Albuquerque morning journal., 1918-03-17
New German Army Under
General Won GaIIwitz, Is
Believed Facing PerShing's
Line Near Verdun.
NEXT TEUTON DRIVE
LIKELY NEAR RHEIMS
It Is Believed That Holland
Has ASSented to Use of Mil
lion Tons of Shipping by H.
S, and England,
t-r MOANING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED wiaEl


co-Beleian front has shown no
marked change in the last twenty
four hours. The most notable devei-
opment was the increasing activity py
the British on the old Arras front
from Arras itself as far south as st.
Quentin. reported by Berlin. Appar-
entity the British long range guns
were doing effective work some dis
tance behind the German lines IN
Flanders as we'll, for the German
statement complains of casualties
among the population of Menin and
Halluin-more than five miles in ad-
vance of the British front southeast
of Ypres-caused by British shell
fire and airplane bombs.
Both German and French reports
show that heavy artillery fire mas
been in progress in the Verdun re-
gion, and that there has been brisk
work by the batteries near Rheims,
on the Lorraine front and in Alsace.
No change in the situation in the
American sectors in Lorraine has
been indicated, though Paris reports
a German raid in the vicinity of
Flirey, near the American sector
northwest of Toul, which was re-
pulsed.
New Army Group.
Interesting possibilities are sug-
gested by the revelation in Satur-
days German official statement that
a new German army group has been
created on the front in northern
France. 1t is under command of
General Won GallwitZ, an officer
previously prominent in the Russian
and Serbian campaign and ap-
parently transferred to the western
front late last year and put in COM
mand of the Verdun sector, included
within the front occupied by the
German crown princes army group.
The German statement is So word
ed that the boundaries of the district
under General Won Gallwitz's COM
mand cannot be determined even ap-
proximately. The part of the front
running east and southeast to the
Swiss border in the vicinity of Laon,
on the Aisne front, had previously
been divided between the German
crown prince ard Grand Duke AL
brecht of Wurtemburg. The crown
princes front included the Aisne,
Champagne and Verdun regions,
while Albrecht's started in the ST. Mi
hel region and extended to the end
of the line. The new Won Gallwitz
group is indicated as resting between
the crown prince and the Albrecht
groups.
May Face Americans.
If Won Gallwitz has taken over any
appreciable part of Albrecht's sector,
it follows that the Americans in the
region northwest of Toul at least,
and probably those on the line east
of Luneville, are facing the troops
under this commander. 1t is possi-
BILE, however that Won Gallwitz has
been given jurisdiction over por-
ton of the crown princes former
front, either to conduct an often
sive operation in the Verdun sector,
or to allow the crown prince to con-
centrate his energies for a move in
the Champagne sector in which
some of the French writers have been
predicting a German offensive, the
Rheims region being deemed one Of
the probable selections of terrain for
the effort
Although Germany has been
threatening Holland with dire things
il The Netherlands government
should agree to allow its ships now
in entente allied ports to pass defi-
nitely into the hands Of the allies,
1t Is indicated in Amsterdam advices
that Holland has decided to meet the
allied demands, including the right
to use the ships in the danger zone.
She has been given to understand
that the vessels would be taken over
March IS, under the provision of in
ternational law, If she did not before
that time agree to tn eentente allied
terms.
Russia Ratifies Treaty.
Russia has bowed to tne central
powers. The hard terms of the peace
treaty submitted by the Germans at
Brest-Litovsk have been agreed to by
the ALL Russian congress of soviets, in
session at Moscow, in spite of the op-
position of an important element of
the Russian people.
The result OF the vote was forecast
in the announcement from Moscow
on Friday that the Bolsheviki dele
gates to the Moscow congress had, at
a party 'caucas voted in favor of rati-
fication.
The message sent by President Will
son to the congress, in which he ex-
pressed his sympathw with the Ru-
sian people, was read at the opening
session on Thursday night 1t was re-
ceived with marked enthusiasm and
reply embodying resolution of ap-
probation was sent to the American
people -...--..,-----