The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-10-18
Both British and French
Commander Get Ready
for Huge Clash.
GERMANS EXPECT
BRITISH DRIVE
Steam Roller of British
Pushes Way Through
German Lines.
ASSOCIATED PRESS SUMMARY


All the important infantry fight
ing last night in the Western war
theatre was confined to the French
tront where attacks by the Germans
IN the Aisne and Champagne sectors,
as well as in the Verdun region were
repulsed by. General Petain's troops.
There is promise of a speedy re-
newal of the activity in Flanders
however. Field Marshal Haig, for
instance, sends from British head
quarters today one of those laconIc re-
ports that so frequently have preced-
ed the periodic attacks on that front.
Nothing of special interest to re-
port" has meant in several of these
cases that the British guns had
opened their terrific drum fire pre-
paratory to an attack. The German
high command apparently is antici-
pating a renewal of the British
drive, as the latest Berlin statement
in reporting the intense artillery ac-
tivity in Flanders said no infantry at
tacks had taken place, cup to the
present"
There has been spell of COM
paratlvely good weather in the area
east of Ypres where the British steam
roller is pushing its way through the
German lines. Thus the British
aviators apparently have been. able
to collect sufficient information to
enable their artillery to pursue its
work with its usual precision and tell
ing effect, while the mud fields pre-
sumably have dried out somewhat
with the cessation of the rain.
An admission of possible signific
ance was contained in the German
statement on the Macedonian front
situation received late last night.
Several villages in the Struma region
on the right flank of the allied lines
northeast of Saloniki have been
ceded" by the Bulgarians to the
British. Berlin announces.
Such a move might be made in an
ticipation of a Bulgarian attack on
the Saloniki armies of the allies to
which Germany is reported to be
urging King Ferdinand. Emperor
williams visit to Sofia has been con-
nected by one of the German news
papers with this reported project.
Greece might now be expected to
aid the eytente in repelling such an
attack or in pushing an offensive: A
declaration of war by Greece against
Bulgaria in fact seems to be expected
shortly by the central powers,
The German naval and military
machine is obviously proceeding with
the rap1OlCy 10 Cdiiy ooe :.
of gaining complete dominance IN
the Gulf of Riga. 1t has all OF Oesel
Island. off the mouth of the gulf al
ready in its grasp. Berlin's announce
ment of the completion OF the CON
Quest followed shortly the statement
from Petrogad that the Russian war
Office had lost touch with the Russian
forces on that island. All that re-
mained had been penned up on the
Southern peninsular which terminates
in the town of Serel and this evident
ly has now been swept clear by the
Germans.
All arms of the German service
seem engaged in the operations, even
fleet of Zeppelins being on hand to
make observations. The Russian ma
val forces are now bearing the brunt
of the resistance to the German et-
fort and Petrogard reports their pa
troll ships keeping in touch with and
having encounters with Ferman tor
pedo craft.
Berlin does not admit any losses In
the engagement north of Oesel island,
in which the Russian reported two
German torpedo craft sunk and two
damaged, while conceding the loss
of one Russian destroyer. Further
more Petrogad today reports that
German dreadnaught struck mine
off Oesel Island on October II, max
ing for the coast after the explosion
of the mine, the ultimate fate of the
warship being unknown.