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THE WAR.
GERMAN RETREAT CONTINUES.
ALLED FORCES IN CLOSE PURSUIT.
THE • HONGKONG DAILY PRESS. TUESDAY, AUGUST 611, 1918.
PERSHING COMMANDS ONE MILLION MEN.
REMEMBRANCE DAY CELEBRATIONS.
Franco-Belgian Bront.
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(THROUGH REGTER'A AGINOY.)
BRITISH FRONT.
*FOLLOWING UP THE ENEMY.
JANDON, August 4th.
12.20 1.7.
Field-Marshal Sir Douglas Haig re in the Ports:- Our patros” progres Albert sector continued,
:
We hold a greater part of the ground reviously in the enemy's possession west. ward of the Ancre,
We closely followed up the enemy in is withdrawal, indientions of which we had previously observed.
A number of dead were found in the abandoned trenchés.
We repaised string raiding parties Bouth-eastward of Hebuterne and enst
ward, of Robecq.
ENEMY RETREAT GENERAL,
LONDON, August 3rd.
9.40 d.m. Reuter's Correspondent at French Headquarters, telegraphing at 11 o'clock that evening, stated: The retreat is general on all three faces of the salient The Germans way hold on the line of the Vesle, but it is quite possible he will be Anyway, obliged by retire to the Aisne he has lost all that he obtained by the offensive in May, June and July.
The question now is whether, the Ger mans will risk what remains of their reserves in a sudden blow on another part of the front. If they decide to tempt fortune once mare they will find the Allied amics rendy,
We are receiving every minute the numes of villages and woods we have re-
večupied.
Plessier. Wood, abutting the Soissons- Chateau Thierry read, has been, turned There was incremed hostile artillery and the defenders surrounded. It was a Ering at Kommel.
centre of the Boche resistance, the fight for which was extraordinarily bitter.
+
AERIAL OPERATIONS; **
The weather interfered with our air work. We dropped 30 tons of bombs in the daytime, three tons of which fell
We brought down two Bruges docks. hostile machines. All our machines re turned Night-flying has impossible. BRITISH PATROLS REACH ANCRE
Laspox, August 4th.
.1.55-p.m. Field-Marshal Sir Douglas Haig re ports: Dar patrols reached the Ancre between Dernancourt and Hamel contact. ing with the enemy on this line.
Hostile artillery/were active at night northward of Bethane and south ward of Ypres.
EARLIER CABLES.
ENEMY RAID REPULSED.
LONDON, August 3rd.
1.33 p.m. Field Marshal Sir Douglag Haig re- ports :- We repulsed, with loss, an enemy raid in the neighbourhood of Fouchy..
Our patrols occupied a portion of the enemy's front line in the Albert sector
Hustile artillery were active betweer Bethune and Baillen.
LATEST CABLES.
FRENCH FRONT CAPTURE OF GRAND-ROZOY,
HEIGHTS.
Fans, August 3rd. A semi-official report states: The cap ture of the heights north of Grand-Rozay was effected in the teeth of a desperate resistance. The woods, thickets and villages had so many fortresss swarming with wachine-gun that they had to be captured separately, but the assault, which, meinted by the tanks, was opened at four o'clock in the morning, was pressed with such vigour that the dief position w captured in two hours.
Violent counterattacks were perbly met, and by the evening the ridges far- ther north were occupied.
Further north the British crossed the
The Vesle has been crossed, and any hope of holding this line is lost, for the German retreat will probably continue till the Aisne in re-crossed, and General issimo Foch in determined to prevent the elemy from profiting by lull in the operations,
The American troops,
advancing alrongly in the centre yesterday, riched the outskirts of Fismes, a great junction on the Vesle, and on the Soissons-- Rheims railway line, midway between
these two towns.
According to the last reports, Fismes is on fire, which indicates that the enemy. catertains no more hope of retaining the town.
West of Fines the Americans crossed the Veste and are now marching on the Aisne in concert with General Mangin's forces, which crossed the Crise on Friday, and are now across the railway skirting the Vesle.
Eust of Fismes General Berthelot's army of French. British and Italians swept forward over a wide aren and are now hugging both sides of the main rail- way line from Fismes 19 Rheims. Thus the Allied front now stretches in a more
or less straight line west to east, and the German pocket has been entirely eliminated.
Within less than three weeks General-
aimo Foch's plan of campaign has wrested from the Germans the fruits of their formidable offenalve launched on the Ainne on May 27th in a direct bid for Paris...
The enemy is now within sight of his Soissons Chatzau Thierry rond, pressing starting point, and the enormous sacri- through Coneroy Wood, a mile east offices in ren and material he has made Ville Montoire.
As in March Jast year, the French army is advancing in pursuit of the enemy | The ensatry, patrols are far in advance and - howe, artillery and engineers are accompanying the infantry.
for an ephemeral success have since heen transformed into the biggest defeat_br has suffered since the first battle of the Marne, which must now be explained to the German people, who had been pro, mised that the offerisive would bring peace and victory,
EARLIER CABLES.
BATTERED GERMAN LINE CRACKS,
Panis, August 3rd. Soissons is back in the hands of the
It rained heavily all day, and the con- dition of the ronds retards our advance.
ENEMY ABANDONS CENTRES OF RESISTANCE.
LONDON, August, 4th.
7:45 B...
French Reuter's Correspondent at Headquarters, telegraphing at 11.30 last evening stated:--The capture of Mont Bellen, overlooking the Aisze, south of Soissons, gave us a footing on the Plateau which fills the angle between the Aisne and the Vesle, and forced the retreat of the German left and centre The Ger The enemy attack in the region of tans, with their line chelonned facing Culchy-le-Chateau on Tuesday night was the south-west, were driven from Soissons, and in order to escape envelopment each successive confve of resistance had to be
abandoned as far as FismNES.
We are again engaging in open warfare. Cavalry screens spread across the fields and precede the advance of the infantry Along the roads horseinen, encountering machine-gun posts, dismount and destroy them, or compel them to retire. **
The enemy artillery is distributing its fire on special points of the roads and bridges, where our troops are bound to pass with the object of delaying the advance.
Alling.
The Germinus are in full retreat over the whole of the long battlefront, with the Frenchi, British and American forces in hot pursuit.
bis last bid for possesion of the line from Soisson-Chateau Thierry road to Ville-en-Tardenois, which he had hoped The would be able to hold. When he failed
to re-take alchy-le-Chateau and secure the left flank of his centre he was faced with the necessity of retiring his line to the Vesle, instead of being able to force the Allies to accept battle on the
intermediate line.
No time was lost by the Allies to pre- cipitate the enemy's defeat
While the French and British troops aimed at a series of irresistible blows at staggering adversary in the Soissons The Germans ontinue to burn villages, region and along the Crise on the western
including those behind the Vesle, and side of the shallow pocket which remained over-ripe cornfields. They are also blow to the Germans, the French and American ing up their munition dumps as they troops in the centre were hard pressing the enemy north of the Oureg, and General Berthelots French, British and Italian forces were
squeezing his line on the
retire.
BATTLE-FRONT UNCHANGED.
PARIS, August 4th.
ENEMY COMMENCE TO FALL' BACK.
LONDON, August 3rd.
3.55.4,0.
An American official report, dated August End, stated:--Yesterday on the line of the Oureq, in hard fighting, we
The American." henvies" have cut their adversary's communications and spread confusion among his fleeing forces Fires are visible in the Germas rear over the whole extent of what was once a part of the fatal picket, and it is fairly evident that for the time ming the Crown Princo's forces have been con- suptured Hill 200, southward of Coulonges, strained to a disorderly rout in their and the woods eastwärd of the hill. haste to get back to the Vesle in the hope of being able to stabilise cher line.
[THROUGH_REUTER'S AGENCY,],
ALLIES APPROACHING RIVER VESLE.
Losnos, August 3rd,
4.00 p.in.
The Allies are rapidly approaching the Veste river. Their cavalry have reached the river between Champigny and Jon- -chers?
fismes is our fie, also the villages northward of the Yeste betwem Muizon and Thierry,
The Allies occupy the southern bank of the Aisne between Tomiers and Venizel,
VICTORIOUS MARCH OE FRENCH:
TROOPS.
PARIS. August 4th.
A commnàiqué stules:-During the day our troops, driving back the memy rear- guards, continue their victorious march on a front of about 30 kilometres in the direction of the Voss,
i
th the left we reached the southern banks of the Aisne and the Vosle from Soisons to Fismes, the outskirts of which the Amerieuns hold.
Eust of Fismes, we reached the general line north of Courville-Braneirt-Cour celles-Champigny.
Ony exvalry recommaissances are operal ing along the Soissons--Rheims railway.
At certain points our progress exceeded since yesterday ten kilometres. Over 50 villages were liberated in this region in a single day.
ENEMY DRIVEN IN CONFUSION:
Los Dos, August 4th.
*An "Atcerican oficial report, issued Yesterday, states: The enemy has been driven in confusion beyond the line of the Vesle
7.30 A. DI.
Italian Front.
LATEST CABLES.
THROCER REUTER'S AGENCY.]
BRITISH FORCES
GAIGA
ENTER
LONDON, August 4th.
4 Italian official report states:--We captured the peak on Dossoalte, where the enemy lins been maintaining himself at javy cost since June 15th.
This morning the enemy cominenced to fall back, and we are in glose pursuit,
Wo overcame largo parties in hidden Our advance, which has already pro cava and captured 178 prisoners and a gressed to a depth of five miles, conrge quantity of war material. tinues.
Our aviators successfully bombed the railroad, station and yards at Conflans, causing several fires and a large expla sion. All our machines returned. GERMANA RETIRING EAST OF THE
ANCRE
LONDON,August 3rd." 2.45, p.m.
The Germans are retiring ma frout of between three and four miles to the east bank of the Aucre in the neighbour. hood of Abert and Avelay- Wood. Ther retirement at present appients to be Incat.
FRENCH TROOPS REACH THE AISNE.
PARIS, August 3rd.
A communique sintes;-At night-time our troops continued to advance towards the Vesie and reached the Aisne between Soissons and Venizd.
ANNIVERSARY OF THE WAR APPROPRIATELY MARKED.
LONDON, August 3rd. 7.40 4.m.
The anniversary of France's entry into the war is appropriately marked by tho stirring news of the Crown Prince's Army again being in full retreat, with the increasing possibility of that disaster which Reuter predicted on July 30th.
The French in a succesful coupde-main- penetrated far into the enemy lines crst- wards of the Asingo and captured 123 prisoners and one gun.
The British westward of the Asiago entered Gaign, inflicting losses and tak- ing prisäners, -
EARLIER CABLES.
AUSTRIAN ADMISSION.
LONDON, August 4th. A wireless Austrian official report states:-The enemy penetrated portions of our positions at Dossoal.
- A
AUSTRIAN REPORT,
LONDON, August 4th. wireless Austrian official report states : ---The enemy re-occupied as far as the Berat line in Albania.
Aerial Activities.
PARLER CABLES.
(THROUGH REUTER'S AGRNOY]
ITALIANS BOMB DURAZZO,
SHIPPING.
LONDON, August 3rd. An Italian Naval communiqué states: Chiy aviators on three successive days/ seriously damaged the wharves and ship ping at Durazzo, also several enuny (sca- planes.
AN AERIAL HERO:
HIGHEST DECORATION CON- FERRED.
the
LONDON, August 3rd. Afeature of the Gazette, which contains a large number of awards to British. and The immediate cause of the retreat was Dominions' airmen, is the award of this the brilliant success of the Armies under Distinguished Flying Cross to the Cana General Mangin and General de Goutti, successful and most fearless fighter in the dian, Captain W. A. Bishop, the most
north of the Durcq, who effected, a jundit, whose acts of outstanding bravery tion at a right angle, enabling a behave been already recognised by the
awards of the Victoria Cross, the Distin- · ginning to be made on August 1st with the guished Service Order, the Bar to the
Service Distinguished task of clearing the important ridge Military
The Flying Co- dividing the Urise and the Oareg.- The
Entred Pally valuable Services in British Division in General Mangin's in twelve days of which five were destroyed personally destroying 2 enemy machines
army started the operation from Graud.
the last day
́of his service at the front. Rozoy, and, with the French co-operating enrried not merely the summit but the reverse lope of the ridge, securing observation behind the Hartennes Plateau, where the enemy is still clinging to the Meanwhile, in Reuters Correspondent French Chateau Thierry road.
AL Headquarters, telegraphing on Friday the centre the enemy hastion at Meuniers morning, stated:- General Berthelot, reWood, two square miles in extent, was INDUSTRIAL
Were
Since July 18th, in the course of our operations, 8.100 prisoners and 133 guns
captured by us BRITISH TROOPS REVIEWED.
LONDON, August 3rd.” 7.05.a.m.
viewed the British troops in his command in Champagne, comprising Highlanders, Yorkshires, itampares, also Australiany, and a New Zealand cavalry corpo,
CROWN PRINCE'S FAILURE COMPLETE.
Reuter's
carried.
-:
SUCCESS OF FOCH'S COUNTER-STROKE.
on
The total machines destroyed by this dis tinguished officer is 72, and his value is n moral factor to the Royal Air Force can- not be over-estimated.
General
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(THROUGH EEUTED'S AGENCY)
-
DEVELOPMENT
IN INDIA.
LONION, August 4th
Sir Louis W. Dane, in a letter to the Thus the enemy's hope of stabilising his lies regarding the importance of in- Times supporting Lord Montagu of Beak. line has disappeared. He has indeed dustrial development in India, emphasises already affered a strategic disaster owing the utilisation of the power of the great what is being done in the Punjab towards to the reversal of the strategic position rivers. He says the difficulty has been brought about by Generalissimo Foch's to find a market for the power owing to the absence of great industries, but counter-stroke, and his hasty retirement much can be achieved if the capitalists apon the river Vesle cannot be easy, as treat it sympathetically and pioneers are allowed to traffic such as they get elsewhere and are not throttled down by where authorities. Something also might be done to reduce the wearisome delays caused by the various authorities and Governments who must be convinced be fore any concessions can be obtained. The Provincial Governments may be able
LONDON, August 3rd.
4.20 a.m. Correspondent t French Headquarters, telegraphing at six o'clock the only good rund available passes on Friday evening, stated:--To-day's Coulonge, which the French captured advance represents a most important gain yesterday. of ground.
Our advanced troops, following the enemy, reached the valley of the Crist,
which enters the Aisne at Buissons
The enemy, under fierce and repeate the main store-house for the German should be allowed to fully benefit from the
The
The Allies' guns are now within range of Bazoches, where the only railway con- section from the north crosses the Vesle
to do something if they have a freer band into the unlient, also Fismes, which was and more funds.
Sir Louis Dane suggests that India attacks, abandoned the whole of the offensive, while Braisne, between Bazoches trade balance in her favour and the rise back his guos. The British and Fre road out of the salient passes, is also £2,000,000 yearly in Homes charges owing Chaudun Plateau and is already moving and Spissons, through which the main in the value of silver.
He points out that India's gain English and Scotish troops are in the exposed to gunfire Hence, the experts to the rise of the rupes is a source from troops are following him up. thick of the fighting.
are now prophesying that the enemy with which ample funds could be raised after the war for the development of the great drawal is likely to continue over the industries in India, If such development.
is the result of Lord Montagu's policy Aisne.
will have done great things for India.
AMERICA AND THE WAR GENERAL PERSHING COMMANDS ONE MILLION MEN.
Our cavalry are in Neste forest, north cast of Fere-en-Tardenois..
Our troops east of the salient are in touch with Vezilly.
The Germans, much against their will
A communique states the battle-front is eastern side of the pocket and encroach-bave accepted defeat and are retreating Numerous Germans were seen by chier unchanged and there is nothing to reporting along the Ardre, and round the north vers doing to the north.
FRENCH COMPLETELY HOLD SOISSONS.
The French completely hold Soissons. The cathedral is shell-riddled. Yesterday's progress, on a front of 30 kilometres between Soissons and Rheims to an averago depth of from three to four kilometres at some places reached six
kilometres, but the advance is far from ended. Some of our pursuing elements have already reached the Vesle. The retreating enemy in his rage is burning the crops and villages.
Braises and Fismen are in flames, The constant aflux of Americans is a sure guarantee of the success of the opera tions, which will shortly be developed,
THROUGH HAVAS AGENCY.]
GERMANS STILL RETREATING.
LONDON, August 4th.
8.50 p.m.
thi
7.05 a.m.
GERMAN VERSION.
LONDON, August 4th..
12.20.8.m.
A wireless German official report, re-
probably to the Vede. Thus has ended the third greatest German push, which was of Ville-en-Tardenois.
to bring the enemy within range of The Afterscan troops badly dented the Paris, and the failure of the Crown lerring to the Crown Prince's Army, says
ange's Army is complete.
von Boehm's succeses on August 1st con enemy's centre by th
capture of GENERAL PETAIN'S STRATEGY.
tributed to the complete sucess of ye Coulonges and a forward bound, of
LONDON, August 3rd. terday's movements. The enemy followed about five miles. Simultaneously, both
Reuter's Correspondent at American hesitatingly our troops in the forefield, sides of the pocket swayed and
Beadquarters, telegraphing yesterday who are slowly withdrawing. The German retreat continues over the the Germans recoiled nder the in-aftergoon, stated:-Yesterday's notable
pessant blows which undermined his advisors west of the salient cleared the Naval Activities. whole of a thirty mile front.
way for the Americans in the centre, resistance. Then the whole of the batter where a series of voods barred their path ed German jane cracked and receded. The appreciated, for while he had been draw siles. retreat went on simultaneously from all ing some of the best German divisions
Soisous fell, and deprived the 16 the centre and pinning them there eucy of the real pivot upon which bis the formidable American offensive, he bad whole line depended for its resistance been preparing his attack upon a much General Mangia's troops swarmed over more important region, where he is. the Crise and the French and Americans already threatening the enemy's attempt A Berlin sern-official report states: came up or the centre in a converging to stablilise his front opposite the Admiral Holtzendorff, Chief of Staff at movement. Ville-en-Tardenois, the next American lines. Meanwhile the Ameri- the Admiralty, has resigned for reasons of strongest point in the German line, cans have been continuing their advance, health Admiral Scheir, Commanding the succumbed. Then began a hot-pursuit of making the enemy hold upon Meuniere High Seas Fleet, has been appointed his the enemy
Wood insecure.
The nature of the pursuit is shown by the active intervention of French cavalry which, hanging on to the heels of a scattered foe, are "forcing him to accen.
tuate his fight..
The Allied advance yesterday extended to a depth of six miles at places, and advance elements pushed even further
ahead
Geceral Petain's strategy can now be
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(THROUGH REUTER'S AGENCY.] GERMANY'S NAVAL CHIEF OF STAFF RESIGNS
COPENHAGEN, August 3rà
WASHINGTON, August 4th. General March informed the Senate Military Committee that over: 300,000 American troops were shipped in July. The total at the end of July was 1,300,000, General Pershing now directly com- mands 1,000,000 men.
SHIPBUILDING RECORD.
Mr. Hurley, Chairman of the shipping Board, announces that the launching re- cords awill be broken te-morrow, when the 12,000 ton cargo-boat the Invincible will be launched at Almeda, California, 24 days after the laying of the keel. CUBAN TROOPS FOR FRANCE
HAVANA, August 4th. The House of Representatives has ap proved the Senate amendment to the Obligatory Service Bill-empowering the President of Cuba to send to France all the troops he deems expedient.
Continued Page 6.)