Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-12-07
Fruitless Attempts Made to
Break Through to Old
Hindenburg Line Around
Vial Wood.
Twenty five German Divis-
ions Engaged in Supreme
Effort of Kaiser to Win
Decision in the Great Con-
flict About Cambria.
BY WILLIAM PHILLIP SIMMS.

BY WILLIAM PHILLIP SIMMS.
with the British Armies in the Field,
Dec. AT least two thousand Ger
mans perished in two violent and fruit
less attempts to break British lines
around Vial wood today.
Twenty five separate German divi-
sions have been identified as compos-
ing the enemy offensive forces in this
sector--indicating the Germans have at
least 375 900 men massed there
ON THE HiNDENBURG LINE.
1t was the British who were en-
trenched on the Hindenburg line to-
day--the same line that the Germans
held so firmly until Byng's smash.
They defended the erstwhile enemy
line against several powerful attempts
to re-take it. The enemy was stub
bornly determined. Along one arc
massed troops were thrown forward
and driven off. Almost Immediately a
second attacking wave formed.
This second wave of densely packed
masses of men was caught in the Brit
ish artillery storm and wiped out.
EXPECT HARD BLOW.
The British army expects Germany 8
of the war shortly.
General Byng's retirement from
Bourbon was regarded today as the
first prime precautionary measure for
the British to withstand such a shock.
As the British see it, Germany is
now at the zenith of her military pow
err With Russia out of the war, Ger
many is enabled to dray on increased
man power. heretofore held along the
Russian lines. She is apparently pre-
pairing to throw every ounce of her
energy into a supreme attempt at a
military victory before arrival of
American troops on the fighting line
BUT TWO ALTERNATIVES.
In the Bourbon sector there were
only two alternatives open to General
BynE. One was to push ahead and
the other was to step backward to a
more secure footing. With the Rus
sian situation permitting the enemy to
mass great forces on the Cambria line
the backward step seemed the only
thing to do.
The withdrawal puts the British
into a much better posture to receive
the expected attacks, 1t was carried
out perfectly, so perfectly that the
Germans looked foolish in their at
tacks on unoccupied land.
ATTACKED IN MASSES.
The Boches shelled the uninha abited
land and thereabouts for hours with &
hurricane barrage. Then they attacked
with dense masses. Their stormins
waves found the forest of Bourbon gar.
risoned only with the dead.
Patrols from the enemy lines latel
cautiously wormed their way to thu
ruins nearby-like wary mice ap
preaching a suspicious bit of cheese
One dash Of British shrapnel SEN
them scurrying back. Then cam'
thick waves of more German "shocl
troops" charging over the crest ant
upon both sides Of Bourbon. They wer'
charging positions occupied at tha
moment only by ground rats.
GERMANS PUZZLED.
when the Boches got there and wer,
trying to puzzle out the withdrawal
British guns pelted their closely packe
masses with shells.
The British did not leave a singl,
piece Of material in the evacuated sec
ton. Even telephone wires were neat
IL rolled up and taken away. Ever,
dugout was destroyed.
To-day the German airInen were try.
fContinued a Pare Two.)