Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1917-04-19
French Capture 10000 Men
in Opening Smash.
BATTLE is ON 3OO-MILE LINE
NiVeIIe on First Day of New Drive Ad'
vances on 25-Mile Front from Sois-
sons to Rheims-AIso Enters Second
Line Trenches in AIsace-Hinden.
burg Prepares Retirement.

burg prepares retirement.
Paris, April 17.-The French began
an attack after several days artillery
preparation between scissors and
! Rheims. Several German lines were
/ carried and more than 10000 Germans
were taken prisoner
The official announcement of this
success, issued by the war office, de-
| scribes the fighting as being Of the
utmost violence.
The attack was on a front of more
than twenty-five miles, every inch Of
which was fortified to the limit Of
| German military science and caution.
Between Soissons and Craonne the
whole German first position fell into
| the power Of General Nivelle's forces.
| East Of Craonne the French occupied
the enemy's second position south of
Juvincourt. Farther to the south the
| advancing French carried their line as
far as the outskirts of Bermericourt
and up to the Aisne canal at Loivre
Battle on 3o0-MiIe Front.
London, April 17.-At dawn Monday,
! just as the battle Of Arras was a week
! old, the whole rest of the 800 mile
| front from the North sea to the Swiss
| border which had more or less COM
| placently looked on the great struggle
| between Lens and St. Quentin, leaped
! suddenly into life. At this hour a gen
eral Anglo-French offensive along the
whole line is in full swing.
The supreme test on the west front
is at hand and before another week
has gone by it is expected the world
will see the long looked for twentieth
century battle which will decide the
great war.
All day long the Brench big guns
showed that they mean to be Gin on
it." With every hour the roar of the
cannon grew more thunderous, play
ing a grim preclude to the great ir1-
fantry drive which is to synchronize
with the cavern of the Hindenburg
| line in the north toward which the
British worked On Monday with new
success. By nightfall infantry battles
already were under way.
"From scissors to Rheims and in
the western Champagne" said the
Berlin day report, "infantry fighting
developed over wide sectors"
The French war office communique
said:
"The artillery fighting became ex-
tremely violent during the night on
| Rheims"
Similar reports were made regard
ing the st. Quentin front and the
western Champagne
French Take Second Line Trenches.
In Lorraine and Alsace French and
Teuton infantry were at grips through
out the afternoon. At six points Of the
German front in the Alsatian plain the
French had penetrated to the second
German line.
Upon the heels of the official re-
ports which dealt only vaguely with
the apparent beginning Of the concert
ed drive, came a dispatch from a
correspondent at British headquarters
which said:
News of The opening of the great
French offensive has spread like wild
fire through the British forces"
Meanwhile, the battle of Arras
ragged on with greater fury than ever.
Further and further the British push
ed forward against Lens and St.
Quentin. A number Of vital strategic
4oJ~
slaughts. Exceedingly large" cap
lures were made and terrific losses
inflicted on the Teutons
Confirmation that Hindenburg reck-
oned upon the evacuation of Lens was
brought here by W. D. Gregory, d.
rector Of the Brussels office Of the
American Commission for Relief in
Belgium, who said the Germans re-
moved the civilians from the mining
center three weeks ago. He also de-
MED that three months rations be-
longing to the commission were taken
he said, were removed by the commits
sion under the advice of German au
thorities six weeks ago to a place
few miles within the Belgian border.
British Take Villages.
Further progress toward Lens was
reported by British headquarters as
was the capture of the village of Viii
lerat, southeast of Hargicourt on the
st. Quentin front, which was thus
Strengthened out considerably.
Both Lens and ST. Quentin are in
flames
The advance northwest of st. Quen-
tin brought the British to within
mile and half of the st. Quentin-Cam-
hrai line. Among the positions taken
by the attackers in the last twenty
four hours is one known as the "three
savages" east of Gricourt, the name
being particularly appropriate in view
Of the character of the fighting there.