The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-05-08
BulIecOurt, Temporary Storm
Center, Being Crushed.
NEWS kept FROM GERMANS
Berlin Official Reports Don't
Portray Real Situation.
Activity i'm Macedonia Indicates
Allies Drive Under Way.
(By the Associated Press.)

The great human nippers which
General IIaig has forged around the
southern end of the Drocourt- Queant
switch line are steadily closing and the
rolling up of this important section OF
the German defenses appears TO pc a
matter of only of a few days Inc
Drocourt- Queant line is the hastily i'm
provised barrier thrown up to protect
Cambria and Douai after the more
famous Hindenburg line had been
smashed by the British. The bitter re-
sistance offered by the Germans TO
the British advance has centered in
their defense of Bullecourt, two and a
half miles west of Queant. To the south.
the British have forged well beyond
Queant but have been forced TO mark
time until Bullecourt falls. The cap
ture of the village was entrusted to
Australians and these hard fighting
colonials have almost surrounded the
German stronghold so that its surren-
der or fall is expected momentarily-
The Drocourt-Q ueant line forms n
broad salient in The British front eigh-
teen miles at it's top and paralleling
the Douai-Cambrai line. Drocourt Is
seven miles from Douai and Queant
about ten miles from Cambria. The
crushing in of this salient will mean
that the German grip on the great
Lens coal region will be broken and
the entire German line in northern
France imperilled.
There are many signs that the Ger
mans realize the menace to them in
| the alternate sledge hammer blows
of the British and French beneath
which their choicest troops are being
driven from position after position
News from the western front il not
merely suppressed in Berlin but is
being doctored for the consumption of
German newspa. err readers. Discrep-
.ancies between the German and allied
official versions are apparently arous-
ing suspicious in some German minds
| and the Berlin newspapers are being
| bombarded with questions that their
military critics find some difficulty in
answering. There is significance also
| in the fact that the German emperor,
| egrams. speaks of a serious and de-
cisive time" instead of exulting over
victories, real or imaginary.
| Apart from France, the only fight
| ing of significance reported from the
war theatre is taking place in Ma
cedonia. The reports from this front
are meagre. but they indicate an in
creasing activity which may presage
a general offensive by the Allies
Another Deadlock Todsy.
I London, May 8.-Another deadlock
appeared to have been Temporarily
the Hindenburg line positions held BY
tho British. Field Marshal Haig's re-
port omitted mention of any ma ior
fighting actions during the night and
early morning, recounting a great
number of raids on both sides. scat
tered along a wide frontage
THE enemy artillery was active at
| intervals during the night at a num-
| Der of places, particularly between
Frenzy and Loos," the statement said
ours replied. In the neighborhood
of Neuve Chapelle and Eau Quissart
we made successful raids.
| Northeast of Armentiers a small
enemy party raided our lines yester-
day evening and after a hand to ia md
| fight, were driven out, leaving a few
| dead. A few of our men are missing
South of Armentiers another enemy
raid was repulsed-"
! Fierce Fighting in BuIlecourt.
London. May Germany is max
| ing herculean efforts to cement to-
gether the crumbling pieces OF the
| Hindenburg line by reckless expendi-
ture of her troops blood. Battle front
dispatches today detailed almost con-
| tinuous counter-attacks against both
places where the Hindenburg defenses
/ have been smashed by the Haig and
Nivelle offensive.
On the British front the most vio-
: lent fighting conferred around BulIe-
court. Encircled on three sides by
Australian troops and their position
constituting a powerful wedge driven
deep into the German defense system.
the village was the scene of constant
hand to hand fighting
! On the French front, Hurtebise and
Crannoe, held by General Neville's
forces. seemed to be the particular OBJ
jects of the German attacks Particu-
larly violent fighting was reported
around Hurtebise.
]