Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-04-10
MAIN OPERATIONS
NOW CENTERED|N
ARMENT|ERES AREA
Assault Eleven-Mile Front,
Extending From Civ
enchy and La Bassee.
VIOLENT ARTILLERY OUELS
IN PROGRESS NEAR ARRAS
Germans Penetrate Advanced
Elements in Vicinity of
Neuve Chapelle.
LENINE WOULD WAR ON JAps
Italian Gunners Raise Havoc With
Austrian Ammunition Depots
and Start Many Fires.
italian GunnerS Raise Havoc With
Austrian Ammunition Depots
and Start Many Fires.
I Ev Associated Press. !


AS had been anticipated the Ger
mans have switched the center of their
main operations from the .Amiens sec.
tor. and are now hammcring the Brit
ish and Portuguese hard, over front
of about eleven miles. running from
Givcnchy and T.1Eassc 10 the vicinity
OF Armcnticres
The attack was preceded by a terrific
bombardment ali along the line At
some points the enemy was able TO
penetrate advanced elements of the
British line. especially in the neigh
borhood Of Ncuve Chapelle. Faauis.
saHt and the Cardonneric farm.
Meanwhile. all along the greater
part OF the old line south Of Arras cx-
trcmely violent artillery dueis were in
progress but the infantry OF both
sides Kept TO their trenches. except
for isolated attacks OF no great i'm
nortance Near the Coucy forest and
Coucy-lc-Chatcau. the French have
made slight retirement. the maneu.
yer apparently being in the nature OF
line Strengthening. SO we'll was the
operation covered by tho French guns
that the Germans suffered extremely
heavy casualties in cndcavor.n- to
make il null.
Details of the part played by Amcri-
can railway engineers in the opening
stages OF the battle south of .Irras
show that. dropping their tools and
taking up arms, they fought side by
side with Canadian cnginccrs and in
n!ctcd casualties by the thousands on
the Germans as they advanced in close
formation
Realizing the extremely critical Sit
uaiion from tho standpoint OF man
power, David Lloyd George the Brit
ish Premier has informed the House
OF 'ommons in speech that IT was i'm
possible lonGtr to exclude ireland
from the provisions OF couscription.
and that the agy. for military service
would be raised TO nifty years, and in
certain specified cases it might be in
creased TO hft"fve. The Premier de-
c!ared that bill would be introduced
in Parliament. giving ireland a meas
ure OF self government. Several OF the
Nationalist members, interrupted the
Premier during his speech and declared
that consc-i2tion would not be per-
mittcd in Iceland
TURKS CLAIM CAPTURE
Or ARMENIAN TOWN
There is still no indication of the
near approach of thn expected big bat
tie on tho Italian front, although Tire
artillery engagements at various points
arc increasing in intensity. Wcll-di-
rectcd shots from tho Italian guns in
the AsiaSo basin have worked havoc
with Austrian amWunition dcpots, and
also started fires inside the enemy
lines.
y Turkish official communication an
nouncrs tho capture by the Turks OF
Van. in Turkish Armenia.
In Finland &c Germans are prcpar-
ing to take Iielsiugfors. according To
dispatches trom retroSra1 They al
ready nave demanded the disarmament
cf the forts in Finland and OF Russian
warshps in Finnish waters. II IS said
ihat ;hc Russian commissioners have
agreed I" comply With the German de-
n"nd.
The landing OF Japanese .roops at
Nladirostok is apparently causing fric-
ton between tho Russian Bolshevik
government and Japan. Nikol1i Leninc.
the E"lshevik Premier, in a speech at
Moscow assorted that Russia possibly
would have TO declare war upon Japan
as result of the landing OF tho Jap
ancsc.
y British torpedo boat destroyer has
hcen sunk in u collision and all .he
members OF the crew arc believed TO
have hccnl lost.