Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-04-17
By w. s. FORREST.


PARIS, April 16.-FTance's great Of
fensive, timed to synchronize with the
British big push" may now be start
ing.
Today's official reported indicated
spread of violent artillery preparations
all along the Champagne front, an in
creased French drive toward St. Quen- {
tin; more bitter fighting south of the
Disc and a series of terrific smashes far
down to the south in Alsace-Lorraine.
Coincidentally the newspaper LIE
Temps remarked today: THE war OF
movement will go forward soon. Our
cannon roar terribly north of SCISSORS,
in Champagne, where numerous recon-
naissance raids on the enemy lines have
taken numbers of prisoners" Other
Paris newspapers today limited that a
French drive was impending.
NEW YORK, April 16.-(By Foreign
Cables From European Capitals THE
fighting on the western front has
assumed almost the proportions of
general engagement along the whole line
from the north sea to the Swiss border,
AS yet the infantry has not been
heavily engaged much to the north OF
Loos. in the Lens region, or east Of the
scissors region, within which confines
the battle of Arras and the struggle for
st. Quentin are being waged.
The artillery duel, however. is grow
ing in Intensity in the region Of Rheims,
in the Champagne and down the line to
Lorraine and Alsace. Raiding opera
lions by the French in these sectors
also have assumed great importances
and similar significant activities are be-
ing displayed By the Belgians nortaA
of the present great battlefield
Were attention not centered on the
dramatic situations about Lens and st.
Quentin, the fall of both being consid-
cred imminent, the great artillery bat
tie in the region between scissors and
Rheims which has been going on for
several days, doubtless would have at
tracted more notice AS 1t is, the po-
tential Importance of this duel OF the
big guns cannot be minimized. presaging.
as 1t may. offensive movements or the
infantry on a large scale.
In this connection the probability or
a northward push by the French from
the Rheims region to turn the left
flank of the Hindenburg line, as the
British have turned the right flank ar
vimy, has come to the front while the
artillery battle has been raging.
Desperate German resistance and g.
probabIe desire by the British to
soueeze the Germans out of Lens rather
than drive them from this coal mine
and factory town by a direct bombard-
ment and frontal attack have delayed
the fall of the city.
Today's official statement from Lon-
don. however. shows the British lines
creeping steadily closer, notably on the
northwest.
Within the town the Germans are re-
ported working havoc in the destruction
of industrial plants and mines and few
erishly removing guns and stores to 1ol-
low the population in the exodus Wnlch
already has been effected.
The situation around ST. Quentin is
little changed, but both the British ana
French statements reveal situation
there which is making the town I'M
tenable for the Germans In the dis
trict TO the south the French are stead
lily pushing forward. reporting today
the capture of several points of sup
port in the region of the upper Goucy
forest
Occupation of Dixmude by Belgian
troops, without opposition from the Ger
mans, gave hint to experts today that
the Germans may be planning a retire-
lnent on vast scale on the west 'front.' /
Some believed this retreat might even
carry the Germans back to the Belgian
border.
Such a maneuver would greatly Short
en- the German line and, therefore. re-
lease a mass of men for defense against
the smashing British and French at
tacks.
Increasing probability of the opening
of Important operations between Sois-
sons and Rheims and in the western
Champagne is indicated by the German
official report that infantry lighting
developed this morninP over wide sec
tors" after heavy artillery firing and
accommodating drives.
The severity of the fighting accom-
panying the German counter attack yes
terday on a six-mile front in both sides
of the Bapaume-Cambrai road is en-
phasized by today's German headquar-
ter's statement. 1t announces the CAP
ture of AS prisoners and fifteen ma
chine guns from The British and the
destruction of twenty-five British guns
which had been captured by the Ger
mans but apparently could not be taken
with them when they were driven OIL.
According to reports brought to Aln-
sterdam by travellers from Germany a
general strike began in Berlin this morn
ing, accompanied by rioting.
Berlin Declares Positions
Were Abandoned Voluntarily
AMSTERDAM, April 16.-CVia Lon
DON'T is asserted in a dispatch re-
ceived here from Berlin that various
in the Arras region which the
British official statement of April IA re-
ported captured were villages and pieces
of ground which the Germans had volun-
tarily evacuated several days previously.
THE English press" says the dis
patch. els circulating reports regarding
the piercing of the Hindenburg line. The
English attempt to break through was
directed. however against old positions
held since 1915 and despite local sue
cesses it has completely and fna -
failed
cit is not clear what the English pRAas
means by the Hindenburg line, for all
lines are Hindenburg lines