been drawn upon too largely in the German crown prince's interest. in-terest. But October is likely to be the earliest date for any vital operations here, . and October means some half million more of these excellent Americans in the line. "The extreme weakness of Ludendorff's strategical success was exhibited yester-dav. yester-dav. A (great general with a strategical success on his hands had an opportunity yesterday for a big tactical blow, which surely would have tempted him had not some serious reason Intervened. The German Ger-man retirement was rapid, and the allied pursuit, in order to keep pace with it, was forced to outrun the protection of its heavy grins. "Yet Ludendorff refrained. Why? Well, two reasons suggest themselves. Either he had never the needful force at his disposal, or a defensive attitude to the north of the Aisne ha.ving been decided on, the troops required to cover the retirement had been cut down to the lowest possible numbers and every available avail-able division was being turned round to Flanders for the long-deferred attack on the British -front." llERICIS CAPTURE 84G0 IH (Cn tinned from Page One.) : columns can be seen toiling over muddy ; roads toward the Aisne. Our cavalry patrols report only read-puard screens. ; "To have thus driven the enemy back, 'as he was driven back four years ago. is no mean achievement, but we must not overestimate It. That the enemy has been forced to retire bitterly against his will is obvious. T am prepared to accept General Tudendorff's esiatement I that the retirement was divided on fifteen fif-teen days ai;o. alter General Pet Tin's blow j atrainst '.he west side of the salient, and tne Germans ran pide thcim-ei on j i bavins; remained, to use I-udendorff s ! phrase, 'masters of the situation. That is to say. they have been able to avert i the collapse of me sHes of the salient .and the consequent capture by the allies of ail tho troops within it. "To tha t extent thy are masters of ; the situation as the bankrupt may be so described who just escaped being sent '. to prison. Dead Left Unburied. j "Tno America n eornmun: nation to-av i dwnbes the enemy a." having bt-cn i driven in confusion, beyond the Yc-sve. 1 So far as 1 havo. bn a to learn. : si ens of confusion hi; herto have b'-e:i uonspiimously atveiii. Tr.'ie'J, r ha"e r.ever followed any army'? r: ire-mn; j which left so little, evld'-neo of beir: ! forecd. except n the matter of ammuni- j i ll07L "Th enemy'.-' dead arc rr r.:;i:i 1: n-hrrieu. n-hrrieu. But who should h:iv Vj-d ' tr.e-n? lip left men behind ;::i v.-,;.-; i ; orders to die. Ami they have died. T:;e' I lie in groups about their fniiis, dozens j ' here, dozens there every one. wrb nn ! American bullet throch his brain or ! breast, or with the eqi:ai'y decisive stub i ; of the American bayonet. j "These proups are close toe-ether In j vital positions, and amount to a total j I of from two to Uireo hundred men. Tiiey I |
