Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-04-07
|llIG ADVANCES
MILE IN SWEEP
ION N.ST. QUENTIN
4ains New Ground in Flank
ing Movement North
of City
FRENCH HALT ATTACKS


Repulse of French attack to recap
\ ture trenches lost around Sapigneul,
with heavy losses to the enemy, was
\ reported in today's official report. To
ne left of the Meuse, the statement
eaid. French battalions thrice vainly
4 attacked in Malancourt Wood. The
War Office declared in one day the Al
He'd forces lost forty -four aeroplanes
and one captive balloon. Five German
airmen did not return.
LONDON, April Z.
All day Friday, while battles ragged
a the western front, the Germans
bombarded Rheims with their big guns.
Advices from the western front today
said that many of the projectiles hit
the cathedral, which already had been
seriously damaged.
Meanwhile there was violent fighting
seetween Rheims and Berry -au.Bac, on
the Aisne Canal.
Between Arras and the Aisne the
British pushed forward between Cam
brai and st. Quentin, approaching
within three miles of lie Catelet, a
powerfully fortified German stronghold.
LONDON April 7.
While the French fought hard to re-
oapture the last bit OF trench northwest
- Rheims that the Germans took on Thurs
oAy the British gained more victories on
Sne 'front.' nos tn of St Quentin. Near the
city itself French barrage fire checked
counter-attack by which TIE Germans hoped
70 recapture lost trenches mile from it's
outskirts. There was no infantry fighting
near st. Quentin.
N Sir Douglas Haig's troops made the most
notable progress In an operation which has
double object. advancing on lie Catelet
and Ranking the German position on the
aarecourt ridge In this fighting the
British advanced mile ana captured the
village of Lempire beyond Ronssoy. This
places them four miles from lie Catelet and
half way around the right of the ridge
position.
In this fighting the British captured three
machine guns and several prisoners. In the
eaptured trenches the British found large
numbers of dead Germans This was only
typical. however, of the last weeks expert
ence on the northern part of the front.
where 1t is established that the German
losses have been heavy.
Still fun ther to the NORTH at a point some
ten miles southeast of Arras, the British
made progress in the Crosiles region,
where the German defense has been stub
born The Germans counter attacked here
but were driven off after stiff fighting.
The French used hand srenades in their
eounter-attacks northwest of Rheims, and
were able to bomb the Germans out OF
k1nore sections Of lost trenches, especially
east Of Sapgneul, on the Asne Canal lust
south of Berry -au-Bac.
n
ports that the final count Of French pris-
oners Is Is officers and s27 men, and that
four machine guns and ten mine throwers
were taken in Thursdays attack. A French
eounter-attack was repulsed. the German
statement says.
Belgian communiques Is "a suggestion OF
greater activity just north of Arras, the
northern limit of the German retirement.
The German statement mentions heavy ar
tillery fire from the Ancre to the Scarpe.
while the Belgian aviators have been busy
against German military establishments and
British airmen have made raids far behind
the German lines on strategic points.
y PETRoG1sAD. April 7. - The Russian
War Office has issued the following:
After heavy artillery preparation partly
with shells charged with chemicals the
Germans took the offensive and occupied
part of our trenches cast OF Plakamen.
thirteen miles south Of Riga. The enemy
was driven out as the result of our coun-
ter-attack and the position was restored.
Ten of our aeroplanes flew in the di-
rection of Sokal and dropped bombs on
the station and railway in the neighbor-
hood of the village of Kuty, southwest of
Ewiniusky. and also on several other
points occupied by the enemy
In the direction of the Bystrtiza
River the enemy after artillery prepara-