The Washington herald., 1918-04-02
HUN DRIVE WEAKENS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.

CONTINUED PANE ONB.
With the official night reports still
lacking. the situation in the great Pi-
cardy battle late this evening stood
as follows:
German Center-A fierce pendulum
combat has been raging for forty
eight hours and is still in full swing
in tho angle between the Avre river
and the Luce brook. French and Brit
ish troops have recaptured the village
of Hangard-en-Santerre ten miles
southeast of Amiens, which is the
chief German objectiver At the same
time the British War Office admits
that the Germans made slight progress
in the Luce and Avre valleys. Re-
ports of the recapture by the Ger
mans of Moreuil and Demuin were un-
confirmed at a late hour this even
ing, as was a rumor that the foe had
retaken Hangard and was moving
westward. Altogether the Germans
appear to be held well in check. Their
assaults have lost the punch of the
first weeks onslaughts. They are hur-
riedly bringing up their ''heavies" and
new powerful thrusts toward AmIens,
where they mean to cut the Paris
Calais railroad, are expected.
Germans stopped.
German left-The Germans have
been completely stopped all the way
from the region around Moreuil to
the southeast of Noyon. The French
reserves have paralyzed this leg of
the German wedge. Furious and in
cessant German assaults on the viii
=
last accounts the French firmly held
the village. Hand-to-hand fighting was
still under way tonight. Fierce fight
ing also RACES to the north of Mont
didier.
German right-on The whole front
from the Somme to Arras the Ger
mans are completely checked. They
are digging in" At Serre, seven
miles north of Albert, the British In
yesterdays advance captured 100 ma
chine guns
The German mammoth gun in the
st. Gobain forest is again bombarding
Paris today.
Withdrawal of the allied army from
Macedonia was tonight suggested in
usually wel-informed politico-mili-
tary circles as included among the
drastic measures" which Premier
Lloyd George announced last week
will have to be taken as q result Of
the crisis in the west. There Is moth
ing to confirm positively that steps
toward the abandonment of the Solon-
ika front have been, or will be, taken;
nor will officials comment on the like
lihood of such action. It is pointed
out, however. that II 1t were taken,
at least 10000 veteran fighters would
become available for the great west
ern battle Equally important, II not
more SO, would be the tremendous
saving Of tonnage accruing from the
elimination of this distant front, the
long line of overseas communication
admittedly making great demands on
the allies and fuel. Both Lloyd George
and Premier Clemenceau have be-
come steadfast adherents Of the
western school"
Man Power Issue.
The man power problem is the mast
serious one confronting Britain today.
It is considered a certainty that all
men up to so years of age will be
called shortly. A sweeping cut Is ex-
pected to be made in the army ex-
emptions and thousands of workers
in the war industries heretofore ex-
cused from military service because
their work was regarded as essential
to the conduct Of the war will be call
ed to the colors.
Probably the most serious question
is that Of conscription in Ireland.
There Is violent opposition to such q
plan among all sections Of the Irish
people. Voluntary submission by Ire
land to the draft Is looked upon as
the best, IL not sole, solution Of the
Vexing problem.