The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-05-27
Observers Agree That
the Flanders Situation
Is Due for Chang>
READY
Hold Lines in Front 81
Amiens, Where Next
German Thrust Is
Now Expected at

Paris. May GA dispatch
from Geneva. Switzerland. tcdAy
reports Field Marshal Won Him.
denburg critically Ill of typhuld
fever In q private hospital ~
Strasshurg. Previous uMDn~
flrrncd rumors OF recent date had
been circulated OF Hindenburgs
death.
London, May 2o.-The outS
standing piece Of news IN todayN
official reports all OF which sncW =
the armies in the west rs boil.
fne mn, for the big hattie, IL tho
claim. contained in Berlin's dAv
comniunfquc that Americans weE0
captured s1west Of Monfdidief.
II shows TINT PeFshinx's units i
which for some time have becO
known 70 be on the Picarly fEUne
are squarcly face to face with tn
spearhead Of the German WedGo
threading Amiens. and that when
the next blow IL struck By Hin.
denbslrg toward that great aIljed
base, American troops Will b n
the thick Of ArmAgeddOn's third
perhaps final-round.
II II q square head, not .
pointed one. this "spcarheAd" 81
the German Picardy wedge.
cannot plunge forward and oot
into the allies limo like = thin ]
pointed knife. II mus shove -
self westward along the whole ~ ]
its uinetecn.mil front, W1ahGM I
ptvoss In tho south on Monaf6
and IN tho north on CDe6ig.
allied lines west Of Montd16119 -
the TeutOns' WAY 10 rnEia - S n
~ To AmieTs, - Tint y1I6 - -
' can troops there. slnOulder ~
shoulder with the Ffcnch, -
holding ut once the hinge -
axle Of the allied defense tn Ma>
pending hattie.
As for the Developments ~ t.
last twcnty-four hours, thcy M4y
be summa rized In the term 'vNtqs y
er warfare" with the Tome0AD
showing greater activity TT
they have displayed for WeeAG
Also there lies perhaps oEninnus
Significance in tonight's announces
ment nv Haig that the GeFra&na
this morning carried out = heawy
gas shell lDombardment 70 tho
west OF Hinges. This is tho eoCs
tor west by north OF Fe4tub1rA
near the tin OF the southern ~
Of the German Flanders Wod0M,
where the railEafe Of Bethuu4
n,enaced. The German
also has been heavy At VHlG
Bretonneux. nine miles emf
Anlicns. Sss. xs
British raiding parties wera t<
ressfuI last night and today IA ~
ging prisoners and machine mn
south of RucQuoy (haif way 6oeWe4l
Albert and Arras). east OF HNbuftH
fnorth OF Albert). and south OF Ne0
vilfe -vaitas.e (Arras sector,) I
The German on their part carrie
out raids north OF Sailly-LASec an tn
Somme. near Bucquoy and Ablatnea
vile tnorth OF Albert). and nea
Festuhert and Merris In FlandAfl
All these raids were repulsed. "
A paragraph In the Berlin dayat4
port. dealing with operation On 81
front. gives support to-
theory, that the next German DO
may fall on that extreme notheru -
tor OF the western front. WHERE a
battle line rests upon the - T.
Newport A plausible strategy M
the Germans, It was suggested, N0ps
be to swing their main shock e44ft
by means OF their exaeMea
lateral railway system, In the eIeNpnt
hour. and make their chief stAr1I
there with view to turning tho n
ish lines. at the same time ,f3t9t11
with major attacks In Picardy u
Flanders.
The passage referred to tells a
capture of seventy BelSdAnq El
OF Neiuport canal and on both ~ ~
German rAidA ON $Ao =
gian front have been frequent ~ !
though their artillery has sh0y@0
sirn Of important Intentions.
The British aviAtors are kAAt1NS 1
their relentless harrassins cAmpA3k
on the west, as the oflicial reu0yt r
AWAIT shows In TsAly, too, th4Sm
giving splendid aid to General 3nE4
flyers. M
Scrutiny OF the comments w d
inE French and British military IN
perts upon the reasons for the
In the German offensivA shows
main factors speculated upon ~ H.
for Hindenbur4's surpri1ll
game:
First-The allied air supremacy
Notwithstanding mutinies III
German army.
Three--An epidemic Of tnAU4c
among the German forces
Foursh-Dfscord among the rSN9
allies. Germany waiting impatte1,
but % far vainly for Auafria4
operation. llz3S|
Henri Bidou. one Of the 19Fl
French military commentatora6X
not believe German divisions
shifted to the Italian front To-
m Austrian Offensive there.
serts his belief that the decipive
OF the campaign VIII come bAtNte
Oise and the sea. with
Bethune and fpres, the enemy
cipal detectives. G
Bidou estimates thu 0svmaN
Altogether 9l0 divfsjons o. thA
srn front, One hunared and IN
theaa holding the sector hetWe<
yosges and the asa. ileAving etGa
mAHsed battle manOuvrAs
The French critir tAtM1S =
that the G4TmAans w6N14 ecn11
elernsl1a fofcss pxess
.kh6A tAAk eua yxliic ]So1g I I'm