Omaha daily bee., 1917-06-28
HA|G DRAWING
GORDON TIGHT
AROUND LENS
Capture Of Coal Mining City by
British Seems Imminent;
French Take Cavern
of Dragon.


by the British of that coal mining city
and its adjacent fields seems i'm
minent, it is question whether tn,
British operation will be accompanies
by an offensive move by the Frencl
on a like scale.
General Petain's occasional stroke.
give the impression that ALL he i,
trying to do is to preserve his want
age points as the basis for resuminl
the French advance at some future
time when that effort seems advisable
The most important OF the recent
French drives was that of Monday
at Hurtebise, west of Craonne. The
Germans seem to have suffered a
considerable deprivation here, one OF
the positions taken being a fortress OF
some magnitude.
The program OF the entente in
Greece continues 10 develop more
and more tangibly. 1t is now evident
that it is their purpose to cause the
convocation OF the Parliament of
May 81, 1915, which was controlled
by the Venizelists, having a majority
favorable to the ententes cause.
French Official Report.
Paris, June 27.-Heavy artillery
fighting continues in the region OF
Hurtebise, says todays official an
nouncement.
The statement follows:
"The Germans made no further at
tacks on the position which we took
from them in that region on Monday.
According to information on hand,
among the positions which we cap
tured on tina. day is the cavern OF
the dragon more than 100 meters
wide and about thirty meters deep,
which had been converted into a
yeritable fortress. This cavern, with
numerous exits and openings from
which machine guns were fired, con-
stituted an armed position and post
of departure for enemy troops in
making counter attacks. A consid-
cradle amount of war material was
stored there, including nine machine
guns in good condition, equipment for
pore than 800 men, numerous rifles,
ammunition depots and electric
searchlights and hospital relief out
post, which fell into our hands. The
number of prisoners counted has
reached $40, OF whom six are Of
hcers.
"In the Champagne the enemy made
a surprise attack west OF Mount Car
nillet. 1t was repulsed. We penetra-
ted the German lines near Maison de
Champagne and brought back ten
prisoners.
Last night German aviators threw
several bombs on Nancy. No dam
age was done and there were no cas-
ualties."
Britons Repulse Counter Attacks.
London, June 27-British gunhre
checked in its incipiency German
counter attack attempted carly today
upon the new British positions on the
Arras front northwest of Bontaine-
le-Croislles, it was officially an
nounced in today's war Office report.
Otherwise only raiding operations
along the British front are recorded.
Germans Expect British Rush.
Copenhagen, June 27.-German
writers, with enlightenment
furnished to them by the war press
bureau, express the opinion that the
British are preparing new offensive,
but that no serious attacks by the
French are to be expected at this
time.
Captain Won Salzmann writes in the
Vossische Zeitung that the feints of
the British commander in the last
week evidently were TO cover a re-
grouping of troops and a surprise at
tack which probably will be made like
the Wytschaete offensive against a
narrow front with the extraordinarily
heavy concentration Of artillery and
He believes the attack may
come north of Ypres.
General Won Ardenne in the Tage-
blatt declares Russian offensive is
entirely impossible at this time. The
general dismisses the convention of
workmen and soldiers delegates
which decreed an offensive as "a meet
ing swayed by gold and alcohol"
which was guilty of false pretenses in
assuming to speak in the name of the
Russian people.
He says the army is impregnated
with mutiny and disaffection and has
been reduced to half its original num-
bers by desertions and sickness: that
officers are murdered and that the in
of an offensive is beyond
its power even should the soldiers
wish it.