The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-04-27
Held up By Arras.

Held up BY ArTas
AS the position now stands, the Germans
| have driven past Arras on both the north
and the south, but not far enough to force
the British to retire, and the Arras position
is holding back both the southern and the
northern advance. The Germans dare not
advance farther leaving their tanks ex-
posed.
Meanwhile the position of the German
armies is far from enviable. They have adj
vanced into two deep salients and they are
sitting In shell torn country exposed to a
terrific artillery fire. In some places where
there are minor salients they have been
subjected to an enflading fire
Wednesday and Thursday they attempt
ed to better their positions and renewed
their tremendous attacks again using their
terribly costly wave formations. Their
gains were inconsequential They took one
shell swept village in Picardy and another
in Flanders, but the day & fighting left them
IN virtually the same positions they occu-
pied previous to the attack
But it is uncomfortable that the battle is
over, or that the fighting will settle back
into the old conditions of six weeks ago.
The Allies are too close to their main sup
ply lines to be comfortable, and they will
not be content to remain on their ''one-yard
lin" in the face of such a powerful and
resourceful enemy.
On the other hand, the Germans are with
IN sight OF much desired detectives and in
very uncomfortable position, and they
may be expected to continue their attacks
until they see they are hopeless.
The Allied Reserves.
Meanwhile what Of the Allied army of
reservesf Much has been heard Of Foch's
reserve army, and many have begun TO
declare pessimistically that it does not ex-
ist. The French believe thoroughly in the
reserve army and they support the Fabian
policy of General Foch, who refuses to use
it until the time comes to strike decisive
blow. As long as the present warfare of
attrition on an intensified scale continues.
the Allies are gaining in two ways, by the
accelerated slaughter of Germans and b9
the growing American forces. Each foot
Of ground abandoned increases the super
iority of the Allies in man power. Up to
certain point, it is good strategy to con-
tinue that method Of warfare
The Naval Attack.
The naval attack on the submarine bases
of Zeebrugge and 0stend made on Tuesday
was one OF the most picturesque and thrill
ing incidents of the entire war. The net
results to the Allies are hard to estimate.
They sank two German destroyers and pos
sibly one or two submarines; they destroy
ed many big guns and immense supplies Of
ammunition; they destroyed part of the sea
wall and they partially blocked the Bruges
canal. But the most important feature of
the enterprise was the demonstration that
1t is possible to attack successfully the Ger
man coast. The British insist that the at
tack was not mere adventure, but a care
fully executed enterprise. On a bigger
scale such an attack might be wholly sue
cessful. 1t is not inconceivable that at
lacking forces might be landed at other
points along the German coast If the
British naval forces can keep the Germans
worried and constantly expect
ing such an attack without knowing where
it viii fall, they viii accomplish a very i'm
portant object, for forces will have to be
kept available to meet such an attack.
This has been the object Of the German air
raids on England. They wanted to keen
the British planes from the front