Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-05-07

German trenches, each packed tight
with German troops and speeding to the
channel house of the German front
lines. z-
Arriving there, these fresh reserves
were unendingly launched against the
French. And they melted away unend-
ingly in the French machine gun fire.
the deadly accurate barrage of the fa-
nous Soixante Quinzes, the cold steel
Of the French bayonets or the explosion
of French grenades
The Pick of the Army.
Not only has the number of the en-
emy troops in the past few days fight
ing been greater than that employed in
any previous engagements since the
early days of the war, but the quality
Of troops is higher. Prisoners showed
there were no decrepit reserves. All
those captured were of choice regl-
ments. Saturday around Craonne, for
instance, a complete division Of the
picked Prussian Guard was called into
action by the German commanders. 1t
was practically annihilated in a vain
attempt to retake Craonne.
The perfect unity underlying the
Franco British offensives and the tt
tanic strategy of the whole forward
push eliminated in its greatest eXpres-
sion of effectiveness Saturday. On that
day-36 hours after the English had
wiped out the northern pivotal salient
of the Hindenburg line in the regions
of Bulecourt and Croisilles-the treneh
wiped out six kilometers (four miles) OF
the southern pivotal salient in the re-
gion Of Moulin Laffaux
Whole Line Menaced.
The double success of the allied arm
les today menaces the entire Hlnden
burg retreat line from its two most vita
points. The victories constitute The
first great obiectives toward which
every French and English action sine
the beginning of the great offensive ma
strategically contributed.
The French advances on the Hinden
burg salient is only small portion o
; their success in the second great drlV
since April 16 This fighting has eoE
cred front Of nearly % miles incluc
< ing the entire length of Chemin DE
< Danes (the ladies highway with e1
< tensions to the east and northwest
. Now the entire Craonne plateau ma
. been attained; almost the entire SUNNI
( Of the ridge dominating the plateau an
descending toward Laon has been cal
'tured: nearly 13 miles of Chemin DE
Danes is held, all of the road but
small portion in the vicinity OF Fol
Malmaison. The new French position
formerly constituted the greatest obsta
Gle, when they were in German hands
to Nivelle's advance to Laon. me
dominate the valley of the Altettf
down which the French kept up Satui
day s and Sundays operations
But in addition to this great success
another epochal victory has been reg
istcred by the French on the Rhelm
front. There, on Friday, General M
velle Initiated an offensive north an
east of the Rheims which carried tn
French over several heights. The vic
tory may soon liberate Rheims, as IN
German "hate target" T"
When the french, on Saturday morn
ing, leaped out of their trenches IN tn
Aisne assault, the German first lne
were literally gorged with men uhde
orders to die resisting.
Hardly had the, French beat dow
these lines of human flesh and attaine
4 their first objective, capturing and XII
r ing thousands, than the Germans inltla
g ed fresh counter-attacks. They WEI
ffinufiuuad IN raDA two