New Britain herald., 1917-03-29
TURKS ROUTED IN PALESTINE BATTLE
 BY BRITISH ARMY in =
 Ottoman Troops Struck Hard
 Blow While Invaders Ad- , vance mteen Niles ENTIRE DIVISIONAL STAFF FALLS INTO ENGLISH HANDS French Capture Important Munitions
 station and supply Depot in Fight
 ing. Against Hisdenburs's Army But sFail to Recover Ground in Cham
 pasne Regioe (senaz,s May Make
 Great Retireanenf.

ys, 0eA>NAes1 stodicated by today's reports to be pro- gressing successfully on large scale. with the British forces closing in steadily on Jerusalem.
 On March ' q British column was reported within forty miles of Jerusa- lem. at El-Chahl or Hebron. about falirty-hye miles inland. This column Evidently has been supported by a stronger army, advancing up the Med- iterranean coast where 1t can be muni- tioned and supplied by water. The coast army, moving northward from RafEa, has pushed up the Mediterra- 6ean shore to within live miles of sGaxa, the historic town of Bible times. aaxa is almost directly west Of El- Chalil. bringing the British front up to straight line apparently across nearly the entire breadth of Palestine between the Mediterranean and the Dead sea. Forty miles north of 0N1A 7s Jal1a. the port of Jerusalsxn. NsSnce | railway limo rum to the 1npa
 The British report adhov 1Y now near GaxA to be engaG structing . railway. ap1Qte "a facilitate its advance or atS
  jiSs defeated Tur3tnA axzny ss III N4g,s 'slonAl staff. together ss! 9e0s g men. H Has s<sSs ss
 The Germans are Gtx1flnG g z IF Champegne ln .. 1larul in1S Y i divert GeneI1A Nivpll4 1r40n & .ahaken Hindenburg 1lnSx % -. of tho countSr ofSenaiys leunSlf S \ Field Marshal Won HinAenburg about 25 miles east of Rhetani lacking in force in this sector tha S3ermans have driven the French from sotae of their advanced trenches hut have failed 50 far to make a sert0no Impression on the defenders lines
 In the meantime the iron semi-clr- scle which General Nivelle has thrown around the southern half of the great St. Gobain plateau Is steadily contract ejng. If the French maintain their present rate of advance 1t can only be a matter of very few days before the entire plateau is in their grasp, re- moving the last great natural barrier to Laon.
 The British are moving forward Steadily to the north, but the fact that rthey are capturing villages with cav airy indicates that they are not yet In contact with the main German forces. The most advanced British outp0sts still are ten miles from the Cambrai line, where allied observers had assumed the Germans purpose to sdmalke their real stand.
 Military critics in Paris and Lon- don are reverting to the belief that the present German retreat Is only part of the plan for 8 retirement on tremendous scale to the Belgian .tborder. In support of this theory it fs pointed out that the withdrawal from the Noyon and Bap4ume salients is rapidly forcing the whole German line into the form of an immense sxight angle. The upright of this angle runs north and south for 120 miles from Nieuport on the Belgian coast to Iaon. The horizontal runs for about m equal distance east to the Lorrain border. It is into the apex of this angle that German Nivelle is boring < his way. threatening to out the forces of the invaders squarely in two.