OCR Text |
Show Allied Artillery Finds Range and Destroys Railroads. TERRIFIC FIGHTING Streams of Prisoners Taken to Rear WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY ON THE AISNE -MARNE FRONT, Sunday, Sun-day, July 21. (By the Associated Press.) South of Soissons American troops todav advanced two kilometers. 1 miles. The allied artillery has found the range of the Solssons-Chateau Thier ry railroad while American troops are astride tho Soissons-Villers Cotterets railroad. As a result thero is only ono railroad line in the hands of tho Germans Ger-mans south from ,Solssons to Rheims. Northeast of Belleau tho Americans early Sunday had mado an advance of five kilometers. Some of the most terrific ter-rific fighting occurred between Givry and Vaux, tho Germans using artillery and machino guns. Tho allies' troops occupied Hill 204, commanding Chateau Thierry, at daylight day-light Sunday and shortly afterward were pressing through the city itself. Progress east and north by the French and Americans continued throughout Sunday. Tho Germans north of tho Marne were subjected to a terrible pounding from tho allied artillery today. They responded heartily, although unsuccessfully. unsuc-cessfully. The allied artillerymen were making the enemy's rear guard ac-tidn ac-tidn costly. Prisoners captured near Chateau Thiorry declared a retreat became imperative im-perative on account of decreased supplies. sup-plies. Stores of both ammunition and said, and tho officers had reported foodstuffs were becoming low, they that it was practically impossible to resist. Orders had been, issued, the prisoners prison-ers added, to retreat to a point ten miles north but tho indications wero tonight that the enemy would not for long be permitted to remain that close to tho Marne for the allied flanking movement is progressing steadily. Both tho railroads and the wagon roads over which the enormous stores for tho Germans forces must pass are so menaced as to make them unusable. unus-able. Streams of prisoners were being taken to tho rear all day Sunday. Since Thursday, Americans havo captured cap-tured German soldiers representing ten different divisions. WASHINGTON, July 22 Fresh successes suc-cesses for the American forces in their drive between the Aisno and th6 Marne were reported in general Pershing's Per-shing's communiquo for yesterday, received re-ceived today at tho war department. Tho Americans were driving ahead with undiminished vigor and spirit, the statement said. Moro than six thousand prisoners, over one hundred cannon and many trench mortars and machine guns have been takon by American divisions in tho last few days on tho Aisne-Marnc front, General Pershing reported. This was accepted as meaning that the reference ref-erence in Saturday's statemont to 17,000 prisoners Included those captured cap-tured by both Frdnch and American units. The statement follows: HEADQUARTERS AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY EX-PEDITIONARY FORCES, July 21 1918. Section A Between tho Aisne and tho Marne the day has brought fresh successes to our troops. With undiminished undi-minished vigor and. spirit they have continued to forco the enemy to yield bitterly contested positions. In " the fighting of the past few days more than 6,000 nrisoners, more than 100 cannon and many trench mortars and machine guns havo been taken by our division. Section B There is nothing to report re-port in this section. Airplanes Are Fighting. , WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN' FRANCE, Sunday, July 21. (By tho Associated Press.) Two moro German Ger-man airplanes woro brought down Saturday by American .avintors, according ac-cording to unofficial reports. Ono of tho machines was brought down by Lieutenant David E. Putnam of Massachusetts. Lioutenant Baker Bloody Freeman shot down tho other.. |