Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1918-04-17
KEY TO YPRES
NOW IN HANDS
OF GERMANS
British May Be Forced to
Retire From This Sector Un-
less They Drive Foe Back
to LoWIandS.
(By Associated Press.)

Germany's mighty effort on the bat
tlefeld of Flanders has won new sue
cesses. According to the latest re-
ports, the important strategic towns
of Bailleul, Wulverghem an d
Wytschaete are in German hands,
and, more important still, the Teutons
have carried large part of the Mes
sines ridge by storm.
Probably there has been no more
bitter struggle during the war than
that waged along the battle line
through the towns of Bailleul. Neuve
Eglise, Wulvertghem and Wytschaete.
Neuve Eglise was taken Monday, but
Bailleul held out until fresh masses of
German troops were hurled into the
fray and charged repeatedly on the
tired defenders. The same story
might be told of Wulvertghem and
Wytschaete, while the battle for Mes
sines ridge must have been frightful
IN its intensity.
CENTER ON ONE POINT.
The Germans have not attempted
to advance their wedge further into
the British lines for no new attacks
on Merville and further west have
been reported. They have devoted
their sole attention to the work Of
widening out the salient and striking
at Messnes ridge and the railroad
running about six miles north Of
Bailleul. Messines ridge is the key
to the Ypres- sector and its possession
will give the Germans commanding
position in starting a new drive.
British May Lose Ypres.
The successes of the Germans in
the last day have an important bear
ing on the campaign on the northern
battle front. If they arc continued
there must be a British retirement
from Ypres and possibly for some
distance further north, while the cut
ting of the railroad passing through
Hazebrouck would be still more Sc
rious for the British.
So important are the points won
by the Germans that the British must
be expected to counter attack at once
in an effort to sweep the invaders
back into the lowlands once more.
All accounts of the battle along this
line speak of the small British forces
which attempted to withstand the at
tacks by heavy legions of Teutons,
which were brought up fresh for the
assault.
There is higher ground just to the
north of Bailleul and Neuve Egiise
from which the British can still con-
duct stern defense. Merville is
standing firm, in spite of terrific AT
tacks made against it, while along the
southern side of the salient there
have been no engagements reported.
The same condition holds true in the
sector before Amiens,, where there
have been only artillery duels. Raid
ing operations in which both sides
have taken the initiative are reported
from the French front in the Cham
pagne.
American Defeat Claimed.
Tn spite of the reports from the
American front that German attacks
there have been utter failures, re-
port from Berlin, via Amsterdam,
says that the American positions near
St. Mihll were taken by storm by the
Germans who. held them against de-
termined counter attacks. 1t is prob
able THAT the German report deals
with the battle in which the Ameri-
cans administered a sound beating to
special shock troops brought up by
the Germans to take the American
positions,
The Germans in Finland arc ad-
vancing east of Helsingfors and are
encountering little, if any resistance.
Ten German trawlers have been
sunk in the Cattegat, the narrow
strait between Jutland and Norway,
by a British fleet. The survivors of
the trawlers' crews were rescued