Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-04-16

NEW YORK. April 15.-From Euro
pean Cables Of the day to the Associ-
ated Press).-The British lines on the
| Lys front near the Franco-Belgian Dor
der are holding well agaianst the ter
rifle drives which the Germans are con-
| tinuing to make upon them.
All around the sweeping semi-circle
created by the enemy attacks to the
southwest of the Messines ridge posi-
| tions he was fought to standstiIl yes
! terday and last night and in some To-
calities the British positions were i'm
proved by counter strokes. At only one
point did the defense give way in the
| least. 1t was at Neuve Eglispe, on the
extreme lower edge or the Messines
spur where the British finally with
drew from the village after beating off
attack after attack
The probabilities seem to be that the
German tenure of events this small bit
of ground will be a short lived one
| The village has changed hands repeat
eddy during the fighting of the last few
! days and the British. were once before
definitely out OF 1t, only to recapture it
in a counter attack. This morning the
British again were back at the Ger
mans here and we're reported to be Civ
| ing them hard pounding.
Large results hinged on the battle
further within the salient, in the Me-
Vile sector where the Germans have
effected their furthest westward pene-
/ tration. They are pushing here for
Hazebrouck, occupation of which would
cut off important railway connections
of the British and make the holding of
the line to the northeast extremely diff
icult.
The Germans displayed their appre-
citation of this by attacking no less than
seven times in the Melville region the
desperation of their attack being EVIL
fenced by the fact that one assault was
carried out by troops in five waves. This
was the only attack that bent the Brit
ish lines in the slightest and the posi-
ton here was speedily restored in its
entirety by counter attack.
The Germans similarly have been
foiled in the efforts to push in further
in the Bailleul region and this impor-
tant town is still in British hands.
Far to the southwest on the Lys front
they have failed likewise in their at
tempt to drive in back of Bethune The
British in local operations here have
advanced their lines and pushed the
enemy back from the Clarence river
They took $50 prisoners and some ma
chine guns in one Of these operations
South of the Somme, in the neigh
borhood of Observation-Disclosures, IN
fighting early this morning,I the Brit
ish pushed the Germans back slight
ly and took a number Of prisoners.
There was hostile artillery fire last
night in the vicinity OF Bucquoy-mid-
way between Arras and Albert.
Fighting heroically in hand-to-hand
engagements British troops have check
ed the German drive IN the region west
of Amenities and this enemy effort like
the one in Picardy seems almost definite
~ stopped. The Germans have spent
thousands of lives in reckless and in
Sistent attacks to break through the
British lines or to destroy the British
army, but the effort has been without
the result desired.
Against the American sector south Of
Verdun, German storming troops hurled
themselves Sunday. American infantry
men beat the enemy in hot fighting. The
enemy withdrew to his trenches with
the loss of nearly 100 men. Northwest
Of Toul the Germans have not repeated
the attacks which cost them 400 casual
ties.
On either wing of the sharp salient
around St Mihiel the American troops
in the last few days have been meet
ing and beating off in fine fashion
strong German attacks. The enemy.
has not followed up his efforts north
west of Toul and east of ST Mihiel,
where he was repulsed in two days of
hard fighting by the Americans in
Apremont forest The artillery duel
here is heavy with the American gun
ners keeping up their end of the ex-
change.
Sundays attack on the American sector
between Verdun and St Mihiel came
after a violent bOmbordment and was
made by picked enemy troops Prison
ers were captured by the Americans
and thirty-four German dead" and ten
wounded were found in the American
trenches while just beyond them were
thirty more enemy dead.
The Americans with hand grenades
and bayonets went out of their positions
to meet the oncoming Germans. Two
American aviators have brought down
two German fighting airplanes. the enc
my fliers being captured.
British Battle FierceIy