The sun., 1918-05-18
ARTILLERY FIRE
GROWS VIOLENT
AS DRIVE NEARS.
Hindenburg Is Apparently
About Ready 10 Try Again
to Sever Allied Line.
FOCH'S MEN CONFIDENT
Arrival of American Forces
Gives tho Balance Of Power
TO tho Defenders.

IONroN. May 11.-Of'icial reports
comment on tho increased violence OF
the artillery fire at various points on
the long battle front in Fianders and
Ficardy. hut infantry activity was
limited last night and to-day To skir-
mishing of light variety. There is a
strong impression on the front. how
ever. that tho Germans are about ready
to resume their drive in the effort
I" separate tie armies Of the Allies
and reach the Channel por,s
In view of tho unusually long time
that the Germans have taken to pre-
pare for the resumption Of Their Of
fcnsive the correspondents AT the front
are convinced that when hostilitcs are
resumed they Will be on AZ large a
scale AS the German advance of March
Il. and probably larger. 1t is noted
that the artillery fire to-day reached it's
greatest intensity at the points whore
the Germans had attained their maxi
mum penetration OF tho Allies lines in
the 1.ys salient below Yprcs and in the
Somme wedge before Amicns.
Counter Raid. Near Albert.
Among the minor operations of tho
night was raid by British troops near
Beaumont-Hamel.fi five and a half miles
due north of Albert. in which few
prisoners We're taken. Berlin reports
this action as the repulsc of a strong
British thrust. in which some English
prisoners were taken. A German raid
last night near Moyenneville. south of
Arras, was rcpulsed. The British made
an attack this morning on a German
post north of Mcrris. southwest of Ball
leul. and killed or drove out the gar
rlson.
In the French sector to the south the
bomhardnent was most violent at
Hailles. where the battle line approa ches
nearest to Amiens. South of that point.
at Mesnil-St Georges at the tip OF the
salient. German attack was delivered
but 1t failed. South of Canny-sur- Matz
which lies to the northeast of Lassisny.
the French in sharp drive penetrated
the German lines at two places and
brought back forty prisoners. including
an officer. a German attack on the
south bank OF the Disc was broken up
by the French fire.
Among the points mentioned 10y Field
Marshal Haig as under exceptionally
heavy artillery fire during tine night are
Facaut Wood. north of Hinges. be-
tween LOGON and Hinges and from the
Forest Of Nieppe to Meteren, all in the
Lys salient
Great Vantage of Enemy.
high officer of the British General
staff. discussing the situation with the
Associated Press correspondent, said:
THE German command. finding that
the momentum Of the first rush has been
expended. has tried smaller attacks, but
tinds that they do not pay. Our eX-
periences in the past have been similar
1t Is clear that an initial success is the
cheapest. and that the further one goes
without pause the more costly attacks
become, until the ratio of loss to profit
becomes prohibitive. SO row the Ger
mans are preparing for another really
big move.
But the more time they take in prep
aration the more time we have for de-
fensive plans.
In the meanwhile there is great strain
and wastage TO the German troops In
the line from shell fire. gas and other
causes The longer the enemy waits the
better become our defences and the more
perfect our counter plans.
Anxiety VIII he Prolonged.
Regarding the war situation as a
whole, We urged the importance OF the
public retaining the proper sense of pro-
portion We have got long row to hoe
and for the whole summer the situation
must continue to be an anxious one, II
Is not the loss Of this or that ridge or
Continued on Second Pd0s,