In the West

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4, 31 July 1918, Page 5

In the West

NEWS FOR THE GERMANS. BERLINERS VERY NERVY. PRESS ATTITUDE. Press Association-—Copyright, Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. . (Received 8.50 a.m.) " Berne', July 30. .The full significance of the retreat w£b only made known to the public of Berlin early on Monday, and it increased the extraordinary nervousness which has been noteworthy during the past fortnight. Official newspapers continue to pretend that the. loss of ground is without importance. Other newspapers are attacking Hiridenburg, and describe him as the leader, of the old gang opposed to Luderidorff, ; who is heading the younger Imperial Staff order of officers. - , GERMANS DRIVE BACK AMERTGANS: J "X" rJl ' AUSTRALASIAN SUCCESS. Press Association—Copyright, Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received 9.35 a.m.) *. New York, July 30. The Germans, attacking fiercclj drove the Americans out of Cerges, south of Fere-en-Taidenois, also from Kgugheux, near Grandrozoy. On the #ofthern front the Australasians captured Merris. ALLIED OFFIGIAL REPORTS. The High Commissioner reports : London, July 30th (11.40.) | Sir Douglas Haig reports:—At Merris, Australian patrols at midnight last night entered the enemy's position and captured'forty prisoners. V The High Commissioner reports : London, Julv 30 (2.20 a.m.)

A French official message states: There is violent fighting on the whole front. North of the Marne, we. further advanced, and despite counterattacks crossed the Chateau Thierry road and took Graiidrozov, Cugny and Butte de Chalmont to the right of the Ourcq. We extended our gains north of Fe're-en-Tardenois. We penetrated Sergy and captured Roncheres and crossed the Dormans-Rheims road and gained ground west of Bligny and St.iEuphraise.

NEWS FROM THE NORTHERN 46' ' SECTOR. Presi Asbii.—Copyright.—Ausfcraiiuc' Mil N.Z. Cable Assn, and Keuter. ' (Received 10.0 a.m.) V\ '> { London, July 30. Sir. Douglas Haig reports: We mode n, successful raid in the neighbourhood - of Ayette, where the Australian . pairols entered positions about Morris. There was hostile gas shelling north-westward of Albert. FIERCE GERMAN ATTACKS. ALLIES MOMENTARILY DRIVEN HACK. "■ Press Association—-Copyright, Australian and N;Z. Cable Association. (Received 10.35 a.m.) London} July 30. The French are advancing in spite of the powerfully-increasing resistance. The heaviest fighting is be ; wSSjn the Ourcq and Yille-en-I'arden-ois, where the French are Hearing the crest of the plateau tetween the Veslc '"'. and the Ourcq - . The Germans violently attacked Cierges, and drove out the Americans, aud also ousted tht j French from IJdugneux., -ji Seventy-one. enemy divisions have 7 been identified,- including ten of Prince Rupprecht's. . The pinehing-off of the salient i.s '/ no longer' regarded as a possibility | ; The -driving back of a numerically P stipe; ior force and the capture of many ' prisoners Was sufficient cause for conffnvtillations. It is unnecessary to 1-. P- i the non-fulfilment of ill-found eti. and extravagant hopes based o the cuiting off of the enemy.

HARD FIGHTING. ENEMY SUFFER FEARFULLY. Press Association—Copyright, Australian and N.Z.' Cable Association. (Received 10.35 a.m.) ....,■,.. London, July 30. Router's correspondent at headquarters, writing on 29th deals with the' hard fighting leading to the final capture of .Sergy by the Americans who also eaptivifed Sereiiigos and Roneheres. The fight for Sergy resolved itself into a fierce struggle with the Fourth Guards! division, one of the crack divisions of the German Army. The Guards ; swept down the hill when the Americans were re-organis-ing .their .lines! All the Guards were picked,, fresh men, determined to strike terror into the hated Yankees, with whom this was their first eii gagement. The Americans were overborne by the vast weight of numbers and gave.ground foot by foot to the. brink of- the Ourcq, but fiercely recoiled and drove the Germans belter skelter, at the point of the bayonet, from itue .ruins of the village. The Gernlaus suffered fearfully, their dead lying in heaps on all parts of the ifieldoi i: Yi;lO ! ~„....,...■.< . ~.. I

NOTES ON THE BATTLE. Press Association—Copyright, Australian and N.Z. Cable Association •oj ... London, July 2S.At correspondent at the French front states that the infantry, cavalry, and tanks on Sunday followed up the artillery's destructive work and cleared tlie enemy out of Fere-en-Tardenois, towards the north-east, after hand-to-hand ; encounters. The ''enemy's destruction of bridges over the- Ourcq has not greatly delayed the French, who forded the shallow stream at several points. The French,,a re proceeding cautiously arid not wasting men. Cavalry located the Germans at the Bois Meuniere,' whei'eit' is anticipated they will resist strongly. The latest message state* that villages eight miles behind the lines are burning, and that heavy figh.ing is raging. r Sergy was taken and retaken lour times, and is now in French hands. 'The Fourth Prussian Guards attacked the Americans south of Sergy. The v Americans stopped the assaults dead,''With heavy losses. The'French surrounded Buzaney, but were, unable to hold it. "..A , French "communique states--During the day there was very heavy fighting on the-whole front north of the Marne. The enemy, whose resistance strongly increased, disputed every foot of ground and attempted to drive us back by numerous counterattacks. ' We repulsed all assaults, aricil macle further advance on the outskirts of the' village of Buzaney. 'the 'Scottish captured the park and chateau' and maintained their positions,, despite repeated German assaults.

Fast, of I'lessehuHi and Mueichy-le-Chatoau, we passed the Chateau j Thierry Road and captured Crandrozoy and Cugny, also the Butte-de-Chalmont. alter a brilliant action. 'pi' I Fere-en-Tardenois, we extended our gains and entered •Sergw Further south, Jt.onelieres fell into our hands. Oh the right we passed the Dor-maiis-lUseinis Road, south of Villevs IgrpiV. We! 1 gained ground west of Bligny ami St. Euphraise. GERMAN REPORTS. the Gerin'ari official reports states: I'lie're is severe lighting beyond the ,Ui 4 ;c(i. Sergy, alter changing hands /our ...tunes, remains ours. \ We evacuated, on the night of the 2oth and 27th July, the lighting

zone between the Oureq micl the Vrdre, and shitted our defence to 'the region of Fere-en-Tardenois :mul Ville-eu-Tardenois unobserved by i..e enemy. Our fore-field guard*, after fulfilling their, task, fell back before strong enemy attacks, south-east of Fere-en-Tardenois. Violent combats ensued, wherein we repulsed the enemy. In the evening, severe attacks on our new positions west of Fere-en-Tardenois failed sanguinarily. OUR AIR FORCES. Associatioii—Copyright, Austrn. lian and N.Z. Cable Association. London. July 29. * Sir Douglas Haig's aviation report states :—Despite low clouds on the 28th, we dropped 10 tons of bombs on dumps, railway stations, and billets at Douai, Armentieres, Bapaume, and Chulnes. We brought down nine aeroplanes. Four British are missing. We bombed, at night, the Bapaume active batteries north of the Somme. All our machines returned. . ■ -.„■

THE WILY HUN. FRESH BARBARISM FEARED. BRITISH PROMISE REPRISALS'. Press A ssn.—Copyright.—Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn, and Reuter. (Received 9.0 a.m.)

London, .Julv 30

The Ministry of Information says that the question whether Germany is contemplating some fresh barbarous innovation is suggested by their persistent allegations that the .British! are using unlawful bullets. Germany recently protested to the British Government with reference to this matter, and the Foreign Office reply showed that the protest was absolutely unjustified. The British Gov eminent knows that a German accusation of this bind is usually advanced as an excuse for some prepared and concerted violation of the laws and customs of war. and the Foreign Office has notified Germany that any such fresh outrage will be met with prompt and stern reprisals MORE ABOUT FOCH. LONG AND SHORT "O'S." GENERAL'S TRICKY NAME. The pronunciation, of General Foch's name and the question where he was horn have been much discussed, and the controversy has brought out an interesting statement from, the general's officer who says that General'Focli was born at Tarbes. Hautes, Pyrenees, and ,is thus from the South of France. Also that His name -is- pronounced -'-'Foch<>~'i which in English may be rendered as "Posh"— the "s " ■ is long. John Forster, S.J., (Rector). St ' Aloysius' College, Milson's -Point wrote as follows to the Sydney Daily Telegraph:— It was my privilege to live in two colleges in which Father Foch, S. J. brother of the Generalissimo, • was spiritual father; first in France in 1900-1901 for 12 months, when the college was seized by the Government and we were all exiled by the -law ngainst the religious congregations, and then for 12 mouths in Holland, whither we "trekked" after our expulsion . . . There was only one way of pronouncing the name, and that by hundreds of students who were of at least 10 different nationalities, those two colleges of pldlosophy. No one ever heard the reverend father's name except as " Fush," being the same vowel sound as in our "hush." PREMIER HOLMAN'S EXPERIENCE. During his recent visit to the Western front Mr Holman (Premier of N.S.W.) met General Foch, the Generalissimo of the Allied Armies, and when reminded of the fact, and asked how he heard the General's name pronounced, he said : "1 was introduced to him by the military attache of the British Em- ' bassy in Paris, Colonel le Roy Lewis English-born, but an admirable French scholar, and he undoubtedly pronounced the General's name as 'Fock.' I had been under the impression that that was the correct pronunciation, until French friends of mine in Byd ney suggested that the soft Mr i? correct. "I should think that Father Forster's experience would be conclusive but I respectfully differ from him as to the pronunciation of the vowel—'Posh,' not 'Push.'

Another correspondent :- Lieutenant Colonel," says: The sound "u" as in hush, butter, etc., is impossible for a Frenchman, and is, I believe, only found in English. A Frenchman woidd pronounce our sound "hush" nearly as "bosh." I beard the name constantly pronounced by the French as "Fosh" ; but the vowel is not quite the same as the Fnglish "o" which, il analysed, will be found to be father long. The . French vowels are very pure, and are never dipthonged. In the north of France it is called "Fosh" (o long), but in the south the vowel tends to be shorter, ami is rather like "Fosh" (o short). The "eh" sound is, of course, never "k." "Fok". would be spelt "Foe" in French. "Folk" would be "Foque." The .spelling of French is absolutely phonetic and one knows immediately how to pronounce any word, even though one may be physically unable to do so. The system is governed by the rides of the French Academy, and. I believe, has the force of law. For a Frenchman to Bay "Fusil" would b<. almost as difficult as for an Fngii.sniiiaii to pronounce ".Mangin" and "du" as the French pronouce them,