Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-03-30
ADVANCE ON LARGE
SCALE IN PALESTINE
REPORTED BY LONDON
Turkish Army of 10000 Men
Defeated and Entire Staff
of One Division Captured In
Battle Near GAIA
(By Associated Press

NEW YORK, March 29.-(From for4
eign cables to the Associated Press.)-4
British operations in Palestine are in-
dictated by today's reports to be pros
crossing successfully on a large scale,
with the British forces closing in stead
lily on Jerusalem. On March a Britt
ish column was reported within forty
miles of Jerusalem at EI-Chalfl, or He
bron, about thirty-five miles inland.
This column has evidently been sup
ported by a stronger army advancing
up the Mediterranean Coast. where il
can be munitioned and supplied by
water. The coast army. moving north
ward from Rata has pushed up the
Mediterranean shore to within five
miles Of GAIA, the historic town of BIZ
BILE times. GAIA is almost directly west
of El-Chalil, bringing the British front
up to a traight line apparently across
nearly the entire breadth of Palestine
Between the Mediterranean and the
Dead sea Forty miles north of GAIA
is Jaffa, the'port of Jerusalem. whence
a railway line runs to the capital.
ENTIRE STAFF CAPTURED.
The British report shows the army
now near GAIA to be engaged in con-
structing a railway, apparently to. IA
cilitate it's advance or its operations
farther in the interior of Palestine. 1t
has defeated a Turkish army of 10000.
capturing a general and a whole divis-
ional staff, together with some 900 men.
including several Austrian officers and
Austrian and German men of the rank
and file and two Austrian 4.2-inch how
itzers. sEfZ5sfi
Today's official reports from Paris
and Berlin show little change in condi-
tions in the field of the German retreat
on the French front.
The Germans are striking back in
Champagne in determined effort to d.
vert General Nivel1e from his ceaseless
pounding at the base of the shaken Hin
denburg line. The scene of the counter
offensive launched by Field Marshal Won
Hindenburg is along fifteen-mile front.
starting about % miles east of Rheims.
Attacking in force in this sector the Ger
mans have driven the French from some
of their advance trenches but have failed
the defenders lines.
In the meantime the iron semi-oircle
which General NivelIe has thrown
around the southern half of the great
st Gobain plateau is steadily contract
ing If the French maintain their press
ent rate of advance 1t can only be a
matter of a very few days before tho
entire plateau is in their grasp. remov-
ing the last great natural barrier to
Laon.
BRITISH STILL ADVANCE
The British are moving forward stead-
fly to the north but the fact that they
are capturing villages with cavalry in
dicates that they are not yet in contact
with the main German forces. The most
advanced British outposts are still ten
miles from the Cambria line where ALI
observers have assumed the Germans
proposed to make their real stand.
Military critics in Paris and London
are reverting to the belief that the pres
ent German retreat is only part of the
plan for a retirement on a tremendous
scale to the Belgian border. In support
of this theory il is pointed out that the
withdrawal from the Noyon and Bapaum
salients is rapidly forcing the whole
German line into the form of an i'm
mense right angle The upright Of this
angle runs north and south for 40 miles
from Newport on the Belgian coast to
Laon The horizontal runs for about an
equal distance east to the Lorraine bor-
der. 1t is into the apex Of this angle
that General Nivelle is boring his way,
threatening to cut the forces OF the in
vaders sduarely in two.