The Robesonian., 1918-04-22
FIERCE BATTLE ON
AMERICAN FRONT
American and Frenchmen Hold
Positions Against Greatly Su-
perior Numbers and 1nflict
Heavy Losses on Enemy.
FIGHT WAS A BITTER ONE

The German high command, nav
inc bcen unsuccessful in piercing the
Cri.sl front in Flanders and aeparat- !
5or The British and French arnles, has
essaycd g stroke against the -AmerI-
cans and French northWes5 OF Ioul-t
and here also Teuton strategy seem
ingly has failed utterly to bring It's
plans to fruition.
Although the Germans attacked I'M
waves with greatly superior numbers
If men, the Americans and FRENCH
men have held all their positions and
inflicted heavy losses on the enemy.
What gains were made II the lAl1ait
onslaughts have been entirely retriev-
ed and Sunday night saw the, Amen
can and French lines restored.
The latest Berlin official connnu1i-
cation asserts that in the drive l8o
American prisoners and rs machine
puns were captured by the Germans,
who cut their way for about nllle
and quarter into the American lines
at Seicheprey. There has been no con Q,
firmation of this statement, or OF the
added claim that the Americans sus-
tanned heavy casualties.
II seems evident, however, that the
firht was a bitter one and that it was
the ambition of the specially trained
Germans tn crush the Americans. Ev-
erything the enemy had in stock was
bro1rlt into play in the figatlag,
which lasted from Saturday well into
Sunday. Shells Of all calioras, III
rludirT res missiles, were prcdlgl3us
bus the Americans, rotWltist tandI1s
the canronading and the greatly sue
rior infantry forces arrayed agal1a,
them, faugh5 tenaciously and gave
grou9d hy inches and then only Wh2n
they had exacted Il tremendous p;>y-
ment for il in German killed cz
wounded. -, :.
reach TIE shell-toIa village CT Se!c ae-
prey he Americans rallied and IT
bloody hand-to-hand fighting reYer5-
al tha situation and regained the tcNA
Likewise all the terrain which ths
French in this region were forced t.
olive up Temporarily, now has been re
taken. The German official conlnlu
nication in what seemingly is a hall
hearted admission that the attack was
repulsed and that the Germans lost
what they had gained, says the Ger
mans, "after the destruction OF enc
my works, returned to their lines 0:
departure"
Just what the Germans are plan
ming for thes future on the long line
northward from La Bassee to Ipres
where everywhere they have been me
during the last week with stone wal
of resistance, has not yet become ap
parent. ;,
Nowhere have they thrown down tn
gauntlet and offered further baCtl
against the staunch line that Is facing
them. They have, however, on mum
erous sectors carried out violent pom
bardments, but in these they hay
been answered shot for shot. The on!
fighting which the men OF either SID
left their trenches was near RoDeci
northwest of La Bassee, where F1el
Marshal Haig's men threw out Tn
enemy from several advanced pos
tions.
Evidences of the losses the German
have sustained in the new o1fenslv
daily are becoming more apparent.
addition to the reports OF the numel
Gus dead which strew the battie1lelo
advices coming through Holland al
to the effect that hospitals, monaste1
les, converts and schools in Belgium
are filled to overflowing with wount
ed and that even private homes al
bSlHS ICqul0lClOIlOO AOA
tails. Cattle cars in which hay
the only bedding are being used !
transport the manned men from tt
battle 'front.'
That a great sea battle is in pro
pect at an early date seems possibl
Following up their recent foray I'M
the Cattegat, where they destroys
German trawlers, British naval torc
have penetrated into Helgoland big
and offered battle to the Germ;
warships, which retired behind T.
mine fields. The British opened II
on the Germans at long range al
one of the enemy's destroyers was
British and French troops ma
landed on the Kola peninsula proJe(
ing into the Arctic ocean, and are
operating with the Bolshevik troops:
protect the Mourman coast .agalr
the Finnish white guard. Thls ops
alton probably has in view the sal
guarding of Archangel, Russla's pr
cipal port on the Arctic.