American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1918-03-29


that the great German offensive in
France is apparently fast diminishing.
On the seventh day Of the titanic bat
tie there were strong indications that
the enemy was feeling materially the
strain he had undergone and that his
power had been greatly impaired by
hard usage.
While the town of Albert has been
captured from the British, and west
of ROye the French have been com
PEELED to give ground in the face OF
greatly superior numbers, the Brit
sh have repulsed heavy attacks, both
north and south of the Somme and al
so driven back across the Ancre river
the Germans who forded the stream
Wednesday.
The fighting still continues of a
sanguniary character on all of these
sectors, but everywhere the French
and British are holding the enemy.
Especially severe has been the fight
ing west of Albert, where the Ger
mans, in an effort to debouch west
ward, were repulsed by Field Mar
shall Haigs men with the heaviest
casualties.
The British gains between the Som
me and Ancre regions are represented
by the recapture of the towns of Nor
lancourt and Chipilly. South of the
Somme they had advanced to Proy-
art, which lies to the south of Bray
Along the fifty mile front from the
region of Arras to the south of the
Oise near Noyon, the effects of what
was to have been the final stroke TO
end the war in a victory for the Teu-
tons are only too plainly evident in
the redevastation of the countryside
and the wreck and ruin of the towns
and villages and hamlets through
which the armies have passed.
Westward from where the old battle
line reared itself the Germans every
where have pushed forward for ma
terial gains, but with foes before them
who fought with the greatest bravery
and stubbornness and ceded no ground
unless recOmpensed at usuriOus rates
in men killed, wounded or made pris-
Oners. 1t is estimated that because
of the great attacks made in dense for
nation more than 400 90 of the nearly
one million men the Germans threw
into the fray are dead wounded or
in the hands of their foes.
About twenty-five miles represents
4 the greatest penetration made at any
place by the enemy in his advance
and on the northern and southern
ends of the big salient he has left his
flanks dangerously open to counter
attacks, which. if successful. possibly
might result in a retreat greater than
the 1916 retrograde movement of Won
Hindenburg and nullify in its entire
~ the gains that have been made
1t is not improbable that British and
French reserves and possibly Amer
lean troops. known to be behind the
battle front, soon will be thrown into
the fight against the weakened enemy
Notwithstanding the strength of the
German drive, nowhere has the Brit
ish or French front. along the latter
of which the American troops hav,
given good account of their ability
as fighters. been even dented. GrounC
has been given. it is true, but s,
skillfully and with such precision o
movement, that from north to soutl
the surveyor could have scarcel,
worked out a more even line Still
in the hands of the allied forces arr
portions of the old line from whicl
Hndenburg fell back in his "stra
togic" retirement of 1916.
LudendOrff i'm Command.
Just who is in command OF tn
German forces seems to be somewha
in doubt. Late dispatches report tha
Field Marshal Won Hindenburg ha
been at Dvinsk. in the Russian thea
ter. and German war spondent
assert that General Won Ludendorf
not only planned the offensive but wa
on the ground last Friday in perso
20 control the attacks.
On the other battlefronts the opera
tions continue 10 be of minor charaC
ter but daily the situation in Ital
gves greater indications that an OF
fensive against the Italians is in pros
pecc-
Germany's supreme effort to brea
the allied front in the west apparent
ly is no nearer accomplishment toda
than il was on the day the great driy
started.
She has not given up the attemp
however. the advices from the frOI
indicating that her forces are masse
for a drive in the region Of Roy
and Noyon in an effort TO break n
lines there as a preliminary rollin
up process either 10 the north or II
y south.
AS against the chances of her a,
complishing this purpose may
counted the factor of fOrewarning +,
the allies. There seems no doubt no
as TO where the heaviest hamm'
stroke is 10 fall and the opportuni