Bisbee daily review., 1918-03-28
Holding the Line

A summary of the war situation last
night was actually cheering to the friends
of the allied cause In nutshell the situa-
ton is this: The Germans have expended
several hundred thousand men in their su.
preme effort Of the war and have SUI
ceeded in taking about forty thousand
prisoners and four or five hundred guns
(most of them of small caliber) and from
four to ten miles of flat and barren ground
on a twenty-mile sector from which they
had retreated a year ago, following their
defeat in the Somme offensive of the Brit
ish in 1916.
Reports from all sources yesterday and
last night indicated that the drive had been
checked and that counter attacks were
gaining ground. British and French re-
serves have arrived.
GERMAN RESERVES HAVE BEEN
USED UP!
Most of the ground gained by the Ger
mans has been voluntarily given up to save
needless loss of life The allied strategy
has been consistent throughout the drive.
Time and again troops have been with
drawn from exposed positions that they
had successfully defended. These troops
withdrew reluctantly In some cases only
peremptory orders were necessary 10 com
pei the men to retreat. And as the German
sheep came forward to the shambles the
merciless and unending hail of machine
gun bullets and light artillery blasts and
rifle fire moved them down.
A careful consideration of all reports
upon the different sectors of the offensive
and withdrawal show this same bloody
scene enacted time and again. Massed
German advance; the British riddled
them, first with barrage, then with ma
chine guns and lastly with rifle fire; the
British retreat, and the heavy artillery
again plays upon the German vic
tors. Again the Germans advance in
waves and the British resume their terrible
fire from fresh position. A few hundred
men against thousands, that was TIE story
of the retreat across the desolate ground
west of St. Quentin that the Germans mad
made waste place last spring. To make
plan, and then to stop them dead al place
decided upon before the attack began
The offensive has failed of its object
1t now remains only to count the German
dead and prepare for the April battles yet
to come.
The British Tornulies and the plain poi
lus, yes, and the American doughboys (for
the Americans are IN the battle now with
stood the worst terror the Huns had, face
tO face. 1t remains to be seen how TIE
folks at home withstood this blow. Part
of the German plan of this offensive was
to terrorize the people of the allied nations
behind the battle lines Always the Ger
man plays for this psychological point 1t
was an attack upon the allied morale, as
well as the allied battle line. If he can
shake the the morale of the allied nations
he can gain victorious peace, even if he
cannot break the allied fighting line The
Tommy and the poilu were indomitable
from the beginning of the drum fire last
Thursday morning to the last bit of fight
ing recorded by the telegraph this morn
ing. And it is up to us to keep not only a
stout heart, but hig!' and confident cour-
age and frey resolution 10 See this bloody
turmoil through. TIE Blonde Beast is run
ming blood at every pore and his prey still
stands before hun watchful. wary, strong
and eager TO continue the fray.
Let US be of good cheer and send on
mere men and food and guns, not forget
ting to cheer and praise the men who have
fought so well for our cause Laughing
Tommies and grim poilu still face the fooled
Hun in Flanders. ready for more of his
game and eager to play just as fast and
furious as he desires