Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-08-27
BACK TO OLD TRENCHES;
ALL GAINS ARE. LOST
Rushing Back to Positions Occupied
in March; British Blow Staggcrs
Foe: Allies Very Strong.

Washington, Aug 27-A noted student
and critic of military affairs gives the
/ following as summarizing the war situa-
| ton In Europe up to last night:
The British have rcapcd the first re-
wards of their attacks north of the Somm'
between Bray and Bapaume. These ar,
the German positions along tho Ancre.
These positions were completely packcted
Tho British had advanced beyond the
Arras-8apaumc road, holding il for its
entire length AS far south of Sapignics
From that point the line drifted back To
the west to the Ancre and down that
stream to a point just east of Albert. but
south of Albert IT again turned eastward
and passed beyond Bray
AT the first thrust of the British
southwark towards Grcvilers, the An
ere line began TO fall back closely pressed
all the way. In tho two days that have
passed. the retreat has been forced for
more than FIVE miles In places and it Is
apparently still going on. These posi-
tions were the closest which the Germans
still maintained towards Amiens What
ever menace they held for this import
ant center has therefore been entirely
removed.
VITAL BLOW TO GERMANS
Nlbtf Nttbf sum II tar i8tt lttsi tfiH
was the center of the German line from
Arras To Royc. II was needed Just a.
Arras was needed by the Allies when
the Germans were matching through
Picardy as sort Of bastion, holding
the two tiarks firmly together. But IL
has gone the Germans are now IN the
open. Their positions near Arraa. then
as far back ms the Iiindcrburg line, and
about Roye, as far back as the Canal
du Nord are more or less up in the
AIR, with no strong point of support ON
the flank
"ln going into battle there are two
cardinal points any commander will
look for, supports or resting places for
his fianks and his line Of communica-
tions This applies just as well To the
battles which are being fought today M
to those which we're fought before trench
warfare became the established method
While II is true that in the present sys-
tenn the lines are continuous, at the same
time the vital points must have inter.
mediate resting places for their nanks.
and can not survive having them i'm the
open subject to such attacks as have
been prevailing IN the west sincc March
~ of this year
ROCHE GOING mack RAPIDLY
This was demonstrated in the case Of
NImy Ridge and the heights Of Notre
Dame dc Lorctto, the hastions on which
the Germans tack split and broke in
Apnl The Ancro served tho Rarne pur
pose for the British attacks in the Vi
cinlty of Bray But these positions are
now gone, the Germans are going back
rapidly, and the positions south Of the
Sommc arc thrown INTO the balance
], cannot be expected. however. that
the British attacks north Of Ranaumc
will continue 10 be successful on any
thing hike the same scale MS we have
witnessed dunng the past two or three
days Near CrolsllcS. whore The fighting
has been so bitter, tho Germans are draw
ing very near 70 the old IIindcnhurg hne
The tremendous fighting. which occurred
on thus l'ne m the carly spring Of 1917
about Fontalno les Croisillcs and Bulle-
court will hc we'll remembered
british HoLp VANTAGE FONTS
These places arc on layout two and
q half mules from the present hnc. So
that II may be expected that the Ger
mans will return 10 the trenches from
winch they emerged IN March and ,ry