The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1918-03-14
DE:sSERT[Rs TIL
Of HUN PLANS
British Ready and Waiting When
Germans Go lover the Top"
and InfIict Severe Pun
ishment on Them.
The BIG DRIVE is ABORTIvE
Tommies Deliver Counter Blows
Taking Back Own Lines and
Part of Teuton Trench
On Wide Front.
fHE5 BIG DRIVE is ABORTIVE

On Wide Front.
With the British Army in France
and Belgium, Sunday March TO-.
Heavy artillery fire was proceeding at
various points along the tense British
and German battle lines today, but
there has been no infantry action Of
Importance since yesterday morning
when the British in violent counter
attack hurled the Germans from the
post they succeeded in capturing in the
region of Poelderhoek ridge last Fri
day evening.
of the Houtholst forest where the Ger
mans also seized six posts Friday
morning, have been reestablished COM
pletely after severe fighting in which
the Germans lost heavily.
Attacks Were Clipped Off"
Both these attacks were but apollo
gies for what the Germans had planned
originally. They had intended to make
pretentious assault on the northern
sector south of the Houtholst forest
on February 90, to pinch off the British
salient just southeast of the wood ana
gain number of important positions.
This became known to the British,
however, through a deserter and they
buried the Houtholst front under such
an avalanche of shells that the enemy
was forced to abandon his scheme. The
Germans decided, nevertheless, to make
a smaller attack Friday morning, which
gained them six posts temporarily.
The final result was that they were
driven out with severe losses and also
forced to abandon some of their own
forward positions.
A strong attack had also been plan
ned for February % against the inn
portant high ground held by the British
Pnal1prhnpk L.
west of that place. prisoner taken
by the British is said to have divulged
the German plans. The British artll-
lery effectively prevented the carrying
out of this program and later German
prisoners said their regiments had been
paraded and informed that the attack
had been postponed because the Brit
ish had learned of it. The same prison
ers said the attack had been put off
until the morning of March 8.
Thursday the British gunners put
down q terrific barrage, and the Ger
mans did not attempt to advance. Fri
day evening, however, they moved
against Poelderhoek ridge under a
smoke barrage and to the accompani-
ment of a heavy bonlbardment of the
British positions. The TIL enemy occupied
a number of posts along a narrow
front and hard fight followed. Early
Saturday morning the British organized
a counter attack which although exc
cuted calamity, was without the de-
sired result A second counter attack
was completely successful and the Ger
mans We're driven out.
One of the freaks of war occurred
near Poelderhoek ridge on Friday The
headquarters of a British company sus-
tanned three direct hits from German
heavy guns and the building was de-
molished over the heads of the entire
staff. When the infantry had cleared
away the debris in an effort to reclaim
the bodies it was found that not a
single officer had been injured although
some Of them were suffering slightly
from shock.
This has been another magnificent
day. The balmy weather of the past
few days, which might properly belong
to April or May, has brought out the
leaves of the pussy willows and many
contains some frost, but the roads are
dry and dusty.
RAID ON NEW FRONT.
London, March ia successful
raid in which several of the enemy
were killed or taken prisoner and two
machine guns We're captured, was car
ried out by us last night south of ST.
Quentin" says the official statement
from Field Marshal Haig today. "A
party Of the enemy which approached
our lines northwest of La BaSsee was
.
fire.
."rhere was considerable artillery
activity on both sides early this morn
ing southeast Of Armentieres.
This is the first report of any British
activity on the line south of st. Quentin
since the British took over the sector
from the Erench several weeks ago.
Previously che British front had eX-
tended only to ST. Quentin
WAIT BLOW BY HUNS.
Washington D. c., March 12.-Noln7t
inc has developed to indicate that the
Germans have abandoned their plans
for a great offensive in the west. says
the war departments weekly review of
the military situation published today,
Meanwhile the allies, the statement
continues have taken an alert defensive
and are content to let the enemy
break himself against their impreg-
nable line.
The review discloses that the princi-
pal sector occupied by American troops
is four and a half miles long and it
emphasizes that the Americans hold
trenches at four separate points on the
French front.
Germany's sweep into the heart OF
Russia is seen as another futile attempt
to shift the center of the war from the
western front.
BLOW MuNlTioN DUMP.
London, March 12.--3ritish aviators
OF the British naval air service made q
raid over Belgium dropping bombs on
the airdrome and ammunition dump at
Engel, the admiralty announces. Two
fires were started. In aerial combats
three enemy airplanes were destroyed
and four others driven down out of con-
troll. All the British planes returned
safely.
4 * A + z
ITALIANS STOP DRIVE.
Rome. March 11.-Austrian troops