The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-04-09
TRY TO BLOCK
COUNTER BLOW
IN new MOVES
Huns Turn From Direct Drive
Against Amiens; Allies
Ready
FIRST OFFENSIVE is LOST
New Maneuvers Are Admission
by Huns That Original Plan
s is Discarded
FIRST OFFENSIVE is LOST
(1Y ASSOCIATED PRESS

NJ BY ASSOCjATEO PRESS
Facing American, French and Brit
ish troops strongly entrenched AM
well equipped for battle, the German
\ army has fer the moment given up it:
direct drive against Amiens. Afte
utter repulses of efforts to smash
through to his objective, the enemy
now Is attempting new maneuvel
4 which is intended to broaden the fieC
OF action and reduce the menace OF
4 q counter offensive that would nullify
i all the gains made by the Teutons
Y since March p.
y Reports from the battle line in Pic
ardy disclose the first stages Of this
II new German offensive aimed at either
/ side OF the salient in the allied lines
/ From LaBassee canal in the north to
{ the sectors east OF LaOn, the great
4 artillery forces of the enemy are thun.
1 dering, with the bombarIment deep.
I ening.s at places to the intensity of
drum fire.
Front 100 Miles
The length of this front is approx.
mately 120 miles. North of Lens, east
\ Of Arras, along the new front running
through BucQuoy. to Albert, south OF
Montdidier an dthence eastward past
Lassigny and Noyon to a point far
4 beyond Chauny, the Germans are ham
mering the allied lines in an attempt
to break the defenses and prepare
( them for the infantry assault which
may be expected at any moment.
On the western "elbow" of the sal
lent in the allied lines the Germans
are forced to fight uphill. Their ad-
4 vance across the lower ground along
the S0mme, Ancre, Avre and Luce
rivers has carried them up to a par
phet OF hills, which sentinel the road
to Amiens Attacks along this natur-
81 bulwark have netted the enemy
only insignificant gains at horrible
cost. ..-.
Gains Not Helpful
At points the German efforts nave
gained, but these gains have resulted
4 only in the formation Of sharp sal
tents which are swept by rifle and
machine gun fire and tempests OF
shells whenever enemy troops are
seen forming for an attack. ID.
There is wholesome respect in
the German general staff for the allied
reserve army, which as yet appears to
have been drawn upon lightly to meet
the .TeutOnic attacks. The attack on
the French lines southeast of Chauny
Is for the purpose Of removing men.
acing salient and the gaining of bet
ter protection to the German left
flank D..
This assault is still going on and
it. has made considerable progress.
The Germans struck the lower forest
Of Coucy and have reached a poin,
south Of the village of Folembrav.
The Berlin official statement claims
that 1000 pris,n ors have been taken
Bio AtrAcr '~-ooabn
That IN attack Of large dimensions
Is planned for the front of Arras to
the northward to Lens is considered
probable by military experts. AS long
as this front is in it's present posi-
ton, the Germans cannot exert their
full strength on the line before AM
lens. The canonade in this region
may be the prelude of massed at
tack such as bent the British line dur.
ing the latter days of March.
Notwithstanding the statement
made on Friday by Stephen Pichon,
the French foreign minister, that Am
orleans now are fighting in Picardy,'
nothing definite has been learned |
about where General Pershing's men
are located or what part they are |
playing in this battle of battles.
4. On the American-helG sectors near
verdun. east of Luneville and north
east of Toul, only ordinary trench &C
tivities have been reported.
Little has been heard from the Ital-
ian front The concentration Of Aus
trian troops in that theatre of the
war is considered warning that jor
activities may be looked for there,
probably in the mountainous country,
but there has been no indication that
the Teutons plan to launch their at
tack at an early date.
Turkish troops are reported to be
invading the Caucasus, where they
will take possession of the territories
which were given them under the
peace treaty Of Brest-Litovsk.
The landing Of British and Japanese
forces at Vladivostok seems to have
been merely, for the purpose Of polio
ing that city. No steps toward eject
ing them have as yet been taken by
the tBolsheviki authorities.