The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-04-22
FRENCH FORCING
GERMANS BACK
ALONG ENTIRE FRONT FROM
SoIsSoNS TO AU5ERTlVE IN
CONTINUOUS ADVANCE.
BIG .CUNS DRIVE FOE
Artillery Fire Without Ceasing Be-
fore Which Teutons Give Way.
Masses of Them Hurled Back in
Fierce Counter-Attack on Ridge.


CFrom a Staff Correspondent Of the
Associated PressD
Headquarters Of the French Army
on the French Front, April q Even
ing Smashing artillery duels marked
todays fighting all along the front
from Craonne plateau to Auberiye, in
terspersed here and there with for.
ward drives by the French infantry.
Night and day the Germans were in.
cessantly harried
All the positions carried by the
French have been reorganized and in
places further extensions have been
made. Nowhere did the Germans sue.
ceed in retaking any point. Hurtebiss
where the French are solidly astride
the Chemin des Danes, which gives to
them the opportunity Of reaching Laon
plateau was the point where the Ger.
mans today directed their strongest
effort to eject them but in vain.
The clearing up Of the recOnqupred
ground behind the advancing front
waves is extremely pcrilous owing to
the presence Of small bodies of Ger.
mans in farms, valleys and woods who
do not realize that they are entirely
cut off and continue to fight in the
hope Of relief Some of these were
brought in today
Atmospherical conditions have again
turned in favor of the Germans heavy
mists hindering observation. The
French are sparing their men as much
as possible They never send them
forward until the objective has been
subjected 10 a terrific bombardmcnt
On the French Front April 90
tFrom a Staff Correspondent OF the
Associated Press Pushing steadily
here, storming with great dash there,
defeating terrific German counter at
tacks and taking thousands of prison
ers, the French carried their victOri-
Gus forward move further today along
the entire front from scissors to Au.
heriye Hundreds of thousands OF
men face each other in this latest bat.
tie, where incessant skillful attack is
met by desperate defense.
As the Associated Press correspond
ent today observed a section of the
battle from the ridge upon which runs
Chemin-Des-Dame road. branching
eastward from the great Maubeuge
road, about four miles northward OF
Nailly and parallel with the Aisne riv.
er, patches each OF a hundred prison.
ers marched toward the rear across
the fields and along the roads to aug.
ment the ten thousand already,official.
ly counted since the engagement -.
gan Monday.
Company Takes Battery.
The fact that an entire German am.
bulance section together with it's doc.
tor was taken in one haul of prison.
ers demonstrates the rapidity OF the
action of the French trurps as these
sections always operate behind the
first fighting line One Frprcn com.
pany got so far forward that II cut
off and captured an entire German
battery which had lmbered up with
all the horse teams harnessel to the
guns in readiness to retire More than
one hundred cannon, some of them as
heavy as any taken heretofore. have
been destroyed or buried
Today for the first time since the
French moved from their lines to at.
tack, the sun shone and the brilliance
Of the weather was reflected on the
faces Of the troops who we're filled
with delight over the change from
trench warfare The men sang in
their biyouaCs and marched with a
confident swing when ordered forward
The French artillery fire constituted
one continuous roll along the front and
the Germans replied heavily but their
guns were forced gradually back.
Possession Of Chemin des Danes
ridge gives the occupants excellent po
sitions for observation and the Ger
mans fought desperately to retain it
They could not, however. stay the
French progress at several points and
their fierce counter attack between
Allies and Ilurtebise was crushed de
spite the fact that they threw great
masses OF men against the ADVANCING
French
Like Clockwork.
The method and care shown by the
French plans strike the observer. Ev
erything goes like clockwork. Every
man and gun is in the proper place al
the right moment Even in the real
OF the lines, the same systematic
thoroughness has been deyeloped
Should a supply column meet an oh
struction on the road toward the front
smart officer Immediately appears
on the scene and In few moments
all is in order This means much
when II is understood that the road
must be made swiftly across fields
where no road existed before and In
territory torn during the previous
fighting How heavy artillery is
brought forward under such conditions
is u puzzle, but all the difficulties
are overcome and they reach their
positions at the effective moment
The broken character OF the country
adds to the difficulty of the French
task OF approaching and canttrinc