American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1918-03-26
WORLDS BIGGEST BATTLE
NOW RAGING In FRANCE
Determined Effort to Take Paris For
ces Allies to Fall Back to Somme Bat
tie Line of 1916--Heavy Losses In
flicted--Allies Profess Confidence.

slve, but have given out the impress
sion that the Germans would wage
defensive war behind their strong in
trenchments.
The German Aim.
Draw a straight line from Bapaume
to Peronne, thence follow the bend OF
the Somme to Ham. and again draw
straight line southeastward to Chauny
that, approximately, was the line OF
battle when with the dawn of Palm
Sunday, the Germans ushered in the
fourth day of their drive with a vol
cano of shells and a sea of flash.
Again bent. but still not broken"
summed up dispatches from the front
as all day the slaughter was approach
ing its end enforced by darkness.
Throughout the day the Germans
had concentrated their chief effort on
forcing a crossing of the Somme. Up
to late Sunday evening there was moth
ing to indicate they had succeeded.
But in answer TO Haig's strategy,
which he refuses to copy the Germans
in paying hecatombs of lives for
few miles of devastated ground, the
whole line Bapaume-Combles-Peron-
ne-Ham is being slowly yielded by the
British. They can afford to retire:
From Bapaume to Albert, nearly
twelve miles.
From Combles to Curlu, nearly four
miles.
From Ham to Roye, thirteen miles.
And as the result of such retire
ment they would be established on the
old line which they held before the
1916 Somme battle.
There is one fundamental condition
to share the retirement: The joint
west of La Fere, where the British
right rests on the French left must
hold.
The day wore on, the momentum of
interest switched, therefore, from the
German main attacking front to the
French line west of LaFere to the
north of the Aisne. There. the next
German blow is looked for. From
Chauney the French line turns sharp
ly to the east to the approaches of
Laon. The British retirement hinted
at would reduce this turn almost to
a rectangle. and therein. all military
observers agree. lies the chief and
immediate new menace.
An unprecedented concentration of
allied reserves back of the Franco
British point of junction has become
the imperative need of the hour. Alb
solute confidence prevails here that
this has been met. as a result OF the
Versailles war council decision.
Every renewed German onslaught
and the whole course of Hindenburg' S
procedure is confirming what were
outlined in these dispatches Thursday
night as his main objects:
1. To separate the French from the
( British armies.
>. To roll up the British right to-
wards the sea.
g. To throw the German center and
left against Paris.
Only by keeping these objects con-
stantly in mind can a true measure
1 be taken of German success or failure
in this gigantic campaign So far the
Germans have succeeded only in in
tensifying the menaces involved in
aims number one and two. Toward
the fulhllment of number three, they
have not yet taken any actual steps
All three objects and the operations
launched toward their attainment are
closely interdependent.
Slowly. almost imperceptibly. the
momentum of the German assault
switched during the first three days
OF the battle to the Anglo-French juno
tion point west of LaFere. Sunday
night Tergenier. four miles west OF
the big Siegfried line pillar was a
storm center.
The drive here is aimed in the direc-
tion of Noyon. and further southwest
ward. where, around Compiegne. the
Germans for a long time were closest
10 Paris.
PHOTOGRAPHS WANTED.