American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1918-03-26

The worlds biggest battle is now
raging along the Somme. Compared
to the present struggle the great
battles of the Marne, the Somme, Yer
dun and Vimy Ridge were small en-
gagements. The battle front is pro-
badly more than sixty miles in length,
extending from near Arras to point
near Fort de la Malmasion, where the
battle front crosses the Ailette river.
The German forces engaged are es-
timated at 1,164,OOO, greatly outnum-
bering the allies.
The battle began at ; o'clock last
Thursday morning, with the fiercest
onslaught of big guns that has ever
been known. Along a fifty mile front
it is estimated that the Germans had
a big gun every ten or twelve yards.
The conclusion from the guns was so
great as to rattle windows in London
and Paris.
After five hours of the most inten-
sive bombardment ever known, the in
fantry attacks began at 10 o'clock
Thursday forenoon. Wave after wave
of infantry was sent against the Brit
down in a hail of machine gun bullets
and small calibre gun fire. Still the
enemy came on, wave after wave, dy-
ing by countless thousands, but stfll
pressing forward. trying to break the
lines where the French and British
troops joined at LeFere, near the Disc,
about fifteen miles south of st. Quen-
tin.
The first days battles resulted in
breaking through the first and second
lines of the allies and the capture of
several thousand prisoners. By Fri
day night the allies had been forced
to fall back from four to six miles
along the entire front, which had in
creased from fifty to about sixty miles
in length. Friday the number of guns
captured had increased to 200 and the
prisoners to 10000.
Saturday the allies abandoned their
first and second lines of defenses in
the Cambria sector, falling back to
their third line, which had been pre-
pared months beforehand for such an
eventuality. The retreat of the allies
was made in good form. every foot of
the ground being severely contested,
and thousands of guns and great
stores of ammunition and supplies be-
ing removed to new position.
Saturday morning shells from
monster gun began falling in the out
skirts of Paris at regular intervals of
twenty minutes. As the nearest point
on the battle line was about sixty
miles from Paris the shells came as
tance shells had before been thrown
was from % to % miles. The shells
we're about ten inches in diameter,
and fragments picked up showed riff
ing marks. making it clear that the
shells we're not dropped from Zeppe-
Inns. Sunday the allied aviators re-
ported the location of at least one
monster new gun in a wood almost
exactly seventy miles from Paris.
Comparatively little damage from the
long range bombardment is reported
and the French war office announces
that the guns were political and
designed more for the purpose of
spreading decentralization than for the
damage that could be done from so
great a distance.
have been forced back TO their old
lines at the battle of the Somme in
1916, with the pressure easing up
probably because of the difficulty OF
bringing up the big guns. The num-
Der of prisoners has increased. how
ever. according to the claims of Ber-
lin. to $4,000 and the guns captured
to 500 No statement of casualties has
been given out by either side pos
sibly because there is no way of es-
timating them while the battle con-
tinues in its present intensity.
The allies profess confidence in the
final outcome. Premier Lloyd George
wired General Haig Monday that new
troops and guns were already in
France or on the way to replace the
losses. The history of the war has
been that the losses of the attacking
forces have been three or four TO one
of the defending troops. II was so a
Verdun. and most of the other big en-
gagements. This has not been true il
some OF the smaller engagements
where intense artillery preparation
had been made and the attack wa.
covered by box or creeping barrages
II the German loss has been in pro
portion to past losses in attacks, {
heavy price has been paid for the
gains made.
The great attack has the capture o
Paris for its objective. For this pur
pose the central powers have gathereC
vast numbers of men and stores o
ammunition along narrow front
Emperor William is said to have tax
en- personal direction at the front, ant
newspaper men were invited to wit
ness the battle. The allies have lonl