Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-04-13
Retirement Northwest of St.
Quentin Was Intended
n n to Delay English.
MANY POSITIONS
81 ARE CAPTURED
Big Guns Brought up With
Little Difficulty Wealth
8 er is Improved.

@ Great holes are being driven in the
Hindenburg line by the British from
LENS to st. Quentin.
4 Having forced the Germans to look
( backward for another line on which
to make q stand against the impetuOus
onrush, the British are giving atten-
( ton to another sector of the front
that between st. Quentin and Cam
brai.
Today's official report from Lon.
don tells of position after position be-
ing taken by General Hairs forces on
this front, between Hargicourt. eight
miles northwest of st. Quentin, tc
Of Cambria.
Germans Fooled.
It was in this region that the great
German retirement Of last month took
place. According to the Germans the
retirement was to have delayed any
contemplated British offensive here
for weeks. Nevertheless the British
have been able to bring. their gunt
across the devastated territory and tc
deliver. a smashing blow within
comparatively few days.
French Make Sharp Thrust.
While the British were hating mo
mentarily on the northern end OF the
line and attacking in the center. the
French chose the opportunity to make
a sharp thrust south of st. quentin
Their attack was delivered this morn
ing and its success is recorded In the
british official statement, which re-
counts the capture of Ceveral lines o.
trenches between the Som1..e and st
Quentin railway against desperate
German resistance.
General Nivelle's troops also have
kept up their offensive movement
south Of the Disc, making further
progress east of Coucy la Vile.
weather Conditions Better.
With British Armies in France. Viz
London, April 18.--Und. i: improved
weather conditions, there was stiff
lighting today along virtually tive
thirds Of the British front. In addi
tion to the gain made In the new at
tack between Hargicourt and Met-en
Couture, the British are making prog
ress farther north. Another mile o
the Hindenburg line southeast OF Ar
ras has been taken as shown by las
Fight to Delay British.
In falling back the Germans ar
making toward an emergency auxii
iary line to the rear. a Hindenburl
line called the Drocourt-Queant line
Work on this position is far from
complete and the Germans seem t
have no idea of using it except as
last resort. They are now fighting
under orders to delay the British ad
vance at every possible point to per
init completion Of the work OF max
ing the new positions dependable.
On retiring from the Somme las
month, the Germans apparently ex
pected to hold all the Hindenburg lin
running southeast from Arras in from
of Cambrai and through st. Quenti1
and Laon. The important point at tn
northern end Of this line was Vim
Ridge. There is no doubt the Ger
mans never expected to be driven OF
that ridge by q frontal attack as wa
done Monday by the Canadians.
London, April 13.-German posi-
tions on a wide front have been cap
tured by the British after severe fight
ing, the war office announces.
The front attack extended from
point north Of Hargicourt to the VII
iage Of Metz-en-Couture.
The British captured the towns an
wood Of Gouzeaucourt, Gauche WOO
and Sart farm.
It is nine miles from Hargicourt t
Metz-en-Couture. This sector is on tn
new front between Arras and 8
Quentin, where the Germans took u
positions after their retirement.
French Make Attack.
Paris, April 1s.-The French mad
an attack this morning on the fror
south Of st. Quentin. Today's officis
statement says the Germans resiste
Aa,~ovo <nlx, hut tho Eronch "a nf11ro