The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-03-27
DESP ERA TE
EFFORT TO
HOLD FAILS
Hindenburg'sLirle
Cracking Under
the Strain
tAuuocin.ed Press By Federal wirslsss.)

NEW YORK, March Z5-Ihe
IN ysnowstorm which held up
advance Of the Allies and the soft
ground which prevented the quick
forwarding Of the heavy artillery
of the French and British during
the first days of the great German
retreat have also prevented the
Germans from withdrawing their
lines as rapidly as their leaders
had hoped, with the result that
the Allies have now crushed in
the rearguard defenses and are
pressing on the rear of the main
German army.
This was evidenced in the des-
patches from the various head
quarters yesterday, which tell OF
heavy fighting, with the Germans
making desperate efforts to hold
back the pursuers and cover the
withdrawal, which appears still to
be going on along a hundred-mile
front. Er..s s..Ta ...
Conflicting reports of the sue
cess of the German efforts tc
make stand came in the earlier
dispatches yesterday, Berlin
claiming to have repulsed the
French efforts to cross the Disc
in the vicinity Of La Fere, an i'm.
portant point in the Won Hinden,
burg new line of defense midway
between Laon and St. Quentin
and to have held the British If
check at Beaumetz les Cambria
on the main Bapaume-C Cambria
highway. a
DEFENSE HAS FAILED
The latest reports show, how
ever, that the German efforts t.
stem the tide of the Allies hav,
failed completely, the strong rear
guards being swept aside an,
wiped out, with the French an,
British both steadily advancing
The indications now are, accord
ing to the military experts, tina
the plans of Won Hindenburg t,
bring his army back to new lin
in time to allow it to be thorough
ly prepared for the Allies often
sive is about to fail and that hi
line will be pierced in a numbe
' of its vulnerable lengths. +
The French encountered resistance i
their passage of the Disc and along tn
Ailette River near Melville and MAJ
giyal, but the resistance broke dow
and the French swept forward, the en-
of the day finding them across tn
Disc north Of La Fere and with iarg
amount of territory regained east 0
the Ailettc. ~.
La Fere Forts Fall s.,.- '..
The greatest success of the Ferne
came latesin the day when two of tn
outlying forts of the defensive systel
of La Fore, most important position
fell to the French stormers. This opeI
the way for the piercing of one of tn
main defenses in Won Hindenburg's lin,
The troops Of General Melville hay
also seized the west bank of the DIS
from the outskirts of La Fere to mort
of Wonderful, distance of four mile
South OF La Fere, in the direction Q
st. Gobain, the French are driving tn
German lines in with heavy aTtiller
and are working their way close to tn
main La Fere'Laon highway, threatel
ing TO drive through the German d,
Tense system and open the way for
Ranking movement against the Ge
mans both east and west. Here Ii
Germans are making most strenv
Gus resistance, losing heavily befol
giving any ground but being presse
back almost without stop.
Further to the north, on the FrenC
front, the Germans have been force
back TO Savy, only four miles from s
Quentin this bringing the adyancir
French distance of seven mil
northeast of Nam, the position ca
tured on the second day of the Germs
retreat. -. E.,.r4 sa...@
The French are attacking general
along their whole line, with the infa
try and cavalry supported by DO
heavy and light artillery. LII
British Unchecked .fa1
The British continue TO advan
along front that stretches from