The sun., 1918-04-16
GERMANS FAIL
TO GAIN GOAL
TBAILLEUL
British Line Holds Against
Fourth and Sixth Enemy
Armies.
WORST OF CRISIS OVER
Enemy's Hope of Breaking
Through Ts Diminishing
Hour by Hour.
WORST OF CRISIS OVER
~ pERcrvAL PHILLIPS,

-
rorvespondenf o, the London Dnt'v Erpress.
EsertaI Cable DespafrA 10 THE Son.
Copyright. 1918: oil vieAfs reserred.
british ARMv HEADorARr.Rs IN
'r.~cE. April lo-since Sunday night
''a'lleul has been the goal Of tho Fourth
md Sixth German armies. In contin-
'ous heavv fighting during the last two
avs fresh divisions have been thrown
Ito the nslt Yesterday morning. after
the failure Of repeated attacks the enemy
came again with new troops and Is ham.
mering to-day with even greater deter.
inination against the bow shaped British
front between Seuve Egl!sc and the For.
est Of Nieppe.
They seem 10 have succeeded yes
terday In pushing aomewhat nearer TO
Meteren. 10 the west OF Bailleul. but
nowhere else on the battlefield did We
give ground. Our line Is everywhere
intact. They failed completely in front
Of the Forest OF Nieppe. where q strong
force Of the enemy infantry suffered
severe. casualties. They also suffered
heavily around Festhubert, where an.
other attempt was made to pierce our
front toward Bethune.
In front Of Baiilsul. where tho Ger.
mans awept repeatedly toward the town.
- killed tham In great numbers. on
tho whole: Il II day Of failure for tho
~ mat y de s,iscsls u Tie frs. M few ssw
days II to be exploited II must be done
without further delay. Tho British,
troops also realize this. They have
withstood shocks which were very &C.
we're with undiminished confidence. The
crisis is not yet over. but We have gone
through the worst OF L.
situation IL Better.
The situation. although still serious.
Is decidedly better than II was forty
eight hours ago The enemy can no
longer have any great hope OF breaking
through.
4 more detailed account OF the Ger
man drive on Estaires and Merville.
which led to this battle for Bailleul. will
show why the enemy was able to ad-
vance as far AZ he did after breaking
through the front OF the Portuguese on
the morning Of April .. The British
troops. which were brought up behind
the Portuguese. were holding the cross
.nss Of the Rivers Lys and Lave on a
front OF about 1000 yards.
They had line posts thrown out for
about two-thirds Of mile in front OF
the main bodies. This force met and
checked the German shock battalion
which was ordered to gain tho bridge
head without a moments delay. Our
troops included well trained machine
gun troops. and come OF them suffered
first In the bombardment as they came
YDt. ~ n,,A
was particularly unfortunate. They took
up their line. however. without a mo-
ment's delay. They were rather thinly
aligned along a wide front until other
reenforcements. pushing UP at the mo-
ment that the enemy attacked. were
able to strengthen the defences OF the
rivers.
At 1920 o'clock in the morning the
Iermans were heard advancing along
the front. A little later the first waves
were seen approaching the posts held by
the Durhama Behind our old trenches.
occupied by the Portuguese. were
series OF posts about five hundred yards
apart. which they were supposed to take
up when they retired. But these were
swiftly surrounded and carried by the
enemy.
Armentieres station Reached.
BY o'clock in the afternoon tho Ger
mans were swarming across the Armen-
there's railway station between La venti
and Bac St Maur. Then II was a des-
perate fight for the river. The advanced
posts OF the Durhan,s were blown in by
2:+0 o'clock in the afternoon. Other
British posts had gone. Some of the
occupants had succeeded in cutting their
way through the enemy bridgeheads.
The Germans drove straight for each
bridge between Estaires and Bac St.
Maur While all Of them were attacked
with strong forces. 4 particularly heavy
blow was aimed at the drawbridge at
Estaires.
Field batteries could be seen follow
ing the first waves OF German infantry.
BY o'clock they planted themselves in
the fats. Smelling our river front at
close range. At the moment We we're
unable to hold the drawbridge in force.
A portion OF the troops defending II were
still on the west bank. but tho trench
mortar crews beyond attacked with rifles
and succeeded In checking the German
waves for nearly an hour. while a little
band OF heroic men worked steadily
piling up explosives to destroy the
bridgehead. They were not wholly sue
cessful, for these massive structures Of
iron beams and concrete resist the ordl-
nary explosions. Enough OF the bridge
remained to enable a few Germans to
cross on the debris. Many Of them were
killed.
When night came our front was still
intact on the west banks OF the Rivers
I.ys and Lave. save for the portion be-
tween I-estrem road and the fosse. where
the salient was hold by some Durhams
The Germans rushed tho fosse and the
lock at Rault near by In the evening
They were driven back. They pressed
on In great numbers throughout the
Co1ttsved On TAtrd Psss.