The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-04-20
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is astounding. At four o'clock We'd
nesday evening, l found the same
troops which / had seen capture the
positions they were then In on Tues
4 day morning, preparing for a fresh
advance. The dash was to start st
five O'Clock and Athe French troops
were jolsingly clubbing it their ''nve
o'clock tea"
1t is typical Of all operations along
4 the great French front that General
Niyelle is not seeking to pierce the
German line at given point. IN
stead he proposes an advance along
the entire front by steady stages. IL
is not like the warfare of the preyl-
Gus Somme campaign. How well 1t
is working out is evident by, the
\ fact that the French have advanced
more now in this new style OF at
tack, than at any time since Inc
battle of the Marine.
From another nameless hill To-Day
|lI saw across the Champagne plans
an endless maze-of German trenches.
1t represented three years work ol
millions Of: men. Countless tons at
barbed wire; numberless carloads OF
steel plates: miles Of concrete fortf-
| flcations marked 1t. There were thou-
sands of bomb proofs Many were
fitted with electrical plants equipped
with the most costly and most mod
ern conveniences.
These the French captured intact.
The ardor Of the advance. the ire
sistible sweep following the batter
ing down of the preliminary works
by the terrific hail Of French artil;
~ Nvyt
of these positions were taken Tues
day.
Then the fighting centered in the
Rheims-St. Souplet sector. The
French advance was executed over
snow-clad ground which curiously
aided them. The Germans occupied
crest Of hills so strongly fortified
that in the plain below the French
had heretofore not been able to adj
vance since the battle of the Marne.
But the French shell bombardment
was so destructive that in fifteen
minutes after leaping out OF their
trenches, the French infantry had
occupied the German positions on a
front Of more than two thirds of a
mile, advancing forward more than
mile and a third in an hour.
Despite this terrific artillery fire
the positfons were so dotted with
machine guns that there was brisk
fighting. The French settled down
during the night. At dawn, just as
a brilliant sun creeps over the hori,
zon, glistening on the snow. the
French dashed forward. The Ger,
mans, blinded by the glare of the
sun, dazed with the cold, were I'M
able to use their machine guns be-
i fore the French were upon them.
A Russian brigade which took the
: oath of allegiance to the new provi'
: sional government shortly before
i going into action, distinguished Itself
in one attack of the offensive today
Another Victory Over Turks.
LONDON, april 20.-General Muir
raw has resumed his march to Jerus
allen and achieved another victory
over the Turks, an official statement
from the Egyptian front announced
today.
II "On Tuesday we advanced north Of
81 Wadi Ghuzzehi and captured Turk
: ish position on front of six and
d half miles," the statement said.
Wadi Ghuzzeh is a river running
q into the Mediterranean sea and only
a short distance from GAIA, British
troops are now within fifty miles o.
n Jerusalem.
Further Progress.
= PARIS, April 20.-Undiminished if
2 its force, General Nivelle's great or
= fensiye today reclaimed more lant
81 for France from the invader in fierce
i }fighting at several sections OF tn,
n forty mile front.
I'm the regions of Laffaux and thu
g plateau of Vauclerc, the French furth
er progressed the war Office state
& ment declared in the Champagne
= violent counter attacks were repuls
ed with heavy enemy losses. Eas
of the Loiure several lines Of German
81 trenches were captured.
= Complete Rout Of Turks.
n LONDON, April 20.--Complete rou
y of the Turkish Eighteenth arm.
81 corps and another advance in Mes
opotamia north Of Bagdad was re
ported in an official statement today
ION Tuesday night General Naude
a reported, I'VE forced passage of Shaft
y El-Adham, and on Wednesday at
81 tackled the main Turkish position
a covering Islabulat railway station
= We completely routed the Eighteenth
= army corps.
n seventy-seven Square Miles.
n by Henry Wood, United Press staf
q Correspondent a.as
q WITH THE FRENCH ARMIES IN
y THE FIELD, April 20.-Seventy
a seven square miles of France had been
2 reclaimed up to today from the in
8 vader by five days continuous steady
smashing by the French.
General Niveile's men have now
a progressed over a front Of nearly forty
a miles to a depth of from three quar-
d tiers Of mile to four full miles.
a A score of villages and towns have
q been taken since Monday when the
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