During the night, the Germans had thrown bridges and pontoons across the river, the two largest (25 to 30 feet in width) between Treloup and Dormans, others in front of Courthiézy, Reuilly, Soilly, Chartèves, Mézy and Jaulgonne. In spite of the dense smoke screens, these bridges were promptly discovered by the Allied aviators who, bombing from a low altitude, destroyed several of them, men and convoys being thrown into the river. They also raked with machine-gun fire the German troops which debouched on the southern bank of the river. In one day (the 15th) French, British and American air-squadrons dropped over forty-four tons of explosives on the bridges, inflicting severe losses on the enemy. “_Rarely has a river been so ably defended_,” wrote the _Berliner Tageblatt_ on July 17, and the defenders fully deserved this enemy admission. [Illustration: GENERAL DE MITRY (_in the centre_).] Crossing the river before dawn, the Germans attacked the first-line divisions holding the southern bank, from Chartèves to Mareuil-le-Port. The American 3rd Division gallantly withstood the onslaught in the region of Chartèves, Jaulgonne and Fossoy and, after fierce fighting, forced the enemy back over the river, thereby helping to make the German offensive a failure. The French defended the positions of Courthiézy, Soilly, Chavenay, Nesle-le-Repons and Troissy with great stubbornness, disputing the German advance foot by foot. Among the numerous feats of arms performed in this region, that of the 33rd Colonial Regiment, which defended Mareuil-le-Port and stood firm in Nesle-le-Repons Woods, was one of the most glorious. The enemy was finally checked on the line: Celle-les-Condé, La Chapelle-Monthodon, Comblizy (where the French reserves were already counter-attacking), Oeuilly and Reuil. North of the Marne, the enemy was held up on the first position throughout the morning by two French divisions, and two Italian corps, but succeeded, in the evening, in advancing as far as the second position, where they were checked. On the 16th, south of the Marne, French reinforcements continued the counter-attacks begun on the previous evening in the direction of La Chapelle-Monthodon, Chézy and Le Clos-Milon. Checked at this point, the Germans attacked vigorously in the direction of Epernay. At about 4 p. m., they launched a powerful attack to the east of Leuvrigny, and succeeded in reaching the Chêne-la-Reine-Villesaint front. French and Italian counter-attacks between the Marne and the Ardre were unsuccessful, the attacking forces being thrown back on the Belval-Venteuil line. [Illustration: THE GERMAN ADVANCE TOWARDS EPERNAY ON JULY 16.]