The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-04-19
HINDENBURG ARMY
NEAR BREAKDOWN
jContinued from page IL


jContinued from page IL
north of vaiIly and Ostel gained
more ground northeast of scissors
Desperate German attempts to create
diversions elsewhere along the front
failed. All German counter attacks
on ground newly wrested from their
hands in the St Quentin to Rheims
front, signally failed.
Today there is fighting along al
most the entire French front Around
ST, Quentin. General Nivelle reportea
great activity of artillery. II may
possibly be the precursor OF another
tremendous infantry assault there
which will sweep the town-long men-
aced-into French hands.
In the Coucy forest, further south
In the bend OF the fighting front, the
statement reported patrol fighting.
Still farther along, TO the north OF
the Aisne, the French commander In
chief reported further progress
north of yailly and Ostei. In approx
imately the same sector, In the reg
ion Of Courtecon, due south of Laon,
a German machine gun attack was
stopped.
Further east on the vauclerc plat
u.
tack of the most violent character.
launched on Wednesday night at 6
O'Clock. 1t was checked in bitter
fighting. The assaulting waves Were
forced to stop before they reached
the French lines.
In the Champagne, NiveHe reported
his troops as pursuing their sue
cess in the MoronvillereS region
Attacks everywhere were success
full" he said. Our troops carrying
Mont Haul swell and several heights
to the east, including Hill 227. Dur
ing the course Of the night two Ger
man batteries were captured
Between Scissors and Auberives
twelve new German divisions have
been identified.
I'm the region OF st. Mihiel a Ger
man attack failed
At Any Cost.
by Henry Wood, United Press Staff
Correspondent
WITH THE FRENCH ARMIES
AFIELD, April 19.-"Defend at any
cost" is the word which has gone
along the German front where the
French are battering in their great
offensive.
stopping the French drive or even
slowing up the forward movement of
the offensive, was apparent today in
the count Of prisoners. in the heaps
of German dead and In the democrat
ization Of the defenders, apparent
everywhere.
The German plan seems to De to
gorge the first line Of their defenses
with troops. They literally glut the
the first line trenches. The German
earthwork Notifications, battered in
to nothingness by French guns, arc
apparently being replaced by human
bulwarks OF massed men. Into these
masses of Germans the French fire
Is playing death with fearful GER
tainty.
It was learned today that when
Mondays onslaught began by the
French, the Germans had massed
thirteen full divisions Cat least $780,
600 mem along the line of the Sois-
sons-Rheims front in anticipation Of
the great battle. 1t had been fore
cast by terrific French artillery
preparation.
Further Progress.
PARIS, April 19.-Capture Of Mont
1ICluulIS
Hll 227 in further progress Of the
great Champagne offensive was an
nounced in today's French official
statement.
Identification of twelve new yer
man divisions in the one sector be.
tween scissors and Auberives means
the Germans have been forced to
mass 100000 new forces there not
only to take the place of troops cut
to pieces by the French advance, but
in an effort to dam the flood tide ~
the French assaulting waves
The Germans expected the often
sive. They prepared for it. Bur 50
furious was the force with which the
French struck that during the daI.
German commanders were comnoIias
to bring up six new divisions in ~
attempt to stem the advance ca
divisions contain approximataI,, 100
600 men. And still the Germans
could not prevent the French yainr