Evening star., 1917-04-14


part of the British public and some
prominent writer's. who have been dis
posed to accept the German theory ex-
pounded in German papers that every
thing that has occurred on the western
front has gone according to Won Hin
denburgs plans and as foreseen by him.
Knew Where Line Was Drawn.
A number of European military writ
ers have taken the view that the Hin
denburg line was a myth painted to
hearten the German people. But the
British general staff, for some time, has
kqown that there is definite Hindenburg
line upon which the German staff was
basIng its defense and has known exact
ly where that line was drawn.
If the British army can break through a
vital or important sector, the next chap
ter may be a further extensive German
retreat IT, indeed, the Germans are able
to retreat in order with Field Marshal
Haig's army pressing them as closely as
1t is now doing.
That the German staff clearly is
troubled by the progress of events
since Monday is the testimony of news
paper correspondents at British head
quarters in France. They say that the
German attempts to retrieve lost po-
lutte and that the situation has become
full OF Uncertainty for the Germans.
Their calculations. 1t Is added. have
been upset by the speed and perse-
verance with which the initial British
advance was followed up. Much specu-
lation is made respecting the possible
German steps to meet the new situa-
ton, but 1T conveys no reliable indi-
cation.
Undergo Terrible Ordeal.
Newspaper correspondents with the
British armies in France describe at
length the violent fighting which ended
In the capture of Wancourt and Heni-
mel, south of the Arras-Cambrai high
road. Some of the attackers under
went a terrible ordeal. lying on the
open slopes in deep snow and an icy
gale and swept by German machine
gun fire from Guemappe. while the sky
above them was flashing with the burst
of shrapnel and high explosives.
When the British soldiers fought
their way into Wancourt they were
faced by great uncut belts of wire and
waves of bullets from machine guns.
The Daily Telegraphs correspondent,
referring to this action, says:
Tanks to the Rescue.
THE men were held up by great
stretches of wire and menaced most
evilly by an enfilade fire from machine
guns. Two tanks came to the rescue
and did most daring things. They
came up in their elephantine way and
most skillfully guided, climbed over
rough ground. cleaving through snow
drifts and mud banks, and, breasting their
blunt noses above the old trenches and
sand bag barrcades, they made
straight for the great hedges of barbed
wire and drove straight through them.
leaving broad lines of broken strands.
One cruised into Wancourt followed
from r. distance by the cheers of the
infantry. 1t trampled upon machine
gun redoubts and fired into the German
hiding places.
"a second tank struck a ziezag
course for Heninel and in that village
swept down numbers of German SOL
diers. For forty hours these two tanks
did not rest, but went about break
down wire and searching out Germa n
strong points so that the way would
be easier for the infantry. Even then
our men had no easy fighting, as the
enemy defended themselves stubborn
ly in places
German Official Report.
BERLIN, April 13, via London, April
14.-The war Office communication is
hi