Salt Lake Telegram | 1918-10-11 | Page 1 | Fall of St. Gobain Massif to Place Germans in Trap

FAIL OF ST. GOBAIN MASSIF TO PLACE GERMANS IN TRAP ly Unites! Preee. The rreates defensive system in military history is falling like a house of cards before the greatest offensive forces of all time. Along the whole 200-mile front from Lens to Verdun the Germans are giving way in the world's-biggest battle. With the enemy on the verge of a rout between Lens -and SL Quentin, falling back, before the merciless hammering of the.. French., and Anttrw cans in the Champagne ind Argonne -regions,, and withdrawing between Rheims and Laon, Marshal hoch has suddenly strUckr'at the very apex of the gigantic salient extending from Cambrai to Verlnn. , The Krench war office announced that In this new assault, directed at the, heart of the great St. Gobain maaslf, the village of nervals has been captured. This brings ths French to within less than two mllea of ths vtl-lsge vtl-lsge of Rt. tloUsTnl Military authorities agree that the fall of the Kt. Cobala massif, recount recou-nt Bed aa the greatest natural defense on the went front, would precipitate a disaster which would utterly split the Uermsn srmles and probably throw hundreds of thousands of the enemy Into a trap from which there would be no escape. The greatest air raid In history wss carried out yesterdsy. Four hundred snd fifty French, Italian and American planea participated under American direction. With the machines engaged in regular pursuits, more then lotto silled planes were In the air at one time. In the Balkans, French and Herblan troops ars progressing northwsrd toward Nlah snd westwsrd towsrd the Austrians, who srs retreating before, the ltailana in Albania.