The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-04-17
Allies Smoothly Working
Out Plans Made at Re-
cent Conferences.
SUPREME MILITARY
TEST OF WAR AT HAND
Entente Forces Prepared as
Never BefOre-Germans
Seem Stupified.


Associated Press. British Front in
France. April l6.-Via London-With
the hot flames of war raging along the
entire western front. British and
French alike. each detail of the often
sive plans has been worked out at
prolonged conferences between Cen
| cral Nivele and Field Marshal Haig.
and the war councils of France and
! England.
The part to bc played by each bel
! lgcrcnt has been definitely agreed
upon and a schedule has been ar
ranged. Various tasks have been pre-
cisely allotted along the wide reaching
battle lines. and the results, thus far
attained. justify the conclusions that
the supreme military test of the war IL
near at hand.
| II was planned the British should
strike from Arras. while the French
guns wor" still roaring preparation for
infantry hostilities along a wide front
further to the south. The successes
gained in the first stages of the Brit
nave gwen IHf FtIth
great confidence in the Inauguration Of
their own enterprises.
Titanic Struggle.
Tho whole struggle in tho western
theatcr promises to be a titanic one.
Tn" allies ar" prepared as never be
fore in material and personnel and are
CO. operating with n Smootlness which
comes from complete understanding
land through appreciation of the work
in hand. The Germans have lost more
divisions on the western front than
would have been thought possible n
year ago and however much Of an
| "eastcrncr" Field Marshal Won linden
burg may have been in tn" past. he
will have to devote his entire attention
to western events for some weeks to
come.
Already a half score of Germany's
best divisions have been smashed to
pieces by the British onslaught and
their own unsuccessful counter attaiks.
The Bavarian divisions were sacrificed
first, but the Prussian guard divisions
thrown in to stem the British flood
tide, have been suffering such casu-
alties in the last few days that they
will have to be relieved.
Rout at Lagnicourt.
It will ever be one of the most strik-
ing pictures of this war. the rout Of
the Germans at I.agnicourt after what
they believed to have been a successful
lattack. Running for their own trenches
| which were part of the Hndenburg
line. they were trapped by the barbcd
wre which had been built with such
strength and thickness in front of
them. The boast of the Hindcnburg
line has been it's belts of protective
wire.
/ Caught within the moshcs OF this
wire the German guardsmcn screamed
for help and guidance. Some. trapped
like rabbits. scurricd up and down the
outer barrier. searching for openings.
The British troops, meantime, had the
greatest opportunity for open field
rifle shooting sine" the battle of the
Nafnr. Lying nat upon Inc ground
they poured bullets into the panic
stricken, gray coated Germans until
each man had fired n fun 100 rounds.
While this was going on. the British
field guns cam" into play with n
shrapnel harrago. which completed the
demolition of the cntrappcd enemy.
| II was it'll" wonder that later 800
German dead could be counted or that
four pnardsmcn surrendered with up
held hands and emotional cries OF
"Kamcrad."
| Everywhere they have been pushed
back from the British front and espc-
cially north of the rolled up" portion
of the Hindenburg line, the Germans
endeavoring by every means to gain
time in order to complete defcnses
upon which to fall back.
Their effhrts to dig in everywhers
and seek the shelter OF fortified line!
do not tend to corroborate the Oft
: stated German hopes that the warfar'
} might become open again. In fightinl
= these retarding actions. the German
are sacrificing their picked troops a