Evening star., 1918-04-17
BRITISH MAY TAKE
0LDL|NE OF 1917
Apparently No Danger of an
Even Greater Retirement on
Flanders Front.
LIGHT ON THE SITUATION

By the Associated Press.
With the Ypres salient in southwest
ern Belgium menaced by the continued
advance of the Germans on the Lys bat
tie front Immediately to the south, the
British have begun to withdraw from
this advanced line.
Today's official report from Field Mar
shall Haig's headquarters announces what
is at least partial withdrawal from the
Ypres sector. The British forward po-
sitions east of Ypres have been given
up and a new Line to the west occupied.
The withdrawal was carried out in per
feet order without enemy interference.
Pivots on Wytschaete Sector.
Apparently the retrograde movement
is pivoting on the Wytschaete sector.
where London today reports a success
full counter attack carried out upon the
Germans, who yesterday captured the
town of Wytschaete. near the highest
point of the easterly Messines ridge.
and who. presumably. pushed out some
what beyond the town. They are unofh-
cialIy reported, indeed. as having adj
vanced to St. Eloi. a mile and half
north Of wytschaete, two miles west of
Houebeke and about six miles directly
south of Ypres.
St Eloi Is on the old battle line as 1t
existed before the British began their
offensive last year, taking Messines ridge
and later pushing on and gradually alb
sorbing all of the Passchendaele ridge.
| the continuation Of the spur to the north
east.
May Fall Back on Old Line.
This may be an indication that the
British retirement is to the line Of the
spring of 1917, although such a with
drawal would include the abandonment
| of the entire Passchendaele region, as
well as the Messines ridge area, from the
greater part Of which they have been
driven in the present battle It would
| leave the town Of Ypres, however, still In
British hands.
There seems no danger at present Of
| a retirement on any much larger scale
than this on the northern end of the
Franco-Belgian line as the result of the
recent German successes. The line as
whole appears likely to hold as long as
it are intact. Apparently the security Of.
these communications has been pro-
vided for by the massing of large forces
| in the northwesterly sector of the Lys
battlefront.
Hazebrouck Is Objective.
The German objective here, as has
| been frequently pointed out. is Hazel
! brouck, the important railway junction
about four miles beyond the point of
the farthest advance westward, near
| Nieppe wood, six miles southwest of
| Bailleul.
A British counter attack last night
| indicated the strength of the British
line in this vital sector. 1t resulted
! in the driving OF the Germans from the
| town Of Meteren, a mile and a half
| west of Bailleul, which they had en-
| tered.
The Germans are still hammerine the
! British line north Of Bailleul. while to
| the northeast they are reported to be
| close to Mount KENNEL, the towering
| height which dominates the situation
| in this sector The British now seem
| able to deal with them along the Ball
| leul-Wytschaete Inc, however, and the
] repulse Of repeated attacks with ter
rife losses to the enemy in the Bail
F, leul sector are reported.
Few British Reserves Diverted.
The present attack in Flanders does
not seem to have diverted material
British reserves from the Somme battle
| field as the Germans apparently ex-
pected. and such operations as are oc-
| curing to the southwark from Arras
reveal the British in strength on this,
the battlefront where the main Ger
man effort must inevitably be exerted.
The British last night counter at
tackled opposite Boyelles and drove out
parties of Germans who had entered
| the British trenches yesterday, COM
pletely restoring the line.
| The somme battle appears likely to
break out furfously again in the near
future. judging from the reports that
come from both the French and British
wer Offices of the marked increase in