The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-04-17
east and west north Of WuIV


without letting moment slip past.
the Germans, continually backed up
~ fresh forces, headed to the north
westward from wulvergbem 10 stab
Wytschaete ridge In the back. AZ the
same time, Crown Prince Rupprcchrs
fourth army. under Sixt won Arpim,
which has beer marking time before
HoIiebccke and Hin SO. southeast OF
Yrres, hogan TO move forward in al
attempt 20 Swoop down upon the ridge
from the northeast Thus be1an tho
great pincer drive which aims al hack
lng TO pieces or suGocating tue valiant
defenders of White Sheet range .
Meanwhile afsa. Won Quasi syJTly.
standing on the ito frona Mervilie 20
the base angle Of the ridge hammer
cd away AZ the British In ar attempt
co drive tri-furcal thrus,s 5Hto Haig's
front. the large strateelcsl object oc-
Ing to coop up this whole British
army and drive 1t uorthward before
the French can join X from the south.
Bot as on the Amieus tanks. SO the
British are clinciur 10 this wing with
huildcg-like te6acity, and there seems
no chance for the enemy TO fulfill his
bold object.
Bindenburc IS now clearly trying
to do in the north what he failed to
accomplish N ihe ~eouth, Separate the
French fron the British--and IN this
ease the British armies from bail'cul
TO the sea on one hand and the Brit
ish Asras and Am5ens armies and all
French armies or the other.
70 succeed in this he muS;. before
the French arrive seize the two vital
rafIh9sds of F1aGders- Iazeurcuck /
ard Aire The former is eight and
half miles southwest Of Ea#Heul. the
latter ter mites. Ills whole drive, I
therefore. apart from the battle for ,
wstschsetc ridse and Gpres- has re-
solved Itself 70 strUsE for the Brit .
ish Tires or tor1nun icatio0 which he T,
must cut 10 esra the fruits Of his
trttisl sncccsscs and CAPTURE 70 reach /
the sea
. IL vax In connection with this plan .
that the Germans tried desperately i0i
the last twenJy-foQr hours To push
their arrow head westward betv cen .
Mervitle and Bailleul Hut the Brit
ssh hudEed nowhere Having brought
np his heavy guns with unusual rapid
its, the foe began a vigorous combin-
I'D artillery and infantry assault on
the British west 81 Nieux Berquin tut
he was beaten Of everywhere with
great losses.
southeast of Hazearouck.
Equally determined were the tif'-
man efforts N extend their advance
vs. westward at RobecG. on the l,gs canal, =
where they had pushed on fsrthest.
their lines here being nearly fifteen
miles southwest Of ArmentieEes. But
here, TOO, they net q stonewaH and
even left prisoners in British hands AZ
ter his assault had broken down
On the battlefield before Ajes
there has been heavy artillery action 4
for some days now. and resumption 7
III the German drive here Is believed o
matter OF "A short tTRe. peThaps OF
hours. The enemy's bombardm ent
has been intensest around Montdidier i,
near the spearhead of his wedge
threatening A1uiens from thc south H.,
sast Twenty miles to the southeast
around Eoyon. the French have made =
some progress in a local operation [,
Much activity also is displayed by !
French accommodating troops in the re-
yfon OF the Disc canal, which is taken /,
In some quarters as foreshadowing a /
counter offensive by Foch, IA