Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-04-19
HAIcfs LINE INTACT


Field Marshal Haig today reports his.
line on the Lys battlefront standing in-
tact last night as 1t existed yesterday
morning following the British retire
ment east of Ypres, no ground having
been lost in the battling Of yesterday
despite the heavy German attacks
through the entire period.
Checked for the time at least, In
front Of the strong British positions
dominated by KENNEL hill on the
northern portion Of this front, the
Germans are turning their attention to
the southwesterly sector of the battle
field.
GERMAN SALIENT NARROW
A heavy bombardment of the British
positions here between LOGON and Ro-
becq was reported In progress this
morning. The enemy ID finding him
self cramped on the southerly side Of
the wedge he has pushed into the Brit
ish lines and seems ON the eve OF an
effort to widen It out here.
Furthermore, at LOGON the GeEmAnlt
are only some three .milea north ~
Bethune, an important railway cent6E,
and at Robecq are within six miles u
Lillers, q junction point on the railway
from Bethune to Hazebrouck.
BRITISH DEFENSE Is STUBBORN
The British have been holding this
sector Of the front as strongly as they
are the northerly edge Of the salient
where they have held up the German
attempt to advance further toward
Hazebrouck as was indicated anew In
the repulse of fresh German attacks
last night In the Merris sector. along
the Bailleul- l-Hazebrouck railway.
1t seems not unlikely that the en-
tente high command has forecast .
possible larger German purpose
to drive southwark, envelop Beth
une and push on to q point
where they cdn compel the Brit
ish to fall back from Givenchy and the.
region north of Arras, where the domt-'
mating Vimy ridge is the German
objective.
WOULD MENACE AMiENs
Whether indeed this be the larger
German strategy has not yet been
shown. The development of the
enemy demonstration on the LOGON
Robecq line, however will be followed
with close attention, in view of this
great struggle on the Somme front to
the south, where the firm hold Of the
British on the Arras region and the
line south to Albert has held up the
enemy push on Amiens.
RETIREMENT CAUSES REGRETS
Although the retirement east Of
Ypres was to be expected for strate-
sical reasons, that fact that It had
been carried out has caused senti-
mental regrets. Langemarck, Pass
chendaele and Poelcapelle, which
Berlin reports the Germans have oc-
cupied, were scenes Of desperate en-
counters in the hard won British adj
vance Of last summer and fall when
they gained the entire Messines-
Passchedaele ridge.
Correspondents report the British
are retiring to prepared positions
along or close to the line from which
the offensive was launched in 1911.
This would place the new line prob.
ably near Boesinghe, Wiettje. HooIo
and Hill so, southeast Of Zollebe4o
and about two miles east OF Ypreo.
Berlin's official communication 1T
tempts to make it appear that the
Germans gained towns in old F1and-
ers battlefield after fighting.
MANY GERMANS SLAIN
The British retirement was carried
out Monday and British guns reapsd
a harvest In the enemy ranks when
the Germans penetrated the aban-
doned positions.
wednesday the Germans gained no
new ground from east OF Merville to
Wytschaete, but were compelled to
use large forces in recapturing Wy.
tschaete and Meteren. The German
pressure east Of Hazebrouck shows
the enemy still desires the capture Of
this base in the probable hope Of
forcing a further retirement in thu
Ypres region.
How large the French forces are
that have come to help the British
has not been disclosed Field Marshal
Haig said last week that heavy
French reinforcements were moving
toward the battlefield,
On the remainder OF the British
front and on the Picardy battle front