Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-04-20
! lUVELLE DRAWING
NEARER TO LAON,
BIG RAIL CENTER
Ieutons Make Heavy Fight
Near Laffaux, But Make
.5 No Impression.
COUNTER ATTACK
IN CHAMPAGNE
Germans Brought up Heavy
Guns, But French Were
Ready for Them.

While the French advance last night
was not so spectacular as on the pre-
v1ous days of the great battle along
the Aisne and in the Champagne.
progress was continued in important
Sectors.
This was notably true Of the region
northeast Of Soissons, where the lines
Of development are gradually being
drawn nearer to the important rail-
way center Of Laon, the strategic OBJ
tective in this division of the front.
The French here gained ground in
the vicinity of Laffaux, the advance
being characterized in the official
statement as considerable" The Ger
mans reacted strongly on this front,
but were unable to make any impress
sion on the new French lines.
General Nivelle's pressure here Is
calculated to force the Germans
speedily out of the salient projecting
toward the Aisne in the direction of
Gonde.
The advance toward Laon also was
continued on the Vauclero plateau,
almost directly south of this city.
where the French are pushing north
ward west of the Rheims-Laon road.
On the plains north of Rheims, where
to their strongly entrenched positions,
several of their trenches north of
Courcy were carried in grenade at
tacks Headway also was made east
Of Loivre in this sector.
In the Champagne, notably Moron
villiers, the Germans launched the eX-
pected violent counter attack which
the French troops. their artillery
brought up. were amply prepared to
guns cut loose on the advancing col
umns, reinforced by the fresh con-
tingent recently thrown in from other
fronts and from the reserve The
result was that the Germans although
their attacks had been prepared by
Seavy bombardments. were badly cut
up and failed to attain their object.
Signs Of renewed activity also that
appeared yesterday on the British
front in the Arras battlefield, where
some gains in the Lens region and
east of Fampoux were reported, ex-
tended last night to the district north
west Of st. Quentin. London today re-
ports British progress in the neigh
borhood of Villiers- Guislain. midway
.between st. Quentin and Cambari.
Germans Cannot Resist French.
Paris, April 20.-The uniform fail
ure of the Germans to resist the
steady and methodical pressure Of the
French is the outstanding feature Of
the operations to date in the great Of
fensive on the Aisne and in the
Champagne. It is clear that General
Nivelle's armies are in no danger Of
losing the initiative and that grad
ually but surely all the salients along
the Soissons-Auberive front are being
crushed.
The principal salient to which the
enemy has clung formed an angle
where the front, running south from
st. Quentin, hinged to the line run
ming eastward toward Rheims
Caught as in wise by the troops ad-
vancing northeast from Laffaux and
northwest from vailly and Chavonn!
the angle collapsed yesterday and
Fort Conde was captured. Substan-
tial progress also was made in the
center ground, being won east and
west Of Craonne which is gradually
being enveloped.
In the Champagne section on the
right. strong positions still held by the
enemy are falling one by one. Al
this work could only have been done a
conditions. It is being carried ou
with comparatively small loss now
thanks to the new tactical method!
used by the French.
London, April 2o.-The general of
ficer commanding the British force
in Egypt reports in an official state
ment to the war office that on Apri
II the British advanced north Of tn
Wadi Gauzze, in Southern Palestine
and captured the Turkish advance po
sitions along a front of six and one
half miles.
General NIaude's New Success.
London. April 20.-General Maude
commanding the British forces Il
Mesopotamia, has forced a passage o
the att-El-Adhem, attacked tn
Turkish main positions and complete
ly routed the Turkish forces. says a.
official statement issued today by tn
British war department. So far, 1924
Turks have been taken prisoner.
~
Germans Occupy New Positions.