Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 19??-1918, 1917-04-20
BY Henry Wood

With the French Armies In the
Field. April 20.--Seventy-seven
square miles Of France had been re-
claimed up to today from the Inva-
der by five days continuous steady
smashing by the French.
General Nlevelle's men have now
progressed over front OF nearly
forty miles to a depth Of from three
quarters Of a milo to four full miles.
A score OF villages and towns have
been taken since Monday when the
great offensive started. The German
losses have been staggering.
Two complete divisions (forty
thousand 'men) which made counter
attack on Juvicourt we're literally
wiped out by the French artillery.
Democratization is spreading among
Germans---eyen among their officers.
Great masses Of relnforcements hur-
riedly rushed to the line are un-
availing In stopping the advance.
The battle Is progressing favor
ably" is the calm way In which the
French military chiefs regard the Of
fensive. "The results exceed the ex-
pectations."
French officers regard the advance
between the ostel and Courtecamp as
having reached the proposition OF a
great strike. The utmost strategicai
Importance is attached to the formid-
able positions captured there.
II Is the battle OF the SHOWS that
is raging over forty twisting miles to-
day on the great French offensive
front. French artillery fire turns the
carpet OF snow into oozy mud and
red spattered paths through which
Nievelle's men were advancing--al-
ways advancing--today.
succeeded In following the French
advance In this battle OF the SHOWS
on one nameless hill southwest OF
Moronvilliers. Trenches. dug-outs,
shelters everywhere we're filled with
German dead. Daged Germans were
being hauled from dug-outs where
they had hidden. burrowed deep in
the piles OF their own dead. Farther
back where French troops were clean
ing the horrors of the ground taken
by the first forward movement. l had
seen dazed, starving Germans stag
gering out Of dugouts choked with
their dead comrades, thirty-six hours
after those dugouts had been taken
lby the French.
Beyond the nameless hill the new
French and German lines were Wis
ible. Between them was an aban-
doned German battery. stark and
bare on the snow. As I watched
saw one of those bits OF French
strategy executed. The French es-
tablished lines to the rear from this
battery, They were plainly put there
to entice the enemy to seek a re-
capture Of the abandoned guns, The
ruse was successful. As i watched,
out the Germans dashed. Their
horses were hurriedly hitched to the
abandoned guns. Then the French
machine guns suddenly spat death
Horses--men--all except 30 Germans
were wiped, out In a twinkling,
The morale Of the French troops
Ia astunding. At 4 o'clock wednes.
day evening I found the same troops
which ! had seen capture the posi-.
tions they were then In on Tuesda,
morning, preparing for fresh ad
vance, The dash was to start at {
o'clock and the French troops were
jokingly dubbing that their "fiv'
O'Clock tea.e .E
II Is typical OF all operations alonl
the great French front that Newell,
Ia not seeking to pierce the German
line at given point. Instead he pro
poses an advance along the entire
front BY steady stages, II 10 not lik,
the warfare OF the previous Somm'
campaign, How we'll II Is workinl
tout Ia evidenced by the fact that tn
French have advanced more now. Il