The Sentinel=record. (Hot Springs, Ark.) 1900-current, 1918-04-12

New York, April H. Swinging his
heaviest legions and mighuest guns
far to the north Of the Picardy bat
uefeld. Field Marshal Won linden
burg now is driving attack after at
tack against the British lines between
Arras and Ypres, Charging across the
level country behind a tempest of hieh
explosive and gas shells, the Germans
have succeeded by terrific fighting in
penetrating the British defenses al
points over a front of nearly thirty
miles to a depth of almost SIX miles
Just to the south of Ypres
The loss of Armenueres is admitted
b. le British, but this was expected
from the trend Of events in that sec
tor during the last few days The
enemy had driven in on both sides of
the towns and holding out longer by
the British would have imperllcd thc
whole line.
So far as known the withdrawal Of
the British forces from Armentieres
was orderly and was only for the puY-
pose OF straightening out the line H.
the region where the German pres
sure is the heaviest
The British have stood firm at vita
points along the line
Wytschaete is stll held by Field
Marshal Haigs men, who also main
tain their grip on Messines Ridge
estrem, Ploegsteert and Ploegsteert
Wood. and Hollebeke, against which
furious assaults have been launched
only to break down or be nullified by
British counter attacks A terrific at
tack made against Hollebeke and
Nytschaete was completely repulsed
with great loss to the Germans.
This particular part of the battle
line i'm the west has been the scene
OF terrible fighting for nearly four
years. Armentieres marked the far
ihcst retirement in this region of the
French British and Belgians IN Au-
N''h anu AfpNNulDtIs lfl1.
Just to the north near Ypres the
Germans on April %, 1915 first loosed
on the Canadian troops their pois-
. onous gas and here on December 19
. the same year, they drove hard at the
thin line of Canadians in a desperate
! effort to reach Calais. On both occa-
sions the Canadians beat back the
enemy and held their lines intact.
Nearby the British launched their
. counter offensive in February 1917,
. and withstood heavy attacks during
April and May the same year. The
south of Ypres has developed into "A
major operation, 1t would appear. and
. the Germans using their massed at
tack system are not counting the
losses inflicted upon them in their adj
vance
So far they have gained little of
great tactical value. The hish ground
F.. along the front is stin held bv the
British forces and the retirements
here and there have not as vet en-
dangered the integrity of the line from
Arras to the North Sea.
While this battle is going on there
is a lull in the struggle before
Amiens
Since the announcement that Ameri-
can troops had made their appear
ance in the sectors occupied bv the
British there has been nothing to show
that they have actually entered into
the battle
In the Toul sector. however. the
y merican troops have again been
nghting The Germans have abso-
l"'ely failed in an attack on Pershing's
EN-, the excellent artillery work of
the Americans breaking up an assault
by special shock troops before they
could reach the American barbed wire
entanglements The attack was evil
deptly intended to drive out tho
Americans from their positions as
there had been a rain of shells poured
upon the Americans for ~ hours be-