The Alaska daily empire., 1917-07-30
CLOSING OF THIRD YEAR OF WAR PUTS
 ENTENTES IN LEAD

concede failure in the operations cen tering on Verdun. After August 3. 1916, the French gained the ascend ancy, eliminating in the retaking of Douau, Thiamont and Fort Naux, with thousands of prisoners and many guns. By November the French had once more come into possession of the complete circle of the Verdun defences.
 Battle of the Somme.
 The second phase dates back to the commencement of the Franco British offensive-the first battle of the Somme-in July of 1916. By mid-September this had reached such proportions that the Germans were credited with bringing up seven new divisions against the British and five against the French. It was estimated that 3S German divisions, or, based on the strength of those German units at that period, about 760,000 men, opposed the British and French on this line of twenty-mile front. In this battle the British air su- premacy became dominant. By No vember the British and French had taken St. Pierre Divion, Beaumont Hamel and Beaucourt and had pene- trated German positions for a depth of six miles.
 In the spring, the Germans, anti cipating a resumption of the Somme operations, began what has become known as the "Hindenberg victorious retreat to newly established German lines. In this second battle of the Somme, Bapaume, Irles, Peronne, Fay cite, Nesle, Gricourt, Vaux, Rove. Tergnier Ham and hundreds of oth ar positions were lost by the Ger mans In an evacuation which French critics regard as memorial the Ger mems left track of widespread de- vastation which aroused worldwide indignation The British claimed cap ture of nearly 5000 prisoners in the three months of this German retire ment for a depth of from 5 to 15 miles along a front of about A miles.
 The Arras Offensive.
 In April the British transferred their offensive to the northeast of Arras, forcing von Hindenburg to redistribute his force along fif- teen mile front Canadians played I historic part in this fighting. Monchy-le Preux was taken; and Vimy Ridge was captured after one of the worlds bloodiest battles. Can adians held the ridge against des- perate counter-attacks This success east of Arras turned Hindenberg's northern pivot, and British critics regard it as the greatest in the history of British arms in the pres placed the British astride the Hin denberg line, and the Germans retired to positions a mile or two west of the Drocourt Queant line. These they held as the third year closed.
 Meanwhile the battles of Cham paign and the Aisne had been car ried on by the French, who in April captured Auberive. In the first days of the Champaign offensive, one of the greatest struggles of the war, the Germans sustained an estimated loss of 100000 killed, wounded and taken prisoners through their des- perate defensive operations. Fight ing in these regions continues after three months, during which the French have advanced from one to five miles along a fifty-mile front. The present French line runs from Northeast of Soissons through Rheim to Auberive.
 Flyers Dominate.
 In June, 1917, the British began an attack on Messines and Wys- chaete in an effort to straighten out the Ypres salient. Again British flyers dominated in the air. The British had spent an entire year min- ing the earth for this offensive. which was begun with an explosion so terrific that it was heard in Lon don. Beyond Messnes, for two miles east and northeast. the British won and consolidated ground, captured more than 7,500 prisoners and great stores of artillery Gaining every objective, they placed themselves astride the Ypres-Comines canal, having advanced three miles on an eight-mile front Portuguese and Belgian troops aided in this offensive. In recent days the fighting there had been confined to raiding opera tions.
 It Is estimated that during April, May and June the Germans suffered 350,000 casualties on the Western front
 The Russians, having in June of 1916 begun an offensive from the Pripet Marshes to the Rumanian frontier, speedily captured Czern owitz and the rest of Bukovina, to- gether with Brody in Galicia. and in August they entered Stanislau for the third time in the war These operations forced the Austro-Ger- mans to relinquish lines they had held throughout the winter of 1915- 1916.
 pIjphf of Rumania