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Show AMERICANS TAKE TWELVEJOWNS Advance Over Seven Miles and Capture Over 5,000 Prisoners in New Offensive. WASHINGTON, Sept. 2G Attacking this morning over a front of twenty miles, west of Verdun, in co-operation with the French, tho American first army advanced to an average depth of seven miles and captured twelve towns and moro than 5,000 prisoners. Four of tho towns were carried by atorm by Pennsylvania, Kansas and Missouri troops of Major General Lig-gett's Lig-gett's corps, General Pershing said in his official statement on the battle, received re-ceived tonight at the war department. The enemy offered stubborn resis-Lince. resis-Lince. Troops of other corps forced their way across the Forges brook, took the Bols do Forges and wrested eight towns from the enemy. ' Official PerGhlng Report General Pershing's 'communique follows fol-lows : otiuuun j. rnis morning northwest north-west of Verdun, the first army attacked at-tacked the enemy on a front of twenty twen-ty milcj and ponetrated his lino o an average depth of seven miles. "Pennsylvania, Kansas and Missouri troops serving in Major General Llg-gctt's Llg-gctt's corps stormed Vardennos, Mont-blainvilie, Mont-blainvilie, Vauzuois and Chappy after stubborn resistance. Troops of other corps crossing tho Forges brook, captured cap-tured tho B0I3 de Forges and wrested from the enemy tho towns of Malan-court, Malan-court, Bethincourt, Montfaucon, Cuisy, Nantillos. Zeptzarges, (Scptsarges?), Danneouz and Gercourt-Et-Drillnn-courL Tho prisoners thus far reported report-ed number over five thousand." Champagne Logical Point. The point of attack selected by Marshal Mar-shal Foch caused no great surprise here. As far back as 1915 the French strategists saw that the Champagne front offered the greatest possibilities in repolllng the invaders with the least expenditure of men. There was fierce fighting that year on this sector, but the French lacked the reserve power to press forward In accordance with their strategic designs and were forced forc-ed to settle back to tactical operations and defensive measures. Since then, the line between Rheims and Verdun has been relatively unchanged, un-changed, the last offensive effort of tho enemy, against Rheims in July having failed to break It. On that occasion oc-casion American troops aided in repelling re-pelling tho eastern jaw of the enemv plncer attack on tho cathedral city, the 42nd (Rainbow) division having' oeen ongaueu with French troopa on this front where it won high commendation commen-dation from tho French leaders. French 1915 Plan. As the French plan of 1915 has been j discussed, it contemplated the driving of a great wedge through to the line of j the Meuse, where it skirts the forest! of Ardennes near the Belgian border J Resting on a wide base and support- '. cd by the. fortress of Verdun on the cast, such a wedge would in effect di-, vide the German army and in' addition! menace tho whole communication sys-1 tern of tho enemy forcos in northern France and Belgium. 1 It would have threatened the Belgian Bel-gian gateway into Franco and It seems certain that a hasty retirement by tho enemy to the Meuse lino must have resulted. ' General Foch's Scheme. The battle lines today, are relatively as they wore in 1915 and the same strategic factors hold good. For this reason alono, many ofllccrs have believed be-lieved that Marshal Foch. sooner orj later, would strike at the enemy from' , the Champagne front and when word of the new attack today was received their first impression was that tho hour for the great allied effort had come. Later advices, howover, indicated indicat-ed that the new battle zone was cast of tho moro level rcg.'on around , Rheims where it hnd been anticipated the road lo tho Belgian border would more nrobablv be sought. I Apparently Marshal Foch has struck first In the region immediately west of Verdun and until the scope and direction direc-tion of his attack develops officials withhold judgment as to the grand objectives ob-jectives at which the now drive may bo aimed. v Several Significant Facts. Several facts of utmost significance and of particular interest to tho people peo-ple of the" United Statos are sharps-disclosed sharps-disclosed by the new offensive. For one thing the power nnd will of the allied forces to continue hammering at the enemy without rest is apparent With the smoke of tho battle in the St. Mihiel salient hardly cleared awav and with a fifty-milo stretch of the lino to tho north and south of St. Quentin in a continual flame of attack, it was1 possible to organize and deliver a new! blow on a forty-mile front and drlvo it I forward many miles with its initial thrust. Moreover, tho indicated Ger-1 ma.11 withdrawal is added proof of 1 lie 1 enemy's waning man power. There now is no doubt that he 'will not bo allowed al-lowed to rest a minute and that the fighting will bo carried. Into the winter win-ter on a scalo never before possible. St. Mihiel a Necessary Blow. Of direct national interest here is tho evident fact that clearing up of tho St. Mihiel salient bv General Pershing's first army In lis first independent inde-pendent venture was the necessary forerunner of this new blow. Not only did that swift victory freo the French armies around Verdun from the menace men-ace of tho salient in Iheir rear but it liberated rail lines to supply tho now battle front and set free thousands of soldiers of both armies for attack purposes pur-poses by shortening tho Hns. Again, it is American aid that makes posslblo the new attack. Tho announcement an-nouncement of this drive is the first indication that American troops were on tho front Immorllntolv wnct nf tun Mouse, with tho possible exception of a unit of negro troops known to havo been recently somewhere in the center cen-ter of the front between Rheims and Vordun. Whether that unit, is engaged in ihe present fighting is not known, but it is evident that a very large forco of Americans has been shifted westward west-ward along the line to take part in tho present blow. Apparently they hold moro than one-half of the advance. ng line. v Pershing Holding Long Important Llnc The oxtromo left of the American forces forming tha western jaw of Pershing's nut cracker which reduced reduc-ed the St. Mihiel salient rested In tho hills east of the Meuse. It Is indicated now that the whole l ne from the Mosolle, where they stand before tho1 c outer defense of Metz to a point well to the west of Verdun may be held by Americans, in which caso the French have paid Pershing's men the high compliment of intrusting to them completely com-pletely tho defense of that vital fortress. |