St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1918-04-20

Germans Divert Their At
tack To Flanders But
Do Not Get Thru.
RLOODY FIGHT
At GIVENCHY
Kaiser Seeks To Annihilate
British Army. Ameri-
cans in Battle.
ev EDWARD w. PiCKARD.
They shall not paSs."

They small nOt pass.
Not CLOSING over the increasing
seriousness Of the German offensive
on the west front, not making vain
beasts, but with unfaltering courage
and dogged determination, all the
allies, French, British, Americans and
Portuguese, in France and Belgium,
have adopted the Verdun slogan and
refuse to let the Huns break through
their line. Weary and battered,
drenched with gas and explosive shell.
pushed back here and there by power
ful attacks Of massed infantry, greatly
outnambered all along the line. they
cling as long rs possible to every de-
fensive position and exact terrible
price for every yard Of terrain they
give up.
] Failing to push his way through to
iAmiens. the kaiser last week turned
his attention to Flanders, and after
three days Of intensive bombardment
attacked the British on % mile front
iof which Armentieres was the center.
In the three days Of fierce infantry
fighting that followed the Huns showed
back the British and Portuguese line
some five miles between Armentieres
and Givenchy, and three miles at the
north Of the former city. On Thursday
the British retired from Armentieres,
which is Of little importance as STRAIT
egic point and Is now but heap OF
ruins. They also had abandoned sew
eral villages but still dominated the
battlefield from Messines ridge on the
north and Givenchy on the south. The
latter place was the scene Of the blood
lest fighting, being taken and retaken
several times. The British were out
numbered there more than four to one,
but defended 1t splendidly and retain
Cd possession Of the town, which Is
situated on high ground. The losses Of
the Germans here as well as elsewhere
we're very heavy, and considerable
number Of them were captured.
Though the immediate object Of the
Germans in this sector apparently Is
to take Bethune, an important center
Of British operations, and then by a
wheeling movemen. push on to the Eng
nsh channel, their greater purpose, ac-
cording to prisoners and captured doc
uments, Is nothing less than to annihi-
1ate the British army. 1t Is expected
that the kaiser will direct his full
strength to the accomplishment OF this
aim and that the battle In Flanders
will be considerably extended to the
north and continued with desperation.
Ia
On the southern front of the Ger
man salient the French, at the begin
ming Of the week, withdrew to the west
hank Of the Aiyette river in the Coucy
region, thereby rectlfying their lines
and leaving to the Germans the marsh
e OF the Disc. Since then the enemy
nave been greatly harrasscd by the
French outposts and have been unable
% carry on any operations In the
swampy ground. A little further to
me west Chauny has been the center
q furious struggles but up to the time
q writing the French had repulsed
VERY attack, and were In possession
ot the town and the nearby cemetery
FOR the present. at least, Amien,
seems to be safe for. though the artil'
iefy activity In that sector has been
continuous and violent, infantry oper
3 euons almost ceased during the week
-E-
~ has been said, the allies do moi
u lex to minimize the menace in the
snccesses the Huns have gained, but
tneir commanders are as confident as
e ever that the kaise: cannot accomplish
as aims. md the nen in the ranks
CONTINUED on page 3.)