Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1917-04-19
Fires Seen and Explosions Are
Heard as Teutons Are Driven
Back BY English From
LoOs, Southwark.
GAPS MADE IN DEFENsEs
Strong Resistance Made Before
Enemy Leaves Position For
Others Lacking Dugouts
and Strong Defenses.

London. April l6.-7'he British have
taken a bulldog grip on the whole Ger
man line from Loos to north of ST.
Quentin anG refuse to be shaken off,
Under what the eWSpaperS call the
"Haig plan" first one section of the
Hindenburg line and then another has
been subjected to violent bombardment,
followed by infantry attacks which
have badly shaken, IL they have npt Sc
Tlously broken, the front on which the
have depended for the defense
OF the industrial districts of France
which have heen in their hands for more
thar two years.
The Lens coal mining area around
the town is being closely invested and
precarious.
More Villages Fall.
Several more villages and positions
southwest OF the town fell into British
hands during the night, together with
four S-inch howitzers, and the line here
has been linked up with the positions
taken from the Germans in the battle
of Loos.
The Germans stay in st. Quentin is
likewise additionally threatened through
the capture by the British of the viii
lage of Fayet, a bare mile northwest
OF the town, from which point the
British guns command the German lines
Akio llol 1 alu. hSLiA
the British have advanced farther
toward the Ca1nbrai-St. Quentin road
while southeast of Arras they are ap-
preaching Queant, which is the north
ern extremity of the new German line
defending Cambria.
Genera Horne, who is considered the
greatest artillery expert in the British
army and who assisted General NiVelle
In the successful attack by the French
north Of Ver6un in December last, com
mandS the British forces around Lens,
where, owing to the natural defenSss
composed of waste dumps around the
mines, the artillery must largely be de-
pended upon. General Horne has on his
lght the army under Maj. Gen. e. H.
ii. Allenby, who also has gained new
laurels in this war.
Expect Relief Of Lille.
These generals and their colleagues
under Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig,
have accomplished since Monday, a
work Which many military writer's ex-
pected would occupy q great part of the
summer, but thus far there has been no
flag waving nor celebration in Great
Britain.
The impression prevails that greater
events will soon follow and that with
the fall of Lens the relief of Lille will
not be long delayed.
The British offensive has developed
a great push in the most literal sense
of the WORD" telegraphs Reuters cor
respondent at the British army head
quarters III Trance. 1.-The success of the
operations which began on Monday has
been greater than perhaps we realize
and the Germans are being pushed
back from Loos, to the southwark.
Decisive Thing May Happen.
ut takes an army a long time to get
away, however skillfully the retirement
may rave been planned, and With a
vigorous offensive clinging to it's skirts
in its effort to avoid defeat, it may be
overwhelmed.
some villages during the night but this
slipping away cannot be carried very
far and when they are forced back on
the line to which they may have hastily
withdrawn and without those guns and
stores which they were unable to get
away, a decisive thing may happen"
British Headquarters in France.
April l4.-tFrom a Staff C%orrespon-
dent of the Associated Press).-The
British last night broke the German
front for a distance of four miles. The
Germans are in retreat.
The gaps in the German defenses
were MADE in W places. Positions on
a front of three miles between the
double Grassier n Givenchy, and an
other mile on the north flank of the
Hindenburg trench system were cap
tured. Advance posts were pushed
well toward Queant and Pronville, i'm
portant points in the German defenses.
The Germans are fighting as they
retire from LooS southwark n are
being hard pressed.
Fires and explosions in the territory
to the rear of the German lines con-
tinue. The weather is favorable for
campaigning.
The Germans are putting up a strong
defensive fight before falling back to
the uncontrolled positions where dug
outs are missing and protection is
doubtful.
The days are filled with thrilling i'll
cidents of individual exploits which
are difficult to sort from the mass com
inc in from so wide a battlefield. One
of the most remarkable is that of Z
Young airman who. although shot in tho
eye and the leg in an air duel yesterday
succeeded in bringing down the oppos
ing machine in his own lines, dragged
himself from the airplane, made a Yer
.,ai report on his mission died 6
few minutes later.
The Turks have sustained anothe
defeat at the hands Of the British i,
Mesopotania. The war office an
nounces that the Turks are in retrea
after a battle in which they suffered
heavy losses.
TANKS RouT GERMANS.
ondon April 14.-Newspaper CORE
spondents with the British armies III
france described at length the violen
fighting which ended in the capture Q
Wancour, and Heninel, south of thu
Arras-Cambrai high road.
when the British soldiers Tough
their way into Wancourt they wer'
faced by great uncut belts OF wire AM
Waves Of bullets from machine guns
The daily Telegraph correspondent. re
ferring to the action. says:
t'The men were held up by grea
stretches of wire and menaced mos
evilly by an enfilading fire from ma
cue and did most daring things The:
came up in their e~lephantine way ano
most skillfully guided. climbed owe
rough ground. %cleaying through snos
drifts and mud banks and. breastinl
their hunt noses above the old trenche
and sand bag barbados, they mad