The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-04-06
IN
DISORDERLY.
ON
FRENCH FRONT
Abandoning Wounded and Nate
rial As Their Lines Break Un-
der the Terrific Pounding Of
the Heavy Guns Of the Allies
FRENCH REPORT GAINING
IMPORTANT POSITIONS

South and Southeast OF Saint
Quentin, While British Press
Forward North Of Citadel
tAssocis.sd Press BY Federal wirslsss)
NEW YORK, April 5--Reel-
y - ing before the repeated
blows Of the British and French
the German, aEnies on the west
ern front are now in disorderly
retreat, abandoning their wound
ed to become prisoners Of the En-
tente, and forsaking their guns
and large quantities of munitions
as they fall back before the troops
of Haig and Nivelle. .a
The dispatches from Paris and
London report the most tremen-
.dous fighting since the beginning
of the great retreat of the Ger
mans, and for the first time tell
Of the disorganization of the
enemy, and the bitter efforts
which he is making to escape
from the determined Allies, who
are pressing close upon his retir-
ing TANKS, and making it impos-
sible for him to find time to dig
himself in. Sr.
The work of the Entente artil-
lery is also mentioned in the des-
patches, and it must have Been,
frightful in its effect, for the re-
ports mention the bloody, Efforts
of the Germans to counter att&clS,
and the breaking down of the
long gray clad lines under the fire
of the French seyenty-6ves and
the British field guns. .a.&t... :
The fighting appears to have
been divided into two great fields.
One to the south and southeast
of Saint Quentin, where the
French are striking on a six-mile
front, and the other to the north
and west of that almost surround
ed citadel, where the British lines
are following the trail Of the fee
ing Prussian, BUSTING him from
positions he believed secure.
The French line has now adj
vanced up the long incline from
the old trenches along the Asine,
following in general the slopes
leading down to the Disc River,
which leads directly to La Fere
and Moy, to position that domi-
mates the whole of a six-nile
front stretching between Moy
and Grugies
Half dozen villages were taken by
assault, the FreReh poilus proving ire
sistible in their plan and, with the sup
port Of their artillery, went through
the German defense as though il were
but paper and the German men of card
board. Three lines of trenches at Folie
Farm fell before the French attack, and
the German infantry, its morale broken
by the long continued retreat, began to
disintegrate under the tremendous
pounding 1t was getting, and fed in dis
order, leaving behind wounded and
much war material. sa' -.
The British stroke was to the north
Of the citadel. Here they are advancing
in the general direction of Cambria
while the right wing of Haig's army
is cooperating with the French in the
attacks on Saint Quentin, Yesterday
the fighting here was done in heavy
snow storm, which hampered the at,
tackers and enabled the retreatiig leu
tons TO draw back without much loss.
The British, however, succeeded in cap
turing Nielsen Bauture and overlook
the Germans in Havricourt Wood, and
beat them back after some hot fighting.
German counter attacks here broke
down utterly under the guns of the
Allies.
The German general star also de-
olares that the Teuton forces on the
Stokhod River front have successfully
attacked the bridge head at Toboiy,
defended by the Russians under Gen.
eral Brussiloh, and had driven the
Slavs back,
Berlin Ia its Official report of this
struggle claims that the British loss
4 - :.