Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-03-22
Terrific Bombardment Of
Whole Line From st.
Quentin to Scarpe River
Followed By Attacks On
Other Sectors.
MAY BE ENEMY RUSE
TO DECEIVE ALLIES

British Army Headquarters In
France, p. m. March 2f.-Tho
Germans launched 4 heavy attack
today on wide front In and near
the cambrai sector. This assault
bears all the earmarks OF being
the beginning Of the snsmy's
grand offensive.
London, March 21.-The Germans.
shortly before dawn this morning, be
gan a heavy bombardment over
wide section Of tho British front. 1t 4
announced officially.
! The statement follows:
IA heavy bombardment was opened
by the enemy shortly before dawn
this morning against our whole front
from the neighborhood of venduil,
south Of st. Quentin, to the river
scarps.
GUNS SHAKE DOVER
The artillery action on the western
front could be distinctly heard at
Dover and other towns in the east
coast Of England. The doors and win
dows of the houses at Dover, for in
stance, were continuously shaken by
the heavy conclusions.
The firing, which was the heaviest
that has been. heard in this district
from such distance, began at 8
o'clock this morning and lasted at
brief intervals until a. m.
4EE- sATs SEA s4
AT Ramsgate, besides the sound or
cannonading, bright flashes were seen
at sea. while vibrations of the explo-
sions shook the windows and dis
lodged tiles from the roofs.
The naval battle Of Dunkirk, in
which four German warships were
sunk, may account for the flashes ct
sea, however.
From vendeuil north to the river
Scarpe is a distance OF nearly fifty
miles and the beginning by the Ger
man artillery Of heavy b6mbard-
ment along this wide front may mean
that preparation for the much adver-
tised German offensive in the west
has begun.
PREPARATION FOR DRIVE
The preparatory work was about
due to begin today IL the advance an
nouncements were to be taken at their
face value. Judging from the news Of
q day or two ago that a party OF neu-
tral correspondents had been invited
by the German high command to start.
for the west front on Wednesday, ITO
witness the offensive"
MAY BE FElNT
It is, OF course, impossible to say
whether the present burst OF artillery
Are on this front means that It II
along the line indicated or somewhere
within its limits that the heavy Ger
man blow. II one indeed is coming. Is
to be struck There Is the consider
alton that the toMbardment in this
particular area may be feint, to
cover stroke in an altogether diffef-
ent sector. The most natural con-
clusion however is that the drive Is to
be made at some point in the area
now under fire.
INCLUDES FAMOUS FIELD
This area embraces most OF the ter
ritory outside of Flanders over which
the British have been fighting, some
times alone and sometimes In con-
junction with the French, for the last
two years. It takes in for instance.
the entire field Of the battle Somme
fought in the fall of 1915 and great
part Of the area evacuated by the Ger
mans the following spring.
Within these limits also is the
battlefield Cambrai where the British
and the Germans successfully won
victories in last falls lighting. Vir.
tually all the territory fought over in
the great battle of Arras during the
spring of 1917 also lies in the area
under bombardment.
6RITONS RAID LINE
The official report in which the Ger
man bombardment was announced In
cluded also the following:
"a successful raid was carried out
by us last night in the neighborhood
of ST. Quentin. Thirteen prisoners
and three machine guns were brought
back by our troops. Prisoners also
were taken by us in patrol encounters
southeast OF Messines and in another
successful raid carried out by us south
of Eoutholst forest.
- raid undertaken by the enemy in
the neighborhood of Armentieres was
repulSed" ;"