The Colorado statesman., 1918-04-20
Germans Divert Their Attack to
Flanders, kroin Failing to
Break Through.
BLOODY FIGHT At GIVEKCRY
Kaiser Seeks to AnnihiIate British
Army-Amerlcans Now In Great
BsttIe-PremIer Lloyd George
Proposes conscription for
Ireland.
BY EDWARD w. PICKARD.
They shall not mass"


Not CLOSING over the increasing
seriousness of the German offensive
on the west front not making vain
boasts, but with unfaltering courage
and dogged determination, all the
allies. French, British. Americans and
Portuguese, In France and Belgium,
have adopted the Verdun slogan and
refuse to let the Huns break through
their line. Weary and battered,
drenched with gas and explosive shell,
pushed back here and there by power
full attacks of massed infantry greatly
outnumbered all along the line. they
cling as long as possible to every de-
fensive position and exact a terrible
price for every yard of terrain they
give up.
Failing to push his way through to
Amiens, the kaiser last week turned
his attention to Flanders, and after
three days of intensive bombardment
attacked the British on % mile front
of which Armentieres was the center.
In the three days of fierce infantry
fighting that followed the Huns showed
back the British and Portuguese line
some five miles between Armentieres
and Glvenchy, and three miles at the
north of the former city. On Thursday
the British retired from Armentleres,
which is of little Importance as a STRAIT
egic point and Is now but heap of
ruins. They also had abandoned sew
eral villages but still dominated the
battlefield from Messines ridge on the
north and Givenchy on the south. The
n I,lO tho M thn h1npf-
Test fighting, being taken and retaken
several times. The British were out
numbered there more than four TO one,
but defended 1t splendidly and retain
ed possession OF the town, which is
situated on high ground. The losses of
the Germans here as well as elsewhere
were very heavy, and considerable
number of them were captured.
Though the immediate object Of the
Germans in this sector apparently Is
to take Bethune, an important center
OF British operations, and then by
wheeling movement push on to the Eng
lish channel, their greater purpose, ac-
cording to prisoners and captured doc
uments, is nothing less than to annihi-
late the British army. 1t is expected
that the kaiser will direct his full
strength to the accomplishment of this
aim and that the battle in Flanders
will be considerably extended to the
north and continued with desperation.
III
On the southern front of the Ger
man salient the French, at the begin
ming of the week, withdrew to the west
bank of the Aiyette river in the Coucy
region, thereby rectifying their lines
and leaving to the Germans the marsh
es of the Oise Since then the enemy
have been greatly harrassed by the
French outposts and have been unable
20 carry on any operations In the
swampy ground A little further to
che west Chauny has been the center
of furious struggles but up to the time
of writing the French had repulsed
every attack, and were in possession
of the town and the nearby cemetery.
For the present, at least, Amiens
seems to be cafe for, though the artil-
Iery activity In that sector has been
continuous and violent, infantry oper-
ations almost ceased during the week.
-N-
As has been said, the allies do not
neck to minimize the menace In the
successes the Huns have gained, but
their commanders are as confident as
ever that the kaiser cannot accomplish
his cins, and the men In the ranks