Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-04-12
WIN MILE LINE
NEAR VIMY; FRENCH ACTIVE

Continued from pase One
spite bitterly desperate assaults from the
Germans.
Fighting in the British offensive was
apparently spreading northward this after
noon.
In that direction n strongly defended hill
near Givenchy, known as Piople, was taken.
Boisenhache, a mile farther northward, was
also captured.
No more violent fighting has been seen
anywhere on the western front than that
which marked repulse by the British yes.
terday of two German counter-attacks on
Monchy. 1t was hand-to-hand fighting in
part with concentrated duel from both
sides artillery intermlxed. The town is
still in English hands despite every effort
by the enemy to dslodge the defenders.
Headquarters reports today showed
eleven more German guns captured between
Croisilles and Roeux.
1t is over ground inches deep in snow and
siush in cold, wet weather, that the British
and Germans are battling, man to man,
today-with the best men steadily winning.
The British advance still continues. Stiff
fening resistance all along the line from
Lens to st. Quentin showed that the Teu-
tons were desperately striving to stop the
encroaching wave of the British advance.
without the customary defense works
minus the elaborately constructed fortih-
cations behind which they have fought for
more than two years tho Germans appear
dazed in the new open warfare. They
were battling desperately along the whole
line today, but their fighting lacked c.
ordinated effort. 1t failed to stop the
British. Haig's forces. long drilled in
open warfare and not habituated In active
trench fighting despite their long vigil,
were plainly superior in this style Of
| fighting.
LONDON, April IL.
Field Marshal TIaig today drove his forces
still further north of Nimy ridge. He sent
| the following report this afternoon:
Early this morning we captured two
important positions of the enemy lines
to the north of Vmy ridge.
| Astride the river at SoucheZ n num-
| ber of the enemy were taken prisoners.
| Two hostile attacks against our new
| positions at the northern end of Vimy
| ridge were driven off by machine gun
| fire. which inflicted heavy losses on the
| Germans.
We made some progress south of the
Scarpe River
The most desperate of all the bitter fight
| ing that is marking the great push is CEN
tering today north and south of the Arras-
Cambria high road. At Monchy yle-Preux, to
the north, and around Bullecourt, to the
| south, the British have thrust forward two
| formidable wedges. 1Ouay tney were DrlnS-
| ing enormous pressure to bear on the sides
| of these wedges to sweep the foe out of the
\ intervening ground. 1t was against botf
these wedges also that German troops are
| being thrown in constant counter-attacks
| The Germans apparently realize the danger
| of the wedge and sweeping-arm tactics
| under way by Field Marshal Hag.
One source of great pride in England ir
the tremendous success so far achieved r
| the drive Is the extraordinary perfection
/ of the British communication and supply
| services. Front dispatches agreed that de
| spite unprecedented SHOWS, high winds and
bitter cold weather, the troops even in the
sections Of their most speedy advance, hat
not outdistanced the supply transport.
No army in the history of wars has ex
| pended such n supply of ammunition in Its
lighting as the British army has been ex
! pending in the big offensive.
! General Haig's men are literally blasting
| their way forward. Every battlefront re
port agrees on the utter havoc created BY
the concentrated British fire. The trans
| port service must be perfection. IL the ad
| vance is to be a success, and apparently the
British service has been perfection
Dispatches today indicated the German.
were desperately draining other section.
of the line in massing reserves to oppos,
| further advances by the British.
Correspondents at the front dwell upor
the magnitude Of the battle Some military
critics believe 1t will prove the decisive
| engagement on the western front
The correspondent of the London Daily
Chronicle at British headquarters writes:
"In a hundred years not all the details
of the fight will be told
There are three main zones of fighting or