The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-05-03
PETAIN'S men
MAKE STRONG
BLOWAT HUNS
NEAR AM|ENS
While Germans Delay Re-
sumption Of Offensive.
French Take Initiative and
lake Valuable Ground.
HOLD OFF IN FLANDERS
(By Associated Press)

10y associated Press)
While a new German stroke
on either the northern or south
ern battle front is still delayed
the French have taken the initi-
tative in the latter field and de-
livered a telling blow southeast
Of Amiens.
Attacking on a front of more
than a mile between Hailles and
Castel, General Petain's troops
yesterday drove the Germans
from hill 80, and imminence of
some $50 feet overlooking the
Avre river and captured the
wood to the east and southeast.
Immediately bordering on the
Avre.
The ground thus gained is
probably more valuable than
other of equal area which lies
along the entire Somme line. 1t
was at Hailles that the Germans
effected their greatest west
ward penetration in their
Amiens drive and at hill 80 they
were within less than three
miles of the important Paris
Amiens railway.
Defense Line Excellent
Adding this new terrain to the other
high ground taken by the French fur
ther south along the Avre not long
ago, an excellent line of defense ap-
pears to have been taken up by the
entente forces in this region.
The positions of the French at Har-
gard and those of the British on the
Fillers- -Brettoneux ridge preserved the
continuity of the line on the command
ing ground at virtually all the vital
spots north to the Somme
In the illers-Bretonneux region. as
we'll, there has been a further i'm
provement of the entente position, the
French gaining ground in local fight
ing there last night
Germans are still holding off on the
Flanders battle front and German
newspapers are telling the people that
the high command NAL decide not to
take Ypres after all, as its possession
is not important.
The German artillery seems to have
turned its attention to the southern
side OF the Flanders salient and last
night was bombarding the region along
the 10 mile between Nieppe wood and
G1venchy In several thrgsts at this
front previously the enemy has been
unable to make any substantial head
way with the British line supported
as they are by the barrier of LaBasse
canal and backed up by the command
ing position behind Bethune.
Give No Sign.
Flanders and Picardy, and the Arras'
salient between, continue quiet and the
Germans have given no sign Of where
the next blow will be or when il will
come. The present lulI in the fighting.
now exceeds three days and there has
been less minor activity than during.
the previous break in heavy fighting in
Flanders.
The German offensive Is not vet
ended in the view of military author
tiles and the enemy is expected 10:
make further attempts to reach the
channel. The supreme inter-allied war
council has completed two DAYS
session with meeting at Abbeville,
northwest of Aniens. All military
questions were discussed and decided
on and the results obtained are report
ed to have been most satisfactory
In Flanders, there has been no activ-
ity except by the artillery while on the
British portion of the Picardy battle
front German raid near Rebuterne..
north of Albert, has been repulsed,
South of the Somme the enemy artil-
lery is bombarding violently the Vii
lers-Bretonneux region.
Elsewhere on the western front In
northern Italy and in Macedonia there
has been little activity. In Italy the
rains have ceased and the weather has
improved but the fighting operations
still are confined to patrol engage
ments. In Palestine the British have
re-occupied Es-Salt, east of the Jordan,
and northeast of Jericho. More than
three hundred prisoners were taken
and the advance continues.
Uneasiness in Germany.
Germany and Austria Hungary ap-
parently are meeting with difficulties
in depressing the peoples of the occu.
piCu iCSioLs duu do icSuit tucIt
is grave uneasiness in Germany. The
Ukrainian government has been over
thrown by the Germans and it is re-
ported that a new government, pre-
sumably favorable to the central pow
ers, has taken the reins of power
Berlin reports the occupation of Sc
bastopol the great Russian fortress
and naval base in the Crimea, but
gives no details.
The strike in the important Dom
browa coal mining district of western
Russia is reported to have got be-
yond control of the Austrian authori-
ties, who have adopted stringent re-
In the Ukraine the invad-
ers are being opposed by armed peas