The Washington herald., 1918-02-16
Austrians Repulsed in Four
Attacks Upon Italian
Forces.
THREATENED DRIVE
OF HUNS DELAYED
Possibility that Allies May
Decide to Take Initia->
tive Shortly.

LOnoOus 4 COs ~ AhS hNSh Wv
lent gun duels staged anywhere so
far this year are raging in the Cham
pasne. They exceed in fury the
sort of artillery activity heretofore
associated with raids. Talk Of an
impending real battle is again in the
air.
1t is recalled that this is Der
Tag" set some time ago by certain
German press dispatches for the
launching of the much-heralded su-
preme drive.
On the other hand, experts con-
sidcr there is just as strong a pos
sibility of the allies themselves get
ting ready to take the initiative be-
fore Hindenburg IS ready to strike.
Americans Praised.
Lively artillery fire developed
southeast of Tabure," said today's
German war office statement.
I'm the Champagne" reported the
Pzris bulletin Especially in the
MesniI CButte Du MesniD sector
there was violent artillery fire all
night. ......
That Is the sector where the
French. with the aid of an Ameri-
can barrase made their big raid
into the German lines Wednesday.
Both in the British and French
I,ress the official French praise for
the American artillery work pre-
paratory to Wednesdays raid
was featured" today. the papers
pointing out that America had
arrived" and surpassed all expec-
tations in this first big action in
which Sammies took such an i'm
pOrtant part.
French flyers dropped three and a
half tons of bombs on important
stations behind the German lines
Tuesday night, causing explosions
and conflagTations.
Huns Admit Losses.
Berlin today claimed the shooting
down in January of $50 allied air
planes and a score of captive bal
looms, admitting the loss of nearly
seventy German machines.
Heavy German artillery displayed
considerable activity in the Queant
region, in the sector of the famous
Wotan Drocourt QUeanD line. Gen.
-Allenby reported a new British ad-
vance two miles on a six-mile front
in Palestine. to the northeast of Je-
Tusalem. This places his army nearly
ten miles north Of the Holy City.
Italians RepuIse.
Frustrated in three successive at
tempts to break through the Italian
lines west Of the Brenta, and in a
fourth attack east of the river, the
Austro-German invaders evidently
have desisted from their attacks on
the Italian front
Since the new year opened they have
tested with powerful thrusts these
parts of the Italian defensive frcnt
commonly supposed to be most vuI-
nerable, and nowhere have met with
the slightest success.
On the Lower and Upper Piave, on
Grappa. in the Brenta and Frenzela
valleys, and on the Asiago plateau. the
invaders have found only a stifrening
resistance that has brought them in
creasingly heavy losses with each
fresh attempt.
In some military circles it is still
held that before the enemy launches
his great drive in France he will un-
dertake to finish the Italian campaign.
but everywhere it is coming to be
agreed that the invaders task has
been made many times more difficult
by the counter preparations made by
the Italians and their allies during
the winter months. The italian situa-
ton is no longer the periIous thing il
was last fall
Sign or Fight.
sign peace or fight" is Germany
ultimatum to the Bolsheviki. It has
not been, nor will it be formally con-
veyed to Trotzky or Lenine, but is
expressed in every official action and
every printed word Through the
Ukraine. their new ALLY" the Ger
mans hope to split I'D Russia stilI mr.
ther, and ultimately deal with every
seeding republic" separately.
II Is still hoped in Berlin, according
TO some dispatches. that the BoIshe-
Wiki. once they see Germany is in earn
est. will beg to sign a peace treaty |
m the eleventh hour.
There Is talk Of a drive on Petro- |
grad In some dispatches. Certain it |
is that Berlin has promised the
Ukranians fun military backing in |
protecting" themselves against the
Bolshevfki
Military experts doubt, however. if |
the Germans seriously contemplate
such an undertaking entailing as it |
does tremendous demands on their i
transportation and supply systems. !
At any rate. everything that came I
through from Berlin today showed the |
Germans still considered themselves
still at war with Russia because
Trotzky refused to sign peace before
the srmistice expired last Tuesday.