Le MeschaceÌbeÌ. [volume] ([Lucy] La.) 1853-1942, 1918-03-30
MILLIONS OF MEN
BATTLE IN FRANCE
GERMANS LAUNCH FIERCE OF
FENSIvE AGAINST THE BRIT
ISH ON MILES OF FRONT.
WITHDRAW IN ORDER
British Lines Forced to Give Groun&
in Some Places, But the Slaugh-
ter of the Germans Is
Appalling.

In a battle that has rivaled In fe-
rocity any that has preceded IL duTA
ing three and half years of warfare
the British on seventy-mile front are
withstanding a great German offen-
sive.
Fighting of a most desperate nature
has been continuous since the initial
attack, but so far the British have
used few troops other than those wh9
were holding the front lines. These
shock troops have been making 6 gal
liant defense as was ever recorded
in the annals of the British army. and
as a result they have enabled the main
body of the forces to fall back delib-
erately and without confusion and oer
cupy positions which had been pre-
pared long before the German often
sive began.
The Germans on the other hand. Op-
Grating under the eyes of the emperor
and the crown prince, have been hHrf
ing vast hordes into the fray with ut
ter disregard for lives and have fox
lowed into the abandon positions, get
ting further and further away from
their supplies and finding their COM
munications increasingly difficult
More than fifty German divisions al
ready have been identified by actual
contact and many of these men we're
simply given two days iron rati0nS
and sent over the top into the fright
full maelstrom made by the allied AZ
tillery, machine guns and rifles The
slaughter of the enemy infantry As It
advanced in close formation over the
open has been appalling,
The British losses have been within
the bounds expected due to the tactics
of the commanders. The allies have
lost considerable number of men I'm
prisoners and certain number Of
guns But very few pieces of artillery
have been taken by the Germans since
the first day In fact, the whole with
drawal has been executed in a master
ly manner, showing how thoroughly
the British had planned for the very
events which have occurred.
It is permitted to say now what
some have known for long TINE.
namely, that the British never intend
ed to try to hold the forward positions
in this region if the Germans attacRe3
in the force expected.
The Germans claim to have cap
tured several thousand prisoners and
many guns.
The British armies all report thai
they have seen large numbers of Ger
man dead heaped amid the debris Of
the wire and in the open ground
But still they came on, with most
fanatieal courage of sacrifice.
When the first lines fell, their plaeea
were filled by others, and the British
guns and machine gun fire could not
kill them fast enough.
The British gunners fired into them
with open sights. cutting swaths IN the
ranks and checking their tide Of a.
sault.
According to the latest reports the
long distance cannon which bombaTG
ed Paris Sunday was firing from dis
tance of 120 kilometers (approximzfe-
" 7455 miles, and was located about
twelve kilometers beyond the FreHeh
front
The first daylight air raid on Paris
came Sunday, which was one of per
feet sunshine. The people of Paris re-
fused to immure themselves In ceI
lars and other subterranean shelters.
and although the subway stations
were crowded, the streets always had
a great number of people in them
watching for an aerial battle or some
other stirring incident.
The war department at Wash1ngTm
has eabled General Pershing to fer
ward Immediately definite inform
tion of the exact situation on the h7f
tie front where the British troops are
under the German onslaught
Upon Hollands refusal in the fzee
of German threats to put into effect
her voluntary agreement for restoring
her merchant marine to normal aet5v-
ity, the United States goyernmena
Wednesday night requisitioned "a
Dutch ships in American wateEx- II
the same time Great Britain was TAX
ing over Dutch vessels in BraIza
ports.
A total OF n ships of probably go.
600 tons was added to the Ameneza
merchant marine by the reaaisitsos
ing. Another 100000 tons are pat iaix
the allied service by Great Britains
action. Most OF them will be need n
the food-carrying trade hetwee1 he
United States and Europe.