Western Star. AND WALLACE COUNTY GAZETTE. PUBLISHED Every Tuesday and Friday. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1918. ALLIED ADVANCE CONTINUES.

Western Star, 6 September 1918, Page 2

Western Star. AND WALLACE COUNTY GAZETTE. PUBLISHED Every Tuesday and Friday. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1918. ALLIED ADVANCE CONTINUES.

Last week’s war newts was exceedingly good. The Allied advance had been continued along the whole line from the Somme to the Scarpe. North oif the Scarpe, Gavrelle and) Aliens were taken, and on the south Cherisy and Fontaiue-les-Croisilles were captured. These places had never previously been in British liamds, and the advance here carired the army two miles east of the farthest line ever reached since 1917. N,ot only that, but the French made important progress between Roye andl the Oise, while Bapauima fell to the British and Noyon to the French. Combles was also taken. Then there were captures of prisoners. Between August 21st and 26th the British captured twenty-one thousand, and the total captured by the British since August Bth exceed forty-seven thousand, and the guns captured number over five hundred. Since July 18th the captures; by the French and British total one hundred thousand, with probably nearly two thousand guns. In addition to .these losses the dead and wounded must be taken into consideration, and as the casualties must have been enormous, the enemy is not only being driven back but he is losing at a rate, which, if continued, will cause him great embarrassment, if not bring him to the verge of disaster. During last month the fighting showed a notable deterioration of German morale, incroaisiug lack of discipline, insubordination, and disobedience to orders.. And this month seems as though it were going to be as goo a for the Allies as August was. Anyhow it has opened well. This week’s news is ag stimulating as that of last week. The English and! Canadians attacked on a twenty-three male front, and smashed through the Drocourt-Queant switch line cutting it in twain on a six-mile front between Btaing and a point south of Caguiconrt. The British line now ruins to the west of Queant, and at time of writing the fighting continued in our favour. The enemy has another switch line from Douai to Cambrai, but it is not vary good, and isf certainly less formidable than tfce first switch which is two thousand! yards deep and strongly fortified. The smashing of this switch may yet prove one of the most memorable victories 1 otP the war. The net results of the hammer blows of , General Haig are the capture of Lens and Queant, an advance on a. twenty mile front, and the capture of ton thousand prisoners. The British are marching on Douai wlitOise fall is imminent. There is no improvement in the Gterman morale. Bad as it was last month, it appears toi have gone worse. In the recent fighting • divisions were bunched together indiscriminately, including tired infantry, dismounted cavalry, pioneers and headquarters’ clerks, all fighting together with the energy of despair. The United Press correspondent says that thousands of German prisoners were swarming down the rclads like sheep. Such disheartened masses of captives had seldom been .seen since the war began,. The Germans in the front line ran screaming before the first assault, throwing up their hands. The World’s Berlin correspondent, stationed 1 at Stockholm, tells, the same talc. “The German Artray’s morale,” ho says, “ has suffered relatively i- ore

.than the people’s morale. Only picked shock troops retain the old spirit. The morale of the great hulk of the army lias been affected by .the fear of impending defeat.” Six months ago Germany was at thi zenith of her power. To-day, according to all accounts, ,she would appear toi have definitely passed the zenith, and her power is showing a continuous downward tendency. Force of soul in the cominlander and a. high morale in the soldier are necessary if an army is to conquer. As General Foch himself said in an interview, “ For an army to> be victorious it must have morale superior to that of its adversary, or the high command must impart it. The will to conquer i®i the first condition of victory, and therefore the first duty of the soldier; and it is with this supremo resolution, that the commander ■ must inspire his men.” The Allies have these essentials, and in Fooh they have a Generalissimo | who has proved that he has the will as well as the power to 1 conquer. If the advance continues—and this will largely depend upon the number of troops weekly arriving from Americaimportant happenings iroay confidently be expected before the close of the month.