Republican farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1810-1920, 1918-03-08
Secretary Baker Tells Of
Belgians' Brave De-
Tense Near Dixmude.
TURKISH STAYING
MORE ARMENIANS
Official Notes Continued
Preparations by Ger
many for Drive.

tinued preparatory movements
on the part of the Germans
along the western front are
noted today by the war depart
ment in its review of the mill
tary situation for the week end
ing March 2. THE momentum
Of battle is increasing" the
statement declares, the attempts
OF the enemy to reach the
American trenches being cited
as an example of what is taking
place on a large scale ION the
entire western front"
The announcement is made that
the American forces have taken over
sector northwest of Toul and that a
! number of units are operating in the
Champagne.
| Developments in the east are ex-
pected to affect conditions in France
| through a modification of German
plans, the review intimates Six
German columns are operating in
Russia, and to only one of these-the
| column moving toward Vitebsk-is
any opposition noted.
Turkish forces advancing in the
Caucasus are meeting with little re-
| sistance and are massacreing Armen-
ian residents of the districts retaken
| from the Russians.
The review follows:
1.-The third month of relative quies-
cence on the western front has come
to a close. During this period beth
belligerent groups have been massing
their forces.
There is evidence that the enemy
continues to bring up fresh units.
| Owing to transportation difficulties
this has been slow and laborious
process.
''The Allied war council now is in
| continuous session, assuring complete
unity and fexibility of control.
1.-The British have extended their
front
Our own. forces have taken over a
sector northwest of Toul. In addition
number of our detached units are
in action in Champagne and the mo-
| mentum of battle is increasing.
ave have but to note the occur
| rences of the last week in our own
| sector in Lorraine in order to gain an
| idea of what is taking place. Patrols
| have been very active. Early in the
week the enemy made two attempts
| to reach our lines but was driven off
| by machine gun fire. On March 1 the
enemy developed a sharply driven at
tack. After a short struggle the hos
tile detachment was repulsed.
THE Germans now are using gas
along our front. Our men are be-
coming accustomed to this weapon.
| Our gas masks are efficiently protect
i've. Our artillery was very busy
Smelling enemy dispositions and in
! f1icted considerable damage ON gun
and mortar emplacements.
Important troop movements took
place behind the German lines oppo-
| site our front.
| 'In spite of the low visibility hos
tile aircraft continued active and
made frequent incursions over our
lines.
= I'm spite of the Chemin des Danes
| lively encounters took place. A
French raid against the German out
posts. in which a number of Ameri-
can volunteers participated, was very
successfully carried through.
! On Feb. "a the French executed a
coup de main, destroying hostile de-
fensive works and shelters near As
pach, in upper Alsace. Small raids in
| Champagne and Lorraine were also
| Ice i
back while attempting to react in the
vicinity of the Butte du Mesnil and
the Chemin des Danes.
| 1.-THE boldest enterprise undertaken
| by the enemy during the week took
place north of Dixmude. Here, after
| prolonged artillery preparation, the
enemy tried to throw a bridge across
the User. The Belgians successfully
prevented six successive attempts to
tempts to push this operation to sue
| cessful conclusion.
THE new trend of events in Russia
has no doubt modified German plans
| to a certain degree. For the time
being the enemy continues to advance
j eastward. Following the highways and
| railroads six columns of invasion
along a 700 mile front are operating
in careful coordination. In Estho-
mia the enemy has reached point
| approximately 100 miles from Petro-
grad. In Livonia Jurjev, $50 miles
east of Riga, has been entered. The
| column moving on Vitebsk is ad-
vancing at an, average rate of 16 miles
daily and has passed beyond Pskov
This force has met with some opposi-
ton. After the capture of Minsk
| the hostile enemy operating in this
area continued its advance and is ap-
parently headed for Smolensk and its
ultimate objective, should it continue
| to find it's course unimpeded, would
| be to cut off and possibly OCCUPY
| Moscow.
| 1.-The fifth column, operating in the
Pripet sector also is converging on
Smolensk and Moscow as a final OBJ
| jective. The sixth column. composed
of Austrian forces operating in Vol
hynia, owing to the favorable recep-
| ton the Austrians have received at
the hands of the Ukrainians, has been
| able to advance more than 200 miles
into the interior and is reported to be
within go miles of Kieff.
| The Russians are believed to be
| preparing to stem the tide of inva-
| sion. Petrograd is being prepared to
Awithstand a siege.