The effect of Rawlinson's advance vras to produce two salients, one to the north and one to the south. To the south Laon was the cen tre of the new salient. It was so exposed that the Germans began to draw in their lines on its front as early as 10 October. Here General Mangin held the lines on the French side, and beyond him in turn came Guillaumat, Berthe lot and Gouraud, all of whom kept up steady pressure during these critical days. On 13 Oc tober Gouraud made a great effort and advanced until he all but had Rethel in his grasp. This was fair warnini; to the Germans and they did not dare ignore it. On that day they withdrew from Laon and La Pere, long their firm pivots in the great angle of their line of defense on the Western Front. The French occupied these places and prepared for still further progress toward the vital railroad behind their enemy's f ron t.
To the north of Rawlinson's line of advance began the great angle in the line which swept around Douai and on to Lille and then turned eastward into Flanders, passing in front of Courtrai and Roulers before it recovered its northward direction and reached the sea at Nieuport. Against this salient Foch now turned his most active efforts. By this time Degoutte was in a.position to aid effectively the Belgians and British on the northern side of the salient. Heavy pressure was, therefore, put on the lines in front of Roulers, where the Belgians had been slowly advancing for several days. On 14 October the place was taken and the adjacent lines were carried forward on a front. Next day the effort continuLd with even better results, and an advance of from three to five miles was obtained en a front of 25 miles, with a total result of 14,000 pri3oners in the two days. On the 16th the German line in Belgium, from Lille to the sea, became mobile and turned back, the defenders retreating so fast in some parts that the pursuers lost contact with them. The explanation is that Ludendorff had been forced to draw heavily on this line in order to resist the blows of Rawlinson and the French in the south. He knew that the Flanders line was in no condition to resist a hard drive north of Lille, where the Allies had come within 20 miles of the Dutch border. If they drove this distance they might capture the Gentians in the coast towns of Ostend and Zeebrugge. With that resourcefulness and quick determination which characterized all his actions he knew there was no time to wait, onc,e Foch turned his attention to this northern sector; and the next few days were characterized by rapid with drawal from the Belgian seacoast. In order
that this might be done, it was necessary for the line to swing back in an orderly way, the Nieuport end coming around to Bruges and then to the boundary of Holland, east of Ghent. By this means the LiHe-Courtrai positions be came a pivot. It was Foch's chief purpose to take these positions and break up the plans of his opponents.
On 17 October the movement continued. The Germans stiffened their resistance at the pivot, but the wing swung back on a 30-mile front for a distance of 12 miles at its eastern end. Os tend was evacuated and received a British naval force that came to it from the sea, while the Belgian force in Nieuport hurried for,vard by land. On the same day Belgian patrols entered Bruges, *the Germans falling back toward Ghent. South of the pivot the British pressure was irresistible and Lille and Douai were occu pied. Still farther south Rawlinson crossed the SeIle River, taking another mile or two from the distance that separatcd him from the rail road north of Hirson. On the 18th and 19th the same tactics were pursued, and the coast region was cleared, the Belgians coming into contact with the Dutch boundary northeast of Ghent. During this period heavy fighting con tinued around Courtrai, the British going ahead slowly. They gained Courtrai on the 20th and pushed on toward Tournai. Next day there was heavy fighting before that town and Valen ciennes without notable success. The French were before Ghent, where the Germans held them at bay. Meanwhile, the French in the south had made slight advances between the Oise and the Serre and before Vouziers, while Pershing was eating into the German defenses west of the Meuse. Talcen all in all, it is evi dent that the army of the lcaiser, though badly handled, was making a good fight for its ex istence. The men were very tired and the re serves were used up; but the soldiers displayed much tenacity in these days, holding where or dered to hold and falling back in good order when directed to fall back. The immediate ob ject of their commanders was to get safely be hind the Scheldt and make a stand there. From Valenciennes north this river was deep. and broad enough to make a good defense position.