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Show GENERALS DRIVE MEN MERCILESSLY Crown Princes Officers Making Mak-ing Desperate Effort to Extri-' Extri-' cate Armies From Pocket. ALLIES PRESSING HARD French and Americans Always Close on Heels of Retreating Retreat-ing Forces. (By the Associated Press.) WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY ON THE AISNE-MARNE FRONT, July 25. With the sides of the Soissons-Rhelma Soissons-Rhelma sack coming steadily closer together, the German crown prince's generals are driving their men mercilessly merci-lessly in an effort to hold them off long enough to extricate the armies threatened at the bottom, north of the Marne. The American and French troops are never far behind the retreating forces and the vicious rear guard actions are not sufficiently resislent to enable the Germans to proceed in the orderly manner planned. At Dormans. north of tho Marne and east of Chateau Thierry, the Germans counter-attacked, taking the position, but were promptly driven out. They occupied Trcloup, west of Dormans, and have held it. Minor advances have been made by the allies In the woods in that part of the sector, while further to the east, south of Rheims, there were additional addition-al allied successes. The Americans have occupied Cour-poll Cour-poll on the road to Fere-en-Tardenois and the French positions havo been advanced until Oulchy-Le-Chateau is dominated by the guns. Germans Fail to Hold. Nearer Soissons, the Gormans failed to hold all their positions, notwithstanding notwith-standing reinforcements and their desperate des-perate need. It is estimated unofficially tonight that the enemy losses are more than 200,000, of which 50,000 were inflicted by the Americans. The prisoners, alone, number over 20,000, and the losses in dead and wounded are appalling. appall-ing. The French used more armored cars than usual and cavalry or mounted patrols were effectively employed in clearing the forests and maintaining contact. Bitter Fighting Toward Soissons. Toward Soissons there has been increased in-creased artillery work and bitterer and steadier fighting. The French and American soldiers disregarded caution almost entirely yesterday, advancing their lines in open order and taking what came without bothering to hunt down machine gun nests. This brought them into closer contact with tho main body of the retreating forces. In numerous cases machine gun companies surrendered, although it was necessary to clear up many others. oth-ers. -Headquarters Constantly Changing. Division headquarters are constantly changing on account of tho comparatively compara-tively rapid advancement of the lines, some of them have been subjected to occasional shells, both shrapnel and gas, though without damage. Behind the lines long transports of allied troops fill the roads leading to the front, the allied planes and observing ob-serving balloons giving . warning against Interference by enemy artillery artil-lery or hostile aircraft. The American troops both on the line and on the roads are keen spirited. spirit-ed. Many of them, having learned a smattering of French, often yell to the French marching by amusing comments com-ments on "the big show." Invariably the French reply, usually in language which the Americans do not understand under-stand although they shout their approval ap-proval no matter what the words may mean. The Americans also undertake conversation with the Anamites, whose countenances rarely change and who never attempt to reply. Intermingled In the line of battle and along the roads are white, black and yellow races in all the units and the big machine is moving without a knock or lost motion. Now and then the color scheme to the rear of the fighting lines is broken by a column of gray-clad prisoners, whose appearance appear-ance is always quickly noticed by the troops who are more accustomed to tho khaki of the Americans and British Brit-ish and the blue of the French. In scores of cases prisoners have begged their guards to tell them when they are to be shot. The majority of them, however, stolidly accept what they believe be-lieve to be their fate. Back of tho lines there are dressing stations and fixed hospitals, and the American wounded are cared for expeditiously ex-peditiously and skilfully, in a manner i reflecting the qualities of veteranship now belonging to the American establishments estab-lishments in France. American doc tors and nurses, men and women, are working night and day to relieve pain and restoro injured members. To them young men representing almost every state in tho union, and occasionally a French or British soldier, arc hurried to be cared for until they could -be transferred elsewhere. The same spirit spir-it of co-operation is displayed in all tho hospitals of the allies. But the number of wounded is not so great as might bo expected from the magnitude of the operations. Y. M. C. A. men also are close on the heels of the advancing Americans. One outfit appeared at Jaulgonne early ear-ly in the morning with cigarcts. chocolate choc-olate and other delicacies to be disposed dis-posed of in their canteens. The cannon can-non were roaring on all sides but Jaulgonne, it was announced, had been captured and the Y. M. C. A. took charge. The commanding officer ordered or-dered tho Y. M. C. A. men out, explaining ex-plaining not only that it was too hot, but that the men would gather wherever wher-ever they were and German shells had a habit of going where the German observers spotted crowds. Germans Flinging In Troops LONDON, July 26. Tho correspondent correspon-dent of tho Daily Mail with the American Ameri-can army on the Aisnc-Marno front, telegraphing Wednesday after relating relat-ing tho incidents surrounding the capture cap-ture of the village of Epleds, which changed hands twice before tho Americans Amer-icans finally conquered it and pushed well beyond, says: "The Germans apparently aro flinging fling-ing troops from all kinds of divisions " into line, possibly because many of the divisions opposing tho Americans have been seriously reduced. "Tho Americans captured largo quantities of ammunition. American airmen downed five machines in two hours today." The same correspondent, telegraphing telegraph-ing Thursday, says: "Moro progress is reported in the Fero and Ris forests where the French and Americans are fighting side by side. The Germans are still offering tenacious resistance, In which their machine gunners play tho chlof part. "Moro large fires havo been seen Inside the German lines near Oulchy-Lo Oulchy-Lo Chateau and Fere-en-Tardenois." Epidemics Sweep Germany WASHINGTON, July 25. Several opldomlcs are sweeping Germany in addition to influenza, according to a dispatch from Switzerland. Typhus is said to have appeared in epidemic form at Berlin and malaria is reported In the grand dutchy of Baden. It is reported the Influenza epidemic has made serious ravages. The head physicians phy-sicians of the Bavarian army are said to have reported that the health of the troops has been undermined by the epidemic. |