Germans take f light but burn ancient town
The Allied advance continues and to the south-west of Lille, our troops now line the west bank of the haute Deule-Canal. Between Lens and Arras, a hun retirement has begun.
It will probably be to the line of the haute Deule and Sensee Canals, as the Germans are everywhere, anxious to get behind water for shelter from our tanks.
For all their mealy-mouthed protestations of peace, the huns have brutally set the fine old city of Douai, north-west of Cambrai, on fire.
Clouds of smoke tinged by tongues of flame were seen in Douai yesterday morning.
By nightfall the smoke had largely given place to a vast roaring blaze, and it was then apparent that the whole town had been fired.
GLORIOUS TROOPS
South of Cambrai, a new retirement is proceeding as a result of our break through the Beaurevoir-Fonsomme line and the heavy fighting on Saturday at Beaurevoir and Mountbrehain (which is behind the fortress line).
These places changed hands several times, but at the close of the day our glorious troops held them both and had taken another 1,000 prisoners. The French on our right have also gained ground.
General Gouraud’s break through the enormously powerful second German defensive system, northeast of Rheims, has brought brilliant results. On the whole of the Rheims front the enemy is in full retreat, and the French, close at his heels, have reached the Suippe River, ten miles north of Rheims, and crossed it, thus entirely freeing Rheims.
They have by a most remarkable combination of fine strategy and superb fighting cleared the whole Moronvilliers Ridge and captured the famous Nogent l’Abbesse tableland from which in the past the huns used to pour shells into Rheims.
They are now through the difficult country with, for the most part, open country before them, and they are steadily forcing their way into the German centre.
They have already drawn within 13½ miles of Rethel, which is the German pivot in this direction, as there meet the railways by which the Germans on the western part of the front maintain communication with their armies farther east.
Rethel’s importance has grown now that the enemy has lost so many of his main railway centres. While they are suffering thus, the Allies are constantly increasing their manoeuvring power by freeing lines which can now be safely used.
The Germans have forced Austria to send more divisions west, and there are now eight Austrian divisions on the front in addition to 187 German divisions.
There are signs the enemy’s loss of heavy guns and ammunition has to some extent affected his plans. The shortage is not serious as yet, but it has compelled him to ration his big weapons.