The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-07-27


populations concerned.
All well defined national aspirations
shall be met with the utmost satisfaction
consistent with the future peace.
Pope Benedict, in pastoral letter is
sued at Easter, made another appeal Tor
concord among the peoples of the world,
but it brought forth no tangible results.
AT the popes behest, prayers for peace
were offered in Catholic churches
throughout the world on st. Peters day,
June 2S.
In April there came revelations from
Paris that Emperor Charles of Austria
had written letters to Prince Sixtus of
Bourbon, a relative In these communi-
cations the Austrian monarch conceded
the claim of France to Alsace and Lor-
raine and limited that peace overtures
would be welcomed. As the result of
this, Count Czernin, the Austrian foreign
minister, was removed from office.
The most recent addresses on the sub
iect of peace have been delivered in the
German Reichstag, one by DIR. Richard
Won Kuehlmann, the foreign minister,
and the other by Imperial Chancellor
Won Hertling. The formers sensational
admission that the sword by itself could
not bring peace resulted in his resigna-
ton, and Won Hertling's address voiced
the sentiment that as long as the allies
were intent upon destroying Germany,
the war must go on.
The Enemy 0ffensives.
Last winter it became known that the
Germans were massing forces on the
western front Reports came that large
units were training behind the lines and
that new and more terrible engines of
war than had been known before were
to be used in German effort to break the
allied lines, crush their armies and force
them to make peace. The drive was well
advertised and even the place where IT
was to be launched was known with
certainty.
On the morning Of March 81 the Ger
mans began their attack from the vicin
ity of Arras, on the north, to La Fere, on
the south, and centering their heaviest
columns against the British forces, under
General Cough, at st. Quentin.
Staggering before the impact OF the
blow, the British army fell back rapidly.
For eight days the Germans poured
through the old allied line in an effort
to crush the British and drive a wedge
between them and the French, who were
holding the lines to the south Then
came a period of reaction and the Ger
mans came to a stop. They had driven
ahead for IS miles along a front extend
ing more than so miles before they were
halted.
Hardly had their legions been held be.
fore Amiens than new offensive wac
begun in Flanders on April 2 1t swept
the British back through Armentieres,
but did not break their lines. The Brit
ish, with the French, who were rushed
up to the front, stopped the Germans
after they had reached the hills south
west of Ypres There, on April ., the
Germans suffered terrible defeat that
halted their offensive in that quarter.
Foch in Supreme Command.
In the midst of the drive in the sector
toward Amiens the allied nations took
vitality important step. They named
General Ferdinand Foch, hero of the first
battle Of the Marine, generalissimo of the
allied forces on the western front, which
includes all the line in Italy as we'll as in
France. Even the Thurman coast, in
northern Russia, has been held TO be I'M
der his command
After a period of quiet, the Germans
attacked once more, this time on the
Aisne river, and in seven days they
reached the Marine at Chateau Thierry
making penetration of about % miles
AZ the Marine they were checked and
the impetus of the blow was broken.
With hardly days pause for reorgan-
ization of their forces, the Germans again
attacked, choosing the sector between
Montdidier and Noyon, on the southern
side of the salient driven into the allied
line during the March offensive, as the
stage Of their onslaught This offensive
ran for five days and was stopped north
of Compiegne after losses which were
described as unprecedented had been in
hicted upon the Germans.
From June IA until July Is the Ger
mans we're engaged in shifting their
forces and then they again struck. This
time the line Of attack was from Cha
teau Thierry eastward, around to the
north Of Rheims and then down the Vesle
river to Prunay and from that village
eastward to Massiges. This attack at
the close of the year developed into one
Of the most ambitious of the German
strokes.
Italians Stand Firm.
On June Is the Austrians began
drive against Italy. 1t was a failure
The Austrians crossed the Piave, but on
the west bank met with such stubborn
resistance that progress was impossible
Slowly the Austrians were driven back
toward the river, and then the Pave,
swollen by rains in the mountains, COM
pleted the overthrow of Austria's hopes.
After suffering terrible losses the Aus
TRANS retreated to the eastern bank of
the Pisve, from the Montello plateau to
the Adriatic.
Minor Operations.
Among the years operations of com
paratively lesser Importance we're the
British drives in Palestine and Mesopo-
tamia; the Turkish advance in the eau
casus; the French and Italian offensive
in Albania; and the fighting in the Ger
man African colonies.
Jerusalem was captured by the British
on Dec. TO- and shortly afterward the
fall of Jericho was announced Since
the taking of Jericho the British forces
in Palestine have not been active on the
offensive.
General Maude led the British troops
into Bagdad on March IL, and shortly
afterward died from cholera. His forces
pushed further up the Tigris until the
intense heat Of summer terminated OPP
erations.
The Turks, after the collapse of Rus