, 1918-03-28
Germans Open Great Attack on
the British Front North of
st. Quentin.
MAY BE THE SPRING DRIVE
Allied Commanders Confident Their
Lines Cannot Be Broken Seriously
-Teutonic Penetration of
Russia Continues-Ship-
ping Question Most
Serious Dutch
Vessels Are
Seized.
BY e. w.

"We are at the decisive moment of
the war and one of the greatest mo-
ments in German history" telegraphed
the kaiser to the Rhenish provincial
council, n thereupon, Thursday
morning, his forces began a tremen-
dous bombardment of a wide stretch
of the British front north of st. Quen-
tin. This was followed by attacks by
large masses of infantry which were
hurled against the British front in
desperate efforts to break through.
The assaults were extremely costly
to the enemy and up to the time of
writing had been of little avail, for
though at some points the British ad-
vanced lines had beer penetrated,
Field Marshal Haig reported that on
no part of the long front of attack
had the Germans attained their objec-
tive.
Apparently Won Hindenburg was try
ing to drive in q wedge on each side
of the Cambria salient, and at the same
time his troops made vicious assaults
on the french northeast of Verdun
and near Reims, though these were on
sidered as diversions rather than parts
of the main attack. The lines held
by the Americans in the Lorraine and
Toul sectors had not been assailed.
The British were in no way sur
prised by the attacked Thursday, and
their commanders met it with supreme
confidence. In every possible way they
were prepared to meet the assault, of
which they had had ample warning.
Whether this smash was really the
opening of the threatened great spring
drive of the kaiser or not was uncer-
tain, but American military experts
doubted it. If it We're, said they, it
was the most hopeful sign of the war
so far, for its defeat was certain. And
such a defeat, they felt, would bring
much closer the ultimate triumph of
the cause of the allies.
ia
Intense aerial activity characterized
the operations all along the west front
last week. There were numerous com
bats, in which the allies generally had
the best of it, and the British and
French aviators made many raids on
towns and military establishments
back of the German lines. Mannheim
especially was hard hit by the British.
The American flyers also were very
busy and won praise by their skill and
daring.
These developments lend backing to
the statement of one war correspond
ent that land fighting in France is TEN
porarily in allegiance and that the allies
expect to win the war there in the air,
having already %undoubted supremacy
in that element. He asserts that If
the Germans make heir great drive 1t
must be made blindly, and the allies
will promptly send their immense
navies of the air across and destroy
the Huns lines of communications, de-
pots and factories and his entire Or
ganization of supplies and reinforce
ments. If this is the plan, there is the
greater need for the United States to
speed up its tagging production of bat
tleplanes. The Providence Journal,
heretofore remarkably well informed,
asserts hat in this respect the Ameri-
can aircraft program for 1918 is an alb
solute failure.
III
While the kaiser delayed his big at
tack on the west front, the world has
waited In considerable suspense to
know what the plan of the allies
may be-. This rests with the supreme
council at Versailles-in which Amer