Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-03-23
FALL BACK TO
STRONG POSITIONS
CONTINUED from FIRST Page /


The battle is still in progress along
the British front, with the Germans
continuing to throw fresh forces into
the struggle. 1t is estimated fifty
German divisions already are in
volved, with probably % or more
additional divisions in close reserve.
Advices from correspondents indi-
cate that wherever the British
troops are falling back they are do
ing so in excellent order and with
deliberation, withdrawing volun-
tarily at some points in order 10
maintain an unbroken front.
Tremendous EfIort
The heavy assaults against the
British line between the Oise and the
Scarpe continues but nowhere have
the attackers effected a breach in
Field Marshal Haig's battle positions
and the British rank and file is con-
fldent that the tremendous German
effort will be futile.
Intense fighting has occurred
around Croisilles, on the northern
half of the 50-mile front, near the
Bapaume- -Cambrai high road, the
British have held against the enemy.
Near Croisilles the Germans used
nine divisions in their attack and
south of st. Quentin they used six
the protection of the Disc river and
the flooded ground near it.
Many Prisoners Taken
Berlin, in announcing the capture
of $4,000 prisoners and 400 guns,
does not locate the fighting areas nor
does it specify the sectors of most
intense action. 1t places the fighting
as along front between Arras and
La Fere.
srl,o ;a;+;at f,o..,o.. oeeo,+. ,.,o,o
aimed at Lagincourt at the end of
the sharp Cambria salient, and at
Gouzeacourt at the southern point of
the salient. After the first assault,
the Germans, firing great quantities
of shells into the British positions,
heightened the attacking fronts sew
eral miles at both ends of the salient.
Apparently they gained the first line
British positions on the sectors at
tackled, but suffered severely from
British rifle, machine gun and artil-
lery fire against their solid adVanc-
ing ranks.
Bombardment Intense
The Germans have not yet taken
advantage of the concentration of
allied attention on the Cambria front
to make an attack on another sec
ton in the west. The intense artil-
lery bombardment in the Verdun and
Ypres sectors, however, continues.
Along the Chemin Des Danes and in
the Champagne the German guns
have been firing violently, but three
small German attacks in the Cham
paSne were repulsed by the French.
London, March 23.-Powerful en-
emy attacks delivered with great
weight of infantry and artillery has
broken through the British defen-
sive system west of st. Quentin the
war office announces.
The British troops on the north
ern portion of the battle field are
holding their positions.
The British of st. Quentin are fall
ing back in good order to positions
further west Very heavy fighting
ress.
The war office stated there are
prepared positions behind the Brit
ish to which they are falling back.
Fighting Begins Anew
The statement follows:
Heavy fighting continued until
late hours last night on the wnole
battle front. During the after
noon powerful hostile attacks, de-
livered with great weight of infan-
try and artillery, broke through our
defensive system west of st. Quen-
tin.
Our troops on this part of the
battle front are falling back in good
order across the devastated area to
prepared positions farther west.
Our troops on the northern por-
ton of the battle front are holding
their positions.
Very heavy fighting with fresh
hostile forces is in progress"
British Army Headquarters in
France (Friday), March 22.-British
troops between the Scarpe and the
Disc have fallen back in places, but
the British generals have foreseeh
this eventuality and made prepara-
tions accordingly. In the face of a
great attack it is not only impossible
but. quite unsound to attempt to hold
the front line trenches everywhere.
Good defensive tactics usually aim at
organizing resistance so that the
further the enemy advances the
stronger will be the opposition he
meets.
Taking the situation as a whole,
the British are we'll satisfied with
the results of the first stage of the
fighting. They undoubtedly lost sew
eral ruined villages and the Germans
probably will make much of their
capture. but the defenders have held
on amazingly well and worked ter
rible slaughter among the attackers.
Fighting Is Intense
The fighting to-day was greatest
in intensity in two sectors-one
northwest of Cambria and the other
southwest.
The fighting on the northern front
was about Bullecourt. while Hargi-
court is the southern center. A
bright sun came out at midday and
airmen wera most active, the British
and using their machine guns
against the opposing infantry.
Use Much Gas
Before they attacked to-day on
the sector between the Canal Du
Nord and Croisilles. on the northern
battlefront, the Germans for four
hours smothered the British with
every conceivable form of hate which
gun could throw. The enemy
depended chiefly upon large num-
bers of trench mortars to cut the
wire entanglements. The British had
had warnings that the Germans
would use large numbers of gas
shells. This proved to be true, al
though there was nothing new in
the type of gas and the British gas
masks appear to have been most ef-
fective.
Terrible Execution
The British Tommies and their
officers fought for hours with their
gas masks on, but even this draw
back could not dampen their jubi-
lation at the havoc they caused az
the German infantry presented itself
in the form of pointblank targets.