IMPORTANT U.S. GAIN

American Army (France), Tuesday (9PM)

Though our gains of the past twenty-four hours may seem small, some of them are exceedingly significant. Chief of these is the French advance from Oulchy, which crossed the Soissons-château Thierry road, carried the villages of Grand Rozoy and Cugny, and swept the Germans off the Butte de Chalmont. This abrupt hill, some 600ft high, has been the centre of enemy resistance along the west side of the salient. From it he has been able to rake the Soissons road almost to Villemontoire, and to bring a cross-fire on the Franco-american advance into the Ourcq valley. From it the French are now able to harass his retirement almost as surely as he could embarrass our advance. It ought, therefore, to be possible to clear out the angle between the Soissons road and the Fismesoulchy railway, and so to bring a much-needed assistance on the flank of the American line at Seringes. Against that must be set the fact that the German resistance still holds at both flanks of the salient, and that so long as he holds them a counter-stroke on either side of our advancing centre is possible, if not likely. His communiqué announces that his retirement is being carried out according to plan. But it can hardly be according to plan that he is leaving hundreds of tons of ammunition behind him. – Reuter’s Special Service.