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Show FRENCH HOLDING Germans Thrown Back Upon Hilly Forest Region For Communication Com-munication ith Troops. WITH THE FRENCH ARMY W FRANCE. Aug 25 (By Tho Associated Associat-ed Press.) The first phase of the battle bat-tle of the Aisne and Oise has put the 1' rench in possession of tho entire south bank of the Oise west of the Ailetle and of the Allette river from the Oise to Pont St. Mard. The Germans are thrown back upon the hilly forest region of Coucy for communication between their troops operating on the Oise above the Allette and their troops on the Aisno east of Soissons. Both sides command the Oise with their artillery. French scouts have found it so formidably defended by machine gun nests and artillery from Noyon to Chauny that it will require considerable work by the hoavy ar-tillery ar-tillery beforo a crossing in force is attempted. On the right bank of the Ailette the Germans are resisting stoutly from . a strong position along the edge of i the forest of Coucy. Small parlies of) French have effected a crossing. Mangin Wins Substantial Victory. General Mangin has won a substantial substan-tial victory, of which there is plenty of material evidence, besides 13,000 prisoners and three hundred captured cannon. Ho set out first to drive the Germans from the plaleaus of Audigni-court, Audigni-court, Nampclel and Carlepont by a violent thrust northward, then by a quick facing about toward the east to drive them off the heights west of the Ailette, thus clearing the- south bank of the Oise and lending support to the Third army's action in the hills of Thlescourl. The program succeeded so rapidly that though the enemy may say that he retired unhindered, some of his staff officers were obliged to flee in scanty attire. A major general was seen running from one of the exits of a cavern at the top of Mount Choicy without boots or suspenders, just as French soldiers appeared at the other entrance. ' Costly Field Glasses. The correspondent who later visited that cavern found in it other evidences of the hasty departure or the German divisional stair that had occupied it. Along with the general's boots and suspenders there were several pairs of costly field glasses and a complete telephone system. In the piles of arms and ammunition thai have been 'collected on and around the height! there arc a considerable number of I bayonets with the saw tooth blade. I If the Germans did not intend to remain south of the Oise they evidently evi-dently thought they could hold this position. The slopes are covered with: brush that hides the gulleys and cavern cav-ern entrances, where machine gun nests in ambush held up the division that was engaged Jn the attack from 8 o'clock in the morning to S o'clock in the evening. The Gormans were even preparing to spend the night in their elaborately fitted headquarters in the quarry at the top. French Storm i. eights. But after a short artillery preparation prepara-tion the place was stormed and the German staff had only just timo to. get away. One officer who was taken prisoner said: "The French arc making war In nn entirely new fashion. It is a great attack." at-tack." Rank and file prisoners without exception ex-ception agree that Gerrnany is doomed to defeat. Most of these men were in the machine gun sections that the new German tactics sacrificed to pro- ; tect tho retreat and they expressed their resentment freely. |