Middletown transcript., 1918-03-30
|FA|L TO BREAK
BRITISH LINE
Germans Have Gun Every
Twelve Yards.
BRITISH COUNTER ATTACK
Four Hundred Thousand Teutonic
Troops and An Enormous Number
Of Guns Employed In the Often
sive-The Kaiser at the Front.

London.-In a battle that has rivaled
in ferocity ally that has preceded II
during three and half years OF war
fare, the British, On 50-mile front,
withstood a great German offensive in
its initial stages. At some points the
British line has been bent back, but
not as much as had been expected by
military experts acquainted with the
forces the Germans had brought up
and the power of the guns they had
upon and behind the line.
AS the result of the struggle on that
part of the front just west of Cambria,
where the fighting was apparently
hottest, the British line has nowhere
been broken, and Field Marshal Haig's
men have inflicted frightful casualties
on the enemy.
The first reports Of infantry fight
ing were indicative of an attempt on
the part of the Germans to drive
wedges into both sides of the Cam
brai salient, isolate the British troops
further east and regain the linden
burg line, from which they were driven
on November %, 1917, by General
Byng's sudden blow Subsequent dis
patches have proved that this was,
indeed, the plan of the German Cen
eral Staff. The fighting on the part
of the 5O-rnile front was but side
issue to the terrific onslaught aimed
at Gauche Wood and Lagnicourt, the
south and north bases of the salient.
1t was reported that st. Ledger was
the scene of hard struggle and that
Doignies had been retaken by the
British. These points are about four
kilometers, or 2.48 miles, back of the
British lines as they stood before the
attack began. Berlin claims that Brit
ish first line positions from Arras to
Lafere were captured.
The concentration of men and artil-
lery on the British front, as shown
in official reports, demonstrates that
the Germans are making a demon
strated effort to smash the British
lines. Forty divisions, or about
100000 Teutonic troops, are in the
fight. The total number of cannon
the Germans are employing cannot be
estimated, but unofficial reports say
that there were 1000 guns on one
small sector Austrian and Bulgarian
troops have made their appearance on
the British front.
The attack was launched under the
eyes of Emperor William, Field Mar
shall Won Hindenburg and General Lu-
dendorff, the three guiding spirits c.
the German war machine. The French
report fighting in various sectors, espe-
cially in Champagne and Lorraine.
Hostilities are not limited to the
front in France, but the Italian bat
tie line is beginning to show signs
of ACTIVITY beyond the ordinary. An
Austrian attack in he FrenZela Val
ley was checked by the Italians after
an advanced post had been taken. The
Frenzela River is a continent of the
Brenta and drive there would be for
the purpose of gaining foothold on
a road to the plains of Northern Italy.
American cannon have continued
the terrific pounding of the German
lines in the Luneville sector and raid
ing parties have found that the Ger
man trenches there have been de.
mlished. So complete is the evacua-
ton of the German first lines that
an American patrol crossed No Mans
Land without artillery assistance and
without being fired on by the enemy
The Germans, continuing their ad-
vance in Southern Russia, have cap
tured the city of Ochakov, Al miles
northeast of Odessa. The Germans
are also continuing their invasion
farther north. Chaotic conditions are
reported in Northern Russia, where
the people are fleeing as best they
may from the invading Teutons.