The Glasgow courier., 1918-05-03
GERMAN ARMIES IkjiIE[ I]jkijiI[
Being PUSHED BACK
BOCHE DEFEAT ON MONDAY WORST IN WAR
HUNS STILL UNABLE TO RESUME OFTEN.
SIVE. ALLIES LINES NOW HOLD
ING AT EVERY POINT.

Stunned by the severe punishment
inflicted by the British and French
the Germans in Flanders have given
up for the moment their attempts to
gain further hill positions west Of
Mount KENNEL Meanwhile it. is pre-
sumed that General Won Arnim is re-
forming his battered forces and bring
ing up new reserves to hurl against
the allied defenses.
German occupation Of Mont Kem-
mel, although strategic loss, has not
enabled the enemy to encroach further
into the British and French positions
southwest Of Ypres, nor has it appar-
emily brought any nearer the evacua-
ton of the flattened Ypres salient.
After the intense fighting of Monday
in which the Germans strove desper-
'ately to enlarge their gains on the
high ground north Of the Lys, there
has been only local fighting.
Apparently the allied commanders
are content to hold their present line
and to let the Germans make more at
tacks in an endeavor to drive them
back. In their disastrous repulse the
Germans not only failed to gain, al
though using larger forces than the
defenders, but they were driven from
some positions they had held since the
capture of Mont KENNEL last week.
Along the Flanders front and in Pi-
cardy strong artillery commandments
continue.
American artillery on the Picardy
front has been busy shellin3 enemy
targets, but there has been no infan-
try activity. On the Toul sector
American aviators have brought down
a German machine, the third in three
weeks.
British troops in Mesopotarcia
carrying on their pursuit of retreating
Turkish forces, have advanced as far
as the Tauk river, it is officially an.
nounced this afternoon. Twelve addi-
tional field guns were captured en-
April 20. The total Of prisoners has
reached 1900.
AS details of Mondays fighting are
received confirming the fact that it
was the worst day the Germans have
experienced since the opening Of the
great offensive, the English newspa-
pers now comment on the operations
in a tone of confidence they have not
hitherto displayed. The Times says:
"Of all the violent combats wit
essed in the last few weeks, we know
of none which is a more hopeful au-
curry for the allies than this ten-mile
German failure"
1t is pointed out that the public is
apt to reckon victory in terms of offen-
sive success, but defensive victory like
that on Monday may contribute equal-
ly toward the ultimate object Of the
campaign, namely, destruction of the
enemy's fighting strength. From this
viewpoint the Germans despite their
spectacular successes, can be regard
ed as having had the worst of the bal
ance of nearly six weeks fighting, for
it must not be forgotten that they sus-
tanned a series Of disastrous losses
of which that of Monday was the most
sanguinary of the last fortnight.
Indeed, apart from the capture OF
KENNEL hill, it has been one complete
failure. including four separate de-
feats in pitched battles. These were
on La Bassee canal, on the Belgian
now on the Baileul-Ypre front. The
eliminating effort of this has been to
immensely increase the confidence of
the Anglo Franco troops, whom the
correspondent describes as now feel
'e that they have got the measure
of the new enemy divisions.
Other strokes will undoubtedly come
before the German resources are ex-
hausted, but confidence is felt that
wherever the Germans try they will
find the allies ready. There is a
strong hope that Ypres will not be
>andoned.
The Germans apparently are as
anxious to capture Ypres as they were
take Verdun two years ago, and il
now looks as though their experience
the French fortress was about to
be repeated.
me correspondents emphasize the
act that everything favored the Ger.
$ on Monday. They had magnifi-
cent artillery support, favoring fog.
innumerable machine guns, masses Of
men and unlimited explosives, yet they
failed after experiencing a day Of
steady slaughter which only slack.
ened with the fading light.