The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-04-04

London. April 3--~Ip to late iscuA.
this evening the quiet before the
storm on the Picardy battlefield had
not been reported broken by any new
large scale thrusts or counter thrusts,
The fourteenth day of the great
struggle had been marked, however, ~
violent local enga gements from all huA
one OF which the allies emerged coms
plete vtctors Only az one point hAd
the Germans been officially reported
to have crept forward slightly, This
was on the sector Immediately south
Of Moreuil, where the foe launched =
determined assault on the narrow front
between Mailly -Rameval and Morisei,
two and half miles below Moreuils
to the southwest. Except at the point
where the German shock troops sue
ceeded in gaining a footho1d In this
French line. the attack was broken up
by the defenders concentrated FIRE.
The British scored number OF local
successes in the last twenty four hours,
the most notable one being the recap
ture of Ayette village. ten miles south
of Arras. The advance Melted them
$50 prisoners and three machine guns.
A bloody check eliminated a Ger-
man attempt TO pierce the British lines
ions into a vicious thrust around Fans
poux village. Hare IL the laconlc way
in which Hsis described the result. in
his day communioue;
The enemy left number of dead.
The British took few prisoners
Lincolnshire troops took thirty-ons
prisoners and a machine gun In a raid
northeast OF L.oos. 4 successful Britt
ish raid also was made to the north.
east Of Poelcapelle, above Ypres.
On the two TANKS of the great Gers
man wedge virtual trench warfare has
replaced the war of movement In.
tense gun duels ragged throughout the
day between the Somme and Mont
older. where the greatest German
concentration has been observed. ThAra
was also lively fighting In the Lass
sisny sector. the Poilus taking sixty
prisoners. A French barraxs stopped
short a German thrust north Of Roi.
lot ten miles west of Piemont
Eight German airplanss were brought
down by French hiers. while anti-aIr-
craft guns accounted for two mora.
pounds OF explosives upon Ham, Chau.
NY and Eoyon.
The Germans are displaying in
creased aerial activity, taking advant-
age of the temporary handicap embar-
RAISING the British aviation corps
caused by the enforced abandonment
OF great stores OF material that had
been accumulated immediately behind
the British lines fronting st. Quentin
and Camhrai before the Picardy drive
began
The Huns are massing troops indi-
eating the enemy has not abandoned
the project TO swoop down upcu
Amiens
Leading German newspapers are dos
ing their best to combat even the irn-
preston that the drive 10 all over.
They point to the devastation prevaiI-.
ing In the Somme area and to the me-
cessity of reconstructing this dlfficuit
ground for offensive and defensive
purposes and to the difficulty Of sup
plying the armies across the barren
waste
Nor Is there any doubt in military
circles here that the enemy viii re-.
sumo his efforts on a large scale a
soon as he has finished his new prep-
arations. Major-Generai r. B. lfAu-
rice, chief director of operations At
the war office, emphasized today thse
the battle is still as young 40 this year
and that II would be folly to aseurna
the Germans were definitely restrnameA
from starting all over again, h4avy
though their losses have been M
fewer than forty divisions were ppt
out of commission by the a11ied ~.
Tense tactics. he said. an
The war office spokesman ada2H ~
looked for Teuton drive agafnat I4AIy.
Rome dispatches have bean fur R&eiksI
predicting such drive ana I'M -
word from the Itaiiaa cADitnt II (1&