The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-24
But Indications Point to At
tempt to Launch Great At
tack Very Soon
SPLENDID INITIATIVE
SHOWN BY POILUS
Take Heights From Which 1t
Was Planned to Send Out
Great Mass of Teutons-
Lull on British Front

London May 2s.-The news that
checred France and England today
was not OF today's progress on the
front. CHEEKY as that was, II is the
story of how Betain fohed linden
burg three days ago.
From the plaintive tales OF Tcuton
prisoners it was pieced together Here
II IS briefly
Tuesday, yesterday had been set by
Hindenburg as the date of titanic
counter-thrust. From the crest of the
formidable Moronviliers heights. dom
mating the German ground for miles
around, the Teutons were to strike
southwards eastwards and westwards.
and in one mighty onrush seize the
initiative from the French. From
this strateEical throne" the foe was
to be ordered backwards. Success
would mean no eEd of triumph For
here between Rheims and Auberfve.
on the Cham pa gne front, Is the key
to staggering strategical possibilities
Tremendous masses Of men and guns
had been herded behind the German
lines Tuesday was the day on which
the French government was to be
heckled by thtrty-five interpellators
the storm was 10 break loose.
Petain Widcawakc
But Petafn. who saved Nerdun by
hts vigilance. was wide awake, He
knew early last weak when the Ger
mans put out their feelers In initial
counter attacks what was coming. He
decided TO forestaN the crafty "Old
Man of the Mazurian Lakes" And he
did On Sunday he struck out against
the Noronvilliers heights from which
the Germans were to launch their
s,era,. 1v,I
staggered the Teutons. caught while
preparing just such n blow of their
own. Petain's legions smashed for
ward overrunning all obstacles TO
their detectives
French Hold Heights.
Today the crest of the height is in
French hands and OF German 7
counter offensive in this sector-the !
vital sector-there can be no ques- /
ton
when TUESDAY morning came the /.
hills from which the crown princes
men were to flow down upon the |
French were in French hands and !
French troops threatened 10 flow down |
further upon the Teuten lines.
Hindenburg. himself, so prisoners
say. had been there Sunday to put on
the finishing touches. He witnessed
the onslaughts by the horizon blue
lines that tore his program TO shreds,
also his lines But all is not yet over
French HEADQUARTERS warns against ex-
aggeratior.
Premier Ribot warned against 1t
in the chamber yesterday. The Ger
mans are still full of fight and are
showing 1t every hour of@the day by |
terrific counter blows. Somewhere /
along the Aisne-Champagn front !
Hindenhurg is expected to try again I
to wrest the aggressive from the I
French.
Petain showed in the last twenty |
four hours that ne is ready for II.
Forestalls Countcr-Thrusts.
Again and again he is attacking, 7
certain that thus he will wear out
his foe before a serious counter-of- /
fensve can be thought of, AT three |
separate points the French bombed \
and bayonetted their way forward to-
day. Most notable of their successes
was the snatching away from the Teu-
tons of the last observation posts COM
handing the valley of tho little river
Athletic From these posts, indispens-
able eyes for further progress. they
can oevrlok the whole intricate de- /
tense system which still separates |
them from I.aon, their chief objec-
tive, and the city Itself. Further to
the east, above Caronne. they made
themselves masters OF three lines of
Teuton trenches The Germans tried
hard to come back, They flew back
TO their own lines. shattered and
broken by the French barrage. There
three hundred and fifty prisoners were
taken
"Splondid progress was made" the
Paris official communique reported. on
the northern slopes of the plateau that
looks down upon the Athletic valley.
1t is these slopes that Berlin has
prided itself on retaining. Slowly the t.
reutons are being pushed down from
them.
The German war office comedies no
loss in it's statement today. Instead,
II claims that heavy sanguinary blow
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