The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-07-16
NEW OFFENSIVE
FIFTH IN SERIES
First, Started March 81, Created Salient
Others Were Really
Failures.

The fifth in the German series of of
fensives begun since March 2l covers a
front of 90 miles, extending from Cha
teau Thierry, east up the Marne to be-
yond Dormans, then northeast with a
semicirele north of Rheims, then due
east to the Main de Massiges. This last
is hill 30 miles from Rheims and six
miles west of the ATgonne Forest.
A year ago the Imperial Crown Prince,
from April until nearly the end of July,
attempted to break the French lines be-
tween Rheims and the Argonne Forest,
alternating his attacks here with Others
on the Aisne, these last principally to re
cover the Chemin des DANES. He failed,
using up 20 divisions in three months,
with a total casualty list which is said
have approached half million. Then
the front became comparatively static
until, on the first of the present month,
the Germans attempted rush from the
semi-circle on Rheims with three divi
sions supported by two others, and were
either held or made to relinquish newly
acquired positions by barrage and infan
| try counterattacks.
The offensive begun on March 81,
called the Battle of Pieardy, was launched
| from a 60mile base and attained "A 40
mile perpendicular, with its vertex on
| the Somme, six miles east of Amiens. Its
objects were two fold: (l1 To reach
| Abbeville and the sea, with the corollary
of isolating the armies north of the river
and investing the channel ports, and (2)
to annihilate the French army or force
it back on the defenses of Paris, with
whatever corollary that situation might
| produce on the French body polite
But the flanks of the Picardy salient
held-in the north from the ridges pro-
tecting Ypres and Arras; on the south
by the French positions on the Chemin
des Danes and the watersheds of the
Ailette, Disc, and Aisne
A series of attempts to force the south.
ern barriers having failed, the Germans
on April attempted to force the north
ern ones. They thus developed between
| Ypres and Arras, from base of 20 miles
with perpendicular of 10, what is known
as the Lys salient. This was nearer
Ypres than it was Arras; and for q
, miles north of Arras the line including
the Lens sector has remained static t
this day.
The Lys salient being held on it.
flanks, just as the Pieardy salient wa
! held, the Germans next move was to re
: turn to their failure at this salient
| southern barriers.
On May p they launched their thir,
offensive from Noyon over a front of d
miles to Rheims. They crossed the Aisn
on an lSmile front and reached tn
Marine on a six-mile front, between Cha
teau Thierry and Dormans. They man
aged to deploy to some extent on tn
east of the Marine front, but were he'll
on the north bank of the river.
This third offensive was stopped an
, neutralized on May 81 On June 8 til
enemy, on an extension of its base west
ward, between Noyon and Montdidier-
20 miles-launched the fourth offensiv
! with Compiegne as its obvious objectiv,
His maximum penetration was .71a mile
which Immediate counterattacks reduce
to less than five. 1t was held almos
!, from the first and died away on June
Both the third and fourth offensiv,
! were rendered abortive by the allie
!. troops, instead of retreating before I'll
: enemy's advance. deploying right an
: left, thus strengthening the flanks-mal
Il ing them in these instances invulnerab
. and depending on prepared positions |
stop the enemy's centre.
= From June Ii until yesterday the Ge
y mans, save for. their assault on Rhein
on July l, have been practically on Il
70 defensive.