Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-04-27
Foe Hammers
But Is Held at
KENNEL

The loss of Mont KENNEL has evil
IDENTIFY failed to disorganize in any way
the allied resistance in the Ypres re-
gion. The line, in fact. seems to have
stiffened since this isolated height was
taken by the Germans. and the enemy
after a day of desperate struggling
yesterday found himself held fast
everywhere.
Locre, west of Mont KENNEL. and
voormezeele, two miles south of Ypres.
were the chief points under attack by
the Germans in their vain effort to de-
velop their success of the previous day.
At each. although the fighting fuc-
tuated during the day, the enemy failed
to gain his objectives and today is no
further advanced toward them than he
was yesterday morning.
French Fight Calamity.
The French fought with great gal
asntry iN the Locre sector. infiicting
severe losses on the enemy In his four:
attacks, the last Of which carried him
into the village. Last evening the
French counter attacked vigorously
and regained the place.
The British were no less stubborn in
their defense of Voormezeele. at which
point they were obliged to hold fast
il the line curving to the east and
IN ho
abandoned. Today found them still in
possession Of the village and holding
fast in the wood on the ridge south
west Of the town. Several hundred
prisoners were taken by the British in
this fighting.
May Abandon Ypres Salient.
There seems a quite general DISPOSE
tion on the part Of military observers
to forecast the eventual abandonment
of the Ypres salient as the result of the
fall Of Mount KENNEL It has been
pointed out by the British war Office
that this result will not necessarily fol-
low.
1t is likewise observed. however. that.
should an evacuation of Ypres become
necessary, the taking of Mount KENNEL
has not destroyed the defensive value
of the range Of hills to the west, from
which it stood out, and which have been
referred to as the backbone of the
Flanders position.
Meanwhile the cost in men to the
Germans in the progress they have made
without winning more than a tactical
advantage has been enormous.
Cheering News on somme Front.
On the Somme battle front the situa-
tion has worked still more in favor of
the allies. The recapture Of Villers-
Bretonneaux and its dominating high
ground by the British has made the
German tenure of Hangard, to the
south, extremely precarious. and they
have already lost part of the village.
London reports a further advancement
of the allied line last night in this Sec
tor. An attack by German tanks was
broken up by the British fire. More
than 900 prisoners were taken by the
British in this fighting.
This success was aided greatly by
the fact that the British had recap
tured villers-Bretonneux Thursday.
The fighting In and around Villers-
Bretonneux. the scene of battle in
the war of 1870. yill be notable for
two things. In it British and German
tanks met for the first time. and the
Germans were worsted. while British
infantry. wearing gas masks for prob
ably the first time in an attack. re-
took the village from the Germans,
who had hurriedly donned gas masks
under a heavy attack Of gas shells.
Gen. Radcliffe. director of military
operations at the British war office,
anticipates an enemy offensive on a
l h 10 taf of tod IL n
great effort to break the juncture of
the British and French armies. He
| thinks this will fall on the line from
Arras to the Somme. Fighting will
continue through the summer, and
manpower reserve will bring victory.
Gen. Foch. according to Gen. Radcliffe,
still has the allied reserve army almost
i intact.