Omaha daily bee., 1917-04-13
ARRAS CONFLICT.
DEVELOPING into
GREATEST OF WAR
General Maurice Says Often.
sive is Being Conducted
On Plans Made in
February,
ALI S CONTINUE DRIVE
London and Paris War Offices
Report Capture of More
Trenches and Towns.
BRITISH LOSSES SMALL
ALI S CONTINUE DRIVE
BRITISH LOSSES SMALL

l~tihitll' thl'iii l Nv iS''t'S''
FORCES in France, southeast of Arras,
today captured the villages OF Wan
court and Heinel and adjoining posi-
tions, and also made progress north
of the Scarpe river and on the last
portion of the Vimy Ridge held by the
Germans, according to tonights Off
cial communication.
London. April l2,-That the Arras
conflict will develop shortly into The
greatest battle of the war was the
prediction made by Major General F.
B. Maurice, chief director of military
operations at the war office. in his
weekly interview with the Associated
Press today
General Maurice declared the pres
ent British offensive was being con-
Quoted according to lans completed
in February, thereby controyerting
the claims of the Germans that their
rcIeat had upset the British schedule
and that the Teutonic military at
thorities control the situation.
The British losses during the first
two days of the offensive were only
hall what they had been in the cor
responding time in the Somme Of
fcnsive, General Maurice declared.
British Take Two Positions.
London. April l2-The British
captured early this morning two i'm
portant positions In the enemy's lines
north of the Nimy ridge and are
now astride of the river Souchez. ac-
cording to all official statement is
sued by the war Office. A number of
prisoners were taken. The statement
says the weather conditions continLc
wet and stormy.
Two German counter attacks or
Vimy ridge were broken up last night
with heavy losses to the attackers.
The statement follows:
The weather continues wet and
stormy. Early this morning we at
tackled and captured two important
positions in the enemy's lines north
of Nimy ridge. astrde the Souchcz
river. A number of prisoners were
taken by us.
During the night two hostile at
tacks upon our new positions on the
northern end OF Vimy ridge were
driven off by our machine gun fire
with heavy German losses. Some
progress has been made south OF the
Scarpe river"
Local Struggle Says Berlin.
Copenhagen. April l2.-tVia Lon
don.)-The battle of Arras, in the
opinion of the German press, is /
event of only local importance, la
mentable. it is true. but already
brought to a standstill and not effect
ing in any degree the strategic situa-
ton. 1t is interpreted by general
consent as part OF the plan of the
Anglo-Frcnch command foiled in its
intentions of delivering a shattering
blow on the Somme front, to roll up
the new Hindenburg line by assaults
on both flanks at Soissons and Arras.
Dpli dttSlilplo dlS dill Cduy uc-
scribed as failures, despite regrettable
losses in men and probably guns. The
British official reports are given
scanty notice and are printed in in-
conspicuous type without headlines.
'.he censorship authorities are evil
IDENTIFY assured that the reading public
generally accept the German version
end that confidence in Field Marshal
ton Hindenburg is unimpaired.
An interview between the field
marshal and Spanish correspondent
is given prominence by the German
press and shares headline honors with
the battle OF Arras. In this interview
Won Hindenburg avows his conf
dence III the hrmness OF the German
fronts on the west and east and en-
presses conviction that the subma-
Iinc campaign will not fail 1t has
had an effect on public opinion, where
the field marshal still bulks large as
Il coahdence-inspiring hero. The in
ttrview was evidently launched to
counteract any feeling of discour.
agement at the growing dimensions
Continued on Page Two, Column Four,