Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-03-16

! The nibbling tactics on the western
front continue, with raids growing
more frequent on the part of the
armies OF oo.n the central powers anu
| the allies. In Two sectors recent opera
tlo.S partook of the proportions OF
battles, and the Rainbow DIVISION
which contains ABOUT 1000 former Iowa
national guardsmen, played a consplc-
uous and creditable part therein. 10
date the Hindenburg drive is not IN
evidence. unless some of the raids in
force were intended as prelude
thereto If so the Germans have been
forced by circumstances, resulting
from allied readiness, to delay an ef-
fective offensive. Hindenburg and MS
iieutenants are playing for an open
ing which they have been unable TO
force. With the British and the French
and the Americans all set to receive
the shock Of the attack, the Germans
may be prevented from making good
on their verbal announcement that
they were going to walk thru the allied
lines. April is close at hand and Hin
denburS is just as far from Paris as
he was one year ago.
These nibbling operatlons-minor
thrusts here and there. backed by al
most incessant artillery fire-at first
appear unimportant and useless ex-
penditure of man power and amrnuni-
ton. They are however. a necessary
adjunct 10 trench warfare. While
they gain little or no ground, they
keep the enemy from eating slowly
Of IpFpNSpS
and forcing slow retreat. A demon
stration Of this necessity has been Civ
en- by the Americans twice within the
past week. when the United States
lartillerymen destroyed, with the aid Of
observations taken by airrnen, German
gun positions and gas machines which
were being established in. the rear of
the Prussian lines preliminary to the
big assault. While aggressive meas
ures they are defensive rather than Of
f nSive.
The Rainbow division. entirely COM
posed of former national guardsmen, is
dividing honors with the regulars who
were first in France and who are now
holding eight miles Of trenches and
four and one half miles Of the allied
ne Of defense at a point north OF Toul.
The Rainbows are al point farther
10 the south and east and are en-
trenChed in the Luneville sector. A
part Of this sector is in German ter
= tory IN Lorraine. where the French
previously forced the Germans to re-
treat to their own soil. The allied line
T -Om LunevIlle to the Swiss border is
hugely in Alsace and Lorraine. and II
IL believed this entire district will be
taken over by Pershing's forces when
he has sufficient men.
The growing casualty lists in the
15Sth, the Iowa regiment will make it
necessary 20 send recruits to the or
ganizatou. Whether these recruits
Will De drawn from the two Iowa guard
T giments az Deming and believed to
be due to embark for France in the
near future. or will be taken from other
forces already in France, is known
only to the war department. The Rain
bow division promises to make a name
for itself. and the advance Of Thurs
day. when the Rainbows not only
trenches, was the first dent made in
Tue dindenouFg line IN nonLns.
The bolshevik debacle in Russia was
completed by the ratification Of the
Hun peace treaty by the congress Of
srviets. Trotzky. the bolshevik min
i;ter OF war was kicked out Of office
by Lenine when it was found he could
no longer serve the interests Of Ger
many and in reality was a stumbling
block in the way Of Hun made peace.
Trotzkv was less plant to German die
tation and from recent Developments
is appears he was permitted to hold
Office in the bclshevik government
solely for the purpose Of preventing
! $ collapse before Prussia was suffi-