The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1918-05-02
British Army, Now Supported by
French Troops, Still Holds
Back the Germans.
DRAWS BACK EAST OF YPRES
Huns Fight Furiously to Capture the
tary Baker Returns to Speed
Americas Men Across-Schwab
Heads Shipbullding.
BY EDWARD w. PiCkARD.

ny w. PiCkARD.
At the end Of another week of the
most %sanguinary battle the world has
ever known, the British army was still
undestroy1d, its lines still rnbroken.
Overwhelmingly o"utnumbcred in Elan
dcrS, IIaig'S men were forced to give
up some important positions, md east
OF YprcS they withdrew from the bulg-
Ing PaSSchcndaclc salient before the
enemy observed the movement, and
Strengthened and shortened their de-
fcnsivc line so that 1t was much
stronger and moro secure. Meanwhile
French rc-enforccmrntS arrived to as
slst the British, the commanders hay
Ing decided that the Flanders offensive
was not merely q diversion. To the
south, on the SOmmc and the AlSne,
the Frcnch had been stoutly rcpulsing
every attack. and 1t was predicted
that the time was near when General
Foch, the allied commander In chief,
might be expected to start his counter
offensive. Though they were still
bringing fresh divisions into the bat
tie, 1t was figured the G mans must
be approaching the point " cXhaus-
ton, when n return blow would be
most effective. Indeed, 1t did not
seem this blow could be much longer
delayed, for the British, though their
spirit and courage were undiminiShed.
were sustaining continuous attacks by
an enemy which was immensely superb
or In numbers and was under leaders
whose disregard for life was utterly
reckless.
At the beginning of the week the
Germans, finding they could not make
much progress toward Bethune, MT
the south part Of their salient. because
of the stubborn resistance Of the Brit
ish ut Givenchy, Festuhert and LOGON,
turned to the north and undertook to
flank Yprcs by driving the British
from the Bailleul-Neuvc Eglisc, Wul-
Observation-Disclosures line. For two
days the attacks of the Huns were
beaten back with fearful slaughter.
but then Field Marshal Haig was com
PEELED to give ground and retired from
part Of tho famous Mcssincs ridge, at
the same time drawing his lines nearer
to 1preS. There was still higher
ground ut his rear. however, and his
generals and men displayed n cheerful
optimism that contrastcd with the de-
preston caused in England and, to q
considerable extent. in America by
what looked like serious reverses.
Not for a minute did the men who are
doing the fighting admit that they
were beaten or could be beaten by any
forces Hindenburg could bring against
them, ana though the Hun. when he
had taken Bnillcul, was within "a
miles Of Dunkirk. they still had no idea
OF permitting him to force his way to
the coast.
In the effort to reach the La Bassee
canal and take Hazebrouck, the enemy,
after intense artillery preparation, at
tackled along the front from Mcteren
to Robccq. but was rcpulscd Mt almost
every point and sustained heavy
losses. The allied artillery was espc-
cially effective here and east OF Be
thnne and the Germans found It al
most impossible to bring up their
transport trains.
On Thursday the enemy resumed
us iltlil'kN Ill tnt fjpl!llnc cSlOn
throwing Il number Of light bridges
across La Basscc canal near LOGON.
These were swept away by the British
artillery and machine-gun fire and
large numbers Of Germans were killed.
Again and again the Germans re-
moved the attack, using more than
$4,000 fresh troops on the 12-mile
front between st. Vcnnnt ana Given
chy, but each time they were thrown
back with appalling losses. French
infantry and batteries co-opcratcd
with Haig's forces.
-Ea-
Save for certain engineer units, the
American troops had not yet been en-