Evening journal., 1918-01-01
ny HENRY WOOD

the french armies year OF holdDls
successes
Every single action fought during the
past year on the French front has ter
minated In victory. The famous Hin
denburg line" proclaimed by the Ger
mans at the beginning OF 1917 today lies
cracked and battered. Over the entire
front. the commanding positions and
heights from which the enemy looked
down at the French at the beginning
are today in the hands OF the latter.
Historians writing a complete resume
Of the war will prominently emphasize
the French campaign Of 1917. not so
much for its actual, immediate achieve
ments as for the strategical position II
left on the 1918 western front chess
board.
In the meantime. outstanding achieve
ments OF 1917 for the French armies
Shave put on record the followlns:
Hundreds Of square miles OF territory
and 322 villages and Owe large, towns
reconquered
More than 62.OOO prisoners. over 400
cannon and thousands Of machine guns
taken from the enemy
Short Of 100000 Germans put out O.
action In battle.
Maintenance Of an absolute mastery
Of the air.
French possession of commanding
positions over the entire front whose
value from a military and strategical
viewpoint are incalculable.
The first two months Of 1917 found
both French anj Germans carrying out
almost daily reconnaissances and skir-
mishes all along the front designed as
"feelers" Of the opponents strength and
intentions BY constant action before
both French and British forces. the
Germans "felt" an impending Franco
British attack which the waning Ger
man feld power was not p~enarod f.
meet Consequently, in March, Field
Marshall Won Hindenburg chose his
famous "stratericai retreat between
Arras and Scissors, first kidnanning
men. women and children capable OF
work In Germany. then pillaging ami
burnlng scoFes Of villages in the rich
agricultural districts OF the Somme.
Aisne and Disc which he was forced to
abandon.
Entrenchins on the "Hindenburs
line" carefully selected In advance. the
Germans In March held a series Of
positions over the entire front as strons
as the Typographical character Of
Northern France. with It's hills, valleys
oud lvers, affo d'd. ,11 as redorbtaD,e
as German military science could make
them.
With such a German stage setting,
actual operations BEGAN in April with a
combined Franco British offensive
rgalnst the enemy lanks-the British
North OF Arras and the French South
of SOssons. along the Aisne.
The Germans boasted Of an "impres-
nable Hindenburg line Beginning with
the often I've In April, known on the
French front as the Battle Of the Aisne
and those which followed during the
year. the Germans have not only seen
their prepared In advance positions
melt away but are now forced to 'de-
fend themselves on positions dictated
by their opponents.
on April &c. French troops crossed
the Aisne and moved up the slopes to-
ward the enemy's fortified line Fight
ing de perately every foot Of the way
ihev won positions actually within
view OF the famous Chemin des Dame:
Ladies Way which is part Of the II.
mile ridge extending from the village
OF Laffaux to Craonne During the mex
FEW days the struggle was perhaps
fercest Of the entire year on the Frencl
i,ont. The enemy threw his best troop!
,gi,. Che nght without regard for losses
-..aonhs fell to the French allowin.
/ cnch runs TO dominate the Ia teri
end OF the Chemn des DANES Here be
san continuous struggle during tn
following fOu months In which tn
Germans, seeina their entire line o
r,dge positions n.enaced, sought des
re ateiy 10 recOnqLer the lost g,ound
With terrific losses. tie enemy betweel
Nay > and August 20 alone launched ~
loss than 2i impo tant attacks. Forty
aine German divisions thrown into tn
nghting had TO be Withdrawn on ac
,ount Of losses.
IIa,in allowed the Germans to spen
themselves during the months Of al
most continuous actions, the Frencl
ngaln passed 10 the attack on Octobe
23 with the Malmaison plateau, at IN
Western end Of the Chemin des Dame
IS the objective. These first days sew
sral powerfully fortified villages fe
and during the following three days On
poilus gained all their objocti,es in
,.uding the Moulin Laffaux. the ke
sostion TO I'VE plateau. Aside fror
8bout twelve thousand prisoners th
victory netted 622 cannon and - ma
chine guns,
The immediate effect Of the Malma
son victory came seven days later Whe
On November 2. menaced by Frenc
.roops on the Western flank and sweI
0y French guns everywhere, the Gel
mans abandoned the Chemn des Dame
Trench troops occupied this command
ng ridge, dnopposCd. and looked dow
nto the valley Of the River Ailett
The Germans had crossed the stiesl
and were entfenched under the slopf
,n the opposite side. Beyond thes
slopes lie the plateau and city Of Lacl
both OF which will doubtless hsuI
prominently In cOmmuniques o. "
'omng year.
Dur,ng lh5 battles OF the Aisne an
Nalmalson, the French had struck an
won a notable victory in Champaign
Between CraOnne and eastwards
Rheims the Germans had establisht
themselves in formidable positions Q
lhe series Of low mountainous heigh
known in communicates as MoronVi
liers, Mt des Singes, the Teton, u
Casque and Mount Conillet The latt'
height was taken on April n and
May 20 after desperate lighting parts
Inc Casque and Teton were capture
But in June, an exceedingly successf
Tha zznrzlzsHl