The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-04-22
.NIC.,,T DRIVE FOR
IPH.ESS BROKEN
German Rush Quickly Smashed
by British.
RAID WINS At ROBECQ
English in Local Operation on South
Side of Salient Take Prisoners
One Airship Fights Eight.

One Airship Fights Eight.
London, April 2-Gcrman troops
made an attempt To push their way
through the British lines northeast of
Ypres, on the northern battle front.
The advancing troops We're stopped
by the fire of the British artillery,
says the IoI.lOn war office :. atement.
On the remainder of the Brit Sh front
there were minor operations. The
text of the announcement follows:
"A hostile attack during the night
on one of our posts south of the
Scarpe river was repulSed after some
fighting.
AN attempt by the enemy to ad-
vance northeast of Ypres was stopped
| by our artillery.
1--WE carried out a successful local
operation in the neighborhood of
Robecq Con the southern side of the
Flanders salient), in which Il number
of the enemy was killed and few
prisoners and several machine guns
were captured.
neighborhOod of La BaSSee canal"
There will be more hard fighting in
the Kemmel-Bailleul sector, but the
German chances of effecting Il diSaS-
trous defeat here are much leSsened
by the shortening of the British line,
which has left an inhoSpitable zone
of shell holes and mud over which the
enemy must bring up supports. The
Germans have been rushing their pa
trolls forward in the PaSSchendaele
sector as fast as possible and vigor-
Gus Sniping warfare has been carried
on over the ridges of this sector.
The British markSmen from their
snug shelters have been reaping a
rich harvest in the ranks of those
pioneers who have been working eau
tiously westward through the old Brit
iSh positions.
\ total of twenty-nine fresh Ger
man divisions, with two divisions
which We're withdrawn from the
Somme region, have thus far been ell
gagged on the LyS front. There are
fresh divisions in reserve here. Nine
ty-eight divisions have been engaged
on the SOmme front.
German officers are leading their
troops in the assaults, taking the
places of non commissioned officers,
who heretofore have been used almost
invariably for front line work.
Certainly, no one can deny that the
Prussian officers are good fighters,
and they have been leading their
troops in many cases with utter dis
regard of their own lives. Their de-
tention in the rear during previous
fighting has been part of the German
scheme for the conservation of the
lives of the men who are respoH e
for the planning Of campaigns
Now that the crucial battle of Tie
war is being fought, they are out in
front to get the best results possible
with their men.
Stories of the magnificent work be-
ing done by the British airmen CON
tinue to be recorded, but none is more
striking than Il battle just fought.
when a British machine with Il pilot
and observer, was attacked by eight
enemy planes. Terrific fighting en-
sued The British plane, with ma
chine guns engaged the enemy so
tiercely that three hostile machines
were driven down out of control i'll
the first few minutes of the engage
ment. The Germans We're pumping
streams of bullets into the British
plane, and the observer was carrying
on the fight after having been wound
ed in six places.
The British machine finally was So
badly DANA ed that it caught fire and
dive~l steeply. The pilot and wound
ed observer continued to engage the
remaining five German machines
while their own was descending in
flames.
The British plane eventually crash
ed in No Mans Land, over which the
German infantry were firing steadily
with machine guns. The British in
fantry, however, organized a rescue
party and brought the intrepid air.
wen back safely.