The Washington herald., 1918-03-23

Fierce Battle Ragiag.
The wars hercest' battle RACED
all day. The British were confront-
ed with ODDS such as probably no
other single army has had 60 con-
tend with in the whole conflict.
Consideripg these odds. and, consider
ing, above all. the ultimate objec-
tive the Germans had set them
selves. Haigs forces gave a spleu-
did account Of themselves. Terrihc
losses were inflicted on the dense
onsurGinS masses of attackin.
Teutons.
But the Teutons onslauSht was SO
concentrated. so recklessly persis-
tent that the sanest. strategicaIIy
and tactically Wisest, course for the
British was to yield. 1t was a
hghtinC yield; the Germans had "a
wade through rivers OF blood 4,
take UP the abandoned. pulverizcd
positions sold to them at prices eN-
acted by knives. bayonets. rife butts
and barehsnd.
And still this battle between the
Sensee and Oise Rivers goes on.
Arma geddOn. il seems. is only in its
embryonic stage. Whether II VIII
each its prime right here. betwe, "A
Alias and La Fere. or whether thi-,
after all. il hut a feint to cam
outage the enemy's real intent. il
as much matter of guess work to-
night as IL was at dawn Yesterday
when Hindenburc drive Nas usher
ed in with the first spring ds,s
sun.
Gun DueIs DeyeIor.
fzVaH Ia
velopinS all afternoon ana .Neuing
further southward from La FcIe as
far as Soissons. And still further
down, in the Champagne. on both
sides of Rheims and at Nerdun-al
Nerdun particularly-the big guns are
laundering forth tine that betrays
evil intent.
On the Italian front. both I'm the
mountains and along the Piave. the
battle has flared up. Whether IL IL
one of major Scale or merely a con-
certed infantry maneuvcr to keen the
French and British AUXILIARY cNped.-
ton there. is as yet not clestr
Lively artillery action is reported
from the Macedonian thcatcr.
There il, indeed. a well defined
theory in military quarters here that
year an imitation Of the past great
efforts Of the entente: Simultaneous
maximum pressure on all fronts, in
the hope OF locating. somewhere. som.
time, weak spot that will permit a
break through. He counts upon the
tonnage problem as an ally. lie feels
that now or never is the time 10 make
the supreme try for a decision moi
only nm tho IlnSf
Will remain to the end Of the war. the
center OF the universe, but on every
other theater as well.
Austrians and Bulsars arc with the
German army I'm the West, Berlin An
nounced today No mention is mao.
Of Turkish troops. Things have bceu
reported brewing for some time north
OF the British positions in Palestine
and Mesopotamia.
Kaiser at Front.
The Kaiser has hastened 20 th.
West front TO witness what Ger
man papers now freely call ''the
decisive battle" Ludendorrf is with
him. Hindenburg is said to have
returned. for the moment. to his
first love-" command in the field
He is personally directing the drive,
report has IL. All this is here. .Ziyen
preference before the deta tk
days fighting in order
the transcendent truth TN
crisis is at hand. and u
ing in OF a salient on
is but a drop in u
; in the sea Of blood
before the spring
As for fha BATTLE
thing that counts
British main line
I'VE continue Z
our battle posi-
early in the n,
coSnsu.