Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-04-01
FRENCH CHECK HUNS:
BATTLE TIDE TURNS:
FOE PRESSED BACK
French Make Good Gains, Repuls-
ing Attack After Attack of
Teutonic Troops.
u. S. FORCES AT FRONT
Won Hindenburg's Boast to Spend
April / IN Paris Far From
Being Verified.
By Associated Press 10 Every Evening

By Associated Press 70 Every Evening
As Allied troops begin offensive move
ments on the Plcardy battlefield. the Ger
man assaults show signs Of siackenIng
both in numbers and intensity. and the
Germans are digging themselves III fever
ishiy around Lasslgny on the southern
line Of the salient where French pressure
has been heavy South Of the Somme
the tide turned sunday German assaults
were repulsed and the French made good
gains
The German drive toward 3mlens.
Paris and the Channel ports Is fast be-
coming a battle Of the nations The con-
Hct opened with Bri tish and German sol
diers a. the adyersaries. Since then the
French and American armies have joined
With Field Marshal Haig'S forces. while
Austrian and Bulgarian troops are siding
the enemy Cana dian cavalry and AUS
tralian infantry has been dong much Of
the fighting under the British flag in the
last two DAYS.
[. 5. TROOPS READY FOR BATTLE.
Over the roads 10 the battlefield, in
motor trucks and on foot 100000 Amerl-
can soldiers are moving to JOIN the fight
against the invaders and TO drive them
back The American troops are now
under control of Gen, Foch, the generals
simo, but their destination in the fighting
area has not been disclosed. They an,
seasoned troops and are reported aS
anxious to get into the hght.
The most intense fighting is progress
sing south of the Somme where attempt
after attempt Is being made by the Ger
mans to break the lndomitahle Franco
British defence and reach the Paris
Aniens railway line or Amiens itself.
nable TO make gains astrlde the Somme
the enemy has made heavy attacks at
other points. but with no success. MoreuIl
the centre OF the fighting south Of the
Sommc l. reported 10 have changed
hands four times, and Is now held by
British, Canadian and French troops
GERMANS PUSHED BAek.
Around Nlontdidler where the battle
line curves northWard the French have
reclaimed Aycncourt and Moncel Fur
her east toward las-igpy in the drcc-
tlon OF Noyon. the Germans have been
pressed back, and wounded salient
driven INTO the enemy lines Il Is in tins
region that the Germans arc now dig
gng IN German attempts TO force 4
passage of the Oiac N Chalny were
crushed tv the French Who wiped ont
Ati ttFuiN AtAtt AAAftA1 iittA ~ tSfatfiiNtt
a bridgehtad on the southern bank Of
the river
North OF the Somme where the Gey-
mans were thrown back with severe
losses by the British Saturday, the enemy
made no further attempts Sunday, and
the fighting activity has been moderate.
BOASTS or GERMANS CEASED
Ii Field Marshal yon Hndenburg
intended to spend April | in Paris, he
must have meant some other year than
1918. Ills troops are still more than 80
miles from the French capital and in IL
days of fighting and under tremendous
losses they have not even reached the
Paris-Amiens railway, the principal route
from northern France to Paris Indeed
they are getting ready to defend them
selves against the Anglo Decentralization
forces under Gen Foch. The boastfuI
utterances of the German leaders much
in evidence in the early days OF the pres
ent campaign also have ceased
In north Italy the artillery firing is
increasing in intensity and patrol actions
are more numerous, but there has been no
infantry action on a large scale.
American patrols continue active north
Vest of Toul The German lines are
under heavy bombarlment Marked ac
tivity behind the enemy lines shows
no sign Of letting up. but the Germans
have not attempted any attacks.