Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-06-08
TEUTONS STRUGGLE
HARD TO RALLY FROM
THEIR BIGGEST BLOW
Germans in Danger of Being
Swept from Industrial
Section of France.
(By Associated Press.)

Vast numbers of German
troops are being rushed forward
by Field Marshal Hindenburg in
all effort to stem the British tor
rent which has swept over the
heights dominating the Lille
plain and threatening to sweep
the Tcutons from the great indus
trial section of northern France.
AS every succeeding clash be-
tween the mighty armies on the
western front dwarfs the ones
which preceded, as shown by the
initial phase of the battle of Mes
sines, this promises to be merely
a prelude to the struggle which
is to come.
English Command Heights.
The British flood follows al
most on the heels of the trium-
|phant announcement by the Ger
man emperor that the allied Of
fenses in the west have been de-
fnitely checked, bearing out the
report that the Germans had un-
derestinated the power and. re-
sources of their ioe e ard not
ready to withstand the terrific
blow which fell on them. From
the captured heights the British
guns today are sending their
messages of death across low
and level plain of scarcely FIVE
miles in breadth which separates
them from the industrial capital
OF northern France. Lille is the
chief of a little group of three
cities in which, prior to the war.
centered Frances great textile.
industries. 1t formally had a pop
ulation of 100000 and her two
sister cities, Roubaix and Tour
Going, were the homes of about
an equal number. Tourcoing and
Roubaix stand OH rising ground
from four to six miles northwest
of Lille, the only high land now
in front OF the British. To their
right, however, Lille is protected
by ridge which stands between
it and Arnentieren, the town on
which the right wing of the at
tacking British armies rests. An
advance onto the plain will out
flank this ridge.
Russian Reports Reassuring.
Battle news is timed with the
arrival of reassuring reports from
Russia. The surrender OF the
| Kronstadt secessionists has been
followed by reports of the en-
thusiastic reception accorded
Minister of War Kerensky OH
his tour of the Russian front.
The energy With which the min
lister has acted to restore the
morale and discipline of Russia's
arr: has apparently had its re-
ward and has revived hope that
the great Slavonic country may
soon make her military power
felt again on the eastern battle
/ line.
French Active Again.
There has been renewed activ-
ity within the past day or two on
the French front near St. Quen-
tin. The artillery has been
strongly engaged and the Ger
mans apparently were preparing
an attack last night. The French
guns. however, broke up the eff
fort in its incipiency.
While the British are deliver;
ling their concentrated attack on
land in Belgium, their air forces
continue active over that terri
tory. Operations in the vicinity
Of Dixmude, in which three Ger
man machines were put out Of &C
tion, are reported today IS ~
Austria Concentrates .Foress-
A semi-om mcial Rome announcen
ment says Austria has made D
] formidable conc central tiosl of forces
lon the Italian front ~ tle yifl u u
drawals Of troops from the i;
sian front. The statemesat ~
Iserts the Austrians are ao1 lSo a. a.
ftonted by5 m estiinated ~ 81
/ thirds of the B erit;;lS l 81
1AR1nN