The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1918-03-29
GREATEST BATTLE
RAGING IN FRANCE
MONSTER TEUTONlC OFFENSIVE
LAUNCHED ON FRONT SO
MILES IN LENGTH.
ALLIES GIVE SOME GROUND
Germans Claim Capture Of $1,000 Brit
ish Prisoners and 200 Gums
Attempt Made to Regain
Hindenburg Line.

London, March 23.-zIn a battle that
has rivalled in ferocity any that has
preceded 1t during three and a half
years of warfare, the British on 90
mile front have withStood great Ger
man offensive in it's initial stages. All
some points the British line has bent
back. but not as much as had been ex-
pected by military experts acquainted
with the forces the Germans had
brought up and the powerful guns
they had upon and behind the line.
AS the result of the struggle on that
part of the front just west of Cambria,
where the fighting was apparently hot
test, the British line has nowhere
been broken and Field Marshal Haig's
men have inflicted frightful casualties
on the enemy.
As an indication of the sanguinary
nature of the fighting the Berlin for
eign office states that 10000 men and
200 guns have been captured. This
may be compared to the British losses
in the German counter offensive of
December 4, 1917, when 5000 men and
100 guns were captured.
The first reports of infantry fight
ing were indicative of an attempt on
the part of the Germans to drive
wedges into both sides of the Cam
brai salient, isolate the British troops
further east and regain the linden
burg line, from which they were driven
on Nov. %, 1917, by General Byng's
sudden blow. Subsequent dispatches
have proved this was, indeed, the plan
of the German general staff. The
fighting on the rest of the 50-mile
front was but side issue to the ter
rifle onslaught aimed at Gauche wood
and Lagnicourt, the south and north |
bases of the salient.
There is no data upon which it is |
possible to estimate the success at
tanned by the Germans to the south,
but names of towns where the armies
battled on Friday show that on the
northern side of the salient the Ger
mans bent the line back about two and
a half miles. 1t was reported that st.
Ledger was the scene of hard strug
gle and that Doignes had been retaken
by the British. These points are about
four millimeters, or 2.4S miles, back
of the British lines as they stood be-
fore the British first line positions
from Arras to La Fere were cap
tured.
Kaiser's Supreme Effort.
The concentration of men and artil-
lery on the British front, as shown in
official reports, demonstrates that the
Germans are makingsa determined eff
fort to smash the British front. Forty
divisions or about 100000 Teutonic
troops are in the fight. The total num-
Der of cannon the Germans are en- ,
ploying cannot be estimated, but I'M
official reports say that there were |
900 guns on one small sector. Aus 8
rian and Bulgarian troops have made
heir appearance on the British front :
Kaiser Sees Start of Fight. Ii
The attack was launched under the t
yes of Emperor William, Field Mar $
;hal Won Hindenburg and General I
Iudendorff, the three guiding spirits t
If the German war machine. The q
french report fighting in various sec c
ors, especially in Champagne and Lor- t
'aine.
Fighting in Italy. h
HostiIities are not limited to the (
ront in France, but the Italian battle O
inc is beginning to show signs of ac- ]
ivity beyond the ordinary. An Aus. p
rian attack in the Frenzela valley S
vas checked by the Italians after an
!dvanced post had been taken. The o
,.sx tc 1Arat of he
,renta and drive there would be fol- q
he purpose of gaining a foothold on
road to the plains of northern Italy. ;,
Sammies Pound Away at Hun. 9
American cannon have continued
he terrific pounding of the German =,
ines in the Luneville sector and raid :,
NJ parties have found that the Ger :,
nan trenches there have been demol :
she'd. SO complete is the evacuation
f the German first lines, that an
american patrol crossed No Mans Il
md without artillery assistance and t'
,ithout being fired on by the enemy d
The Germans continuing their adj d.
ance in southern Russia, have cap. al
lred the city of Ochrakov, Al miles m
ortheast of Odessa. The Germans e.
re also continuing their invasion fur
Ter north. Chaotic conditions are re 81
orted in northern Russia, where the &C
eople are fleeing as best they may OF
.om the invading Teutons. III
p
iooest Artillery Concentration tn
in History of the World w
London, March 23.-The news com OF