New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-19
Lull in Infantry Action,
French and British
Holding Gains
Germans Admit
Loss of Bullecourt
Hindenburg Believed to
Have Completed Destruc-
ton of Lens

London. May ls.-There was lull
over the entire lighting front in North
crn France to-day. The bombsrdments
of the hostile artilleries at points rose
in volume, particularly on the Arras
front. and there were clashes of patrols
and partial attacks, but no major IN
fantry actions.
The British remained in undisturbed
posscssion Of Bullecourt, the loss OF
which Berlin admits. The German Off
cial statement, however, says the viii
lage was evacuated according 10 COM
mand" twenty-four hours before Haig's
men occupied the last German posts.
The violence Of the two weeks battle
for this hamlet. through which the old
Hipdenburg line happened to run, is
indicated by the German reference to
the ruins Of the "former" village of
Bullecourt.
That the British have pushed on well
east of Gavrelle is revealed in the Ber-
lin statement, which mentions the re-
pulse of an attack on the Gavrelle-
Fresnes road. The British War once
reports the dispersal by artillery fire
Of enemy formations on the Arras-
Cambria road and northeast OF FIRES
nov, which the Germans still hold.
Hostile raids at Armentieres. near the
Belgian border, were repelled.
French Repel Attacks
Action on the French front was con-
fined 10 cannonades and minor infan-
try engagements last night. Paris re-
ports the repulse of several German
thrusts around Craonne. and Berlin
chronicles French failures in the same
sector. as well as the storming OF
French trench near La Royere farm
and the capture of $50 prisoners. The
big guns are busy southwest OF Laon
and in the Champagne, but there Is no
such drum-fire as precedes an oHen-
sive.
The rainy weather on the British
front has turned the battlefield into
mass of mud, practically precludlng IN
fantry attacks and affording the Ger
mans an opportunity TO retire TO pre-
viously prepared defence lines. il they
arc ready TO do so. Some observers
here believe that they are. With Bulie-
court in British possession there is a
pronounced breach in the original Ger
man double line of concrete trenches,
and at best the Oppy line, parts Of
which Hindenburg still holds to the
north, is only a temporary switch sys-
TEN.
Must Fall Back to Wotan Line
II there is q German withdrawal IL
must continue TO the Queant-Drocourt or
Wotan line, the last remaining defence
system before Douai. This would mean
the evacuation Of Lens. the French coal
city, but the fires there have been burn
ing for weeks and the destruction of
the town now must be practically com
plote. Though the Germans cannot
take all the coal out of the ground, they
have undcu teddy rendered the mines
useless for tkc present.
Some critics declare that the Ger
mans intend withdrawal 20 the Sieg
fried line. which connects with the
Wotan line at Queant. runs southwark
before Cambria, past st. Quentin and
around Laon on the north bank of the
Athlete River. They would probably
give UP st. Quentin and retire to the
strong hill positions back Of it. All
through this sector fires have sprung
up. suggesting the same campaign of
devastation which preceded the former
Hindenburg retreat. The Siegfried line,
on which Hindenburg intended TO stand
before the battle of Arras began. is
much stronger than the Wotan system,
which has only been building for few
months. The Notan line Is all that
protects Douai. the British objective, If
tho Onny line u rellu0ulsheQ.