Republican farmer., 1918-05-10
MPORTANT area OF
LAND ON The SOMME
RECLAIMED BY FRENCH
WHILE GERMANS DELAY RESUMPTION OF
DRIVE FRENCH TAKE INITIATIVE-IN
NIGHT ATTACK ON MILE FRONT
HILL is WRESTED FROM FOE.

While a new German stroke
on either the northern or south
ern battle front is still delayed,
the French have taken the mi
tiative in the latter field and
delivered a telling blow south
east of Amiens.
Attacking on a front of more
than a mile between Hailles
and Castel, Gen. Petain's troops
yesterday evening drove the
Germans from hill 80, an emf
nence of some $50 feet over
looking the Avre river.
They also captured the~wood to the
east and southeast, Immediately bor-
dering on the Avre.
The ground, thus gained probably
is more valuable than any other Of
equal area which lies along the entire
Somme line. It was at Hai1les that
the Germans effected their greatest
drive and at Hill % they were within
less than three miles of the import
ant Paris-Amiens railroad.
Adding this new terrain to the
other high ground taken by the
French farther south along the Avre
not long ago, an excellent line of de-
Tense appears to have been taken Hp
by the Entente forces in this region.
The positions of the French at Ham
gard and those of the British on the
Villers Rretonneux ridge preserve the
continuity of the line on commanding
ground at virtually all the vital spots
north to the Somme.
In the Villers 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.
The Germans still are holding off on
the Flanders battle front,and the Ger
man newspapers are telling the public
that the high command may decide
not to take Ypres after all, as its pos
session is not important.
The German artillery seems to have
turned it's attention chiefly to the
southern side of the Flanders salient
and last night was bombarding the re-
gion along the Is mile line between
Giyenchy and Nieppe Wood. In. sew
eraI thrusts at this front previously
the enemy has been unable to make
any substantial Roadway with the
British lines supported as they are by
the barrier of La Bassee canal and
backed up by the commanding posi-
tons behind Bethune.
Flanders and Picardy, and the Arras
salient between, continue quiet, and
the Germans have given no sign of
where the next blow will be struck or
when it will come. The present lull
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 yet
ended in the view of miliH,ry authori-
ties, and the enemy is expected to
make further attempts to reach the
channel. The supreme inter-Allied
war council has completed two day
session with meeting at Abbeville,
northwest of Amiens. All military
questions were discussed and decided
on and the results obtained are re-
ported to have been most satisfactory.
Premier Clemenceau, who presided,
said that Gen. Foch, who as result
of the conference, it is reported, is
commander in chief of the Allied
forces in the west, is very optimistic
In Flanders there has been no ac-
tivity except by the artillery, while on
the British portion of the Picary battle
front, a German raid near Hebutern,
north of Albert, has been repulsed.
South of the Somme the enemy artil-
lery is bombarding violently the VIII
lers Bretonneaux region.
French troops have driven back the
Germans in local attack in Hangard
wood and southwest of Mailly-Ra1n-
eval, south of Hangard, they have re-
captured Baune wood. Berlin reports
the situation as unchanged and rec
ords only artillery combats on the
various fronts.
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 opera
tons still are confined to patrol en-
ish have re-occupied Els Salt, east OF
the Jordan and northeast of Jericho.
More than 800 prisoners were taken
and the advance continues.
Germany and Austria apparently
are meeting with difficulties in OPP
pressing the people of the occupied
Russian territories The Ukraine
government has been overthrown by
the government and 1t is reported that
q new government, presumably IA
vorabIe to the Central empires, has
taken the reins of power. Berlin re-
ports the occupation of Sebastopol,
the great Russian fortress and naval
base in the Crimea, but gives no de-
tails.
The strike in the important Dom
browa coal mining district of west
ern Russia is reported to have got
beyond control of the Austrian au-
thorities, who have adopted stringent
restrictive measures. In the Ukraine
the invaders are opposed by armed
peasants and It is reported that tho
peasants have ruined the crops rath-
er than let the Germans get posses
sion.