THE LAST OT TN'S GERMAN RESISTANCE.
1. Weakening the German Front.— At the Vesle Foch, pursuing the retreating Germans who had been beaten back out of the Marne salient, decided to stay his hand. It was not his plan to attack when the enemy's line hardened, but to arrest the battle and strike elsewhere. Having the initiative he was able to choose his course, and his opponents were forced to send reserves hither and thither as he struck. Mean while their unprepared sectors were pounded into jelly, their fighting men were used up, and their will to war was undermined on seeing themselves defeated in one place after another. From 8 Aug. to 26 Sept 1918 this process went on. Blow after blow softened the German Hne. When it was sufficiently wealcened Foch would mass his blows at important points and drive through for critical positions.
The first of these softening blows was launched on 8 August, east of Amiens, on a 14 mile front, at the place where the Gertnans had approached nearest to the Paris-Amiens Rail road. The attacking force was composed of British and French troops under the temporary cotnmand of General Haig. The British por tion was composed of Canadians and Austra lians brought for the purpose from the north ern section of the Bntish line. The French, who held a three-mile front on the right, were under the command of General Debeney. Tanks, most of them 6whippets,p had been assembled to the number .of 400, and the ground, as it happened, was dry and without enclosure, which just suited tank operations. Everything else was favorable, especially the atmospheric conditions, for a heavy fog, like that which hung over the Saint Quentin front on the morn ing of 21 March 1918, now covered the Amiens from when the Canadians, Australians and French went forward at dawn on the morning of 8 August. By using skilful deceptive meas ures the impression had been made on the Ger mans that the attack would fall on the Ypres sector, and the movement at Amiens was a com plete surprise. It opened with a bombardment of four minutes which, says Mr. Buchan, was 6so intense that the enemy's defenses disappeared as if wiped out by a sponge?' Then the tanks went forward, followed by the infantry.
In the centre the German lines cracked and dissolved, and the attackers easily penetrated them from four to seven miles. The surprised Germans were captured in large numbers, some of them while at brealcfast, others while work ing in the harvest fields behind the lines. The Canadian cavalry got behind the enemy's posi tions and captured a railroad train near Chant nes. On the right flank the Frenchmen found stronger opposition but they fought their way steadily forward and stood by the side of the British when night fell. On the left flank the Canadians went forward at first, but later in the day the Germans rallied and recovered part of the territory they had lost in this quarter. Next day, however, they renewed the attack with the help of a regiment from the 33d divi sion of United States troops, recovered the lost area, and took a little more. At the same time the centre and right flank were carried forward for about three miles.
This deep dent in the German line was five miles north of the important town of Montdi dier. Southeast of it was the French army of General Humbert He saw the opportunity to deal a telling blow and seized it. On 9 August, while the British were advancing to the north, he threw his army against the lme in front of him, without waiting for reinforcements. Talcen by surprise the defenders made less than the usual resistance. In a day and a half Humbert advanced eight miles, cut the road to Roye, and thus forced the surrender of the Montdidier garrison, for whom this road was the only avail able way of retreat. With it was taken a large quantity of supplies. For the next five days the Allies ate into the German defenses, until on the 15th the 13ritish w-ere but two miles from Chaulnes and the French four from Roye, both important centres of communication. General Humbert had also taken the ridge southwest of Lassigny and overlooked a wide belt of the enemy's lands, thus forcing their further retreat.