Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-03-22
GERMANS DRIVE In
BRITISH OUTPOSTS
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For months the Germans have been
training troops and moving ur guns
and supplies behind their lines be-
tween Arras and st. Quentin. The
British also have been active and
were prepared for any blow the
enemy might deliver and had an
ticipated that the offensive moVe-
ment would come where 1t did.
Behind the British lines is the de-
vastated area over which the Ger
mans retreated last March. Tield
Marshal Won Hindenburg declared
at the time that the devastation was
carried out, not only to hamper the
allied armies, but to provide a bat
tlefield for the future. The German
attack may be only feint. but q
large breach in the British line
might involve the safety of Paris and
Amiens and the French channel
ports from the mouth of the Seine
to Belgium.
After attacking all day yesterday
and until a late hour last night the
Germans let down in their smashing
operation along fifty miles of the
British front and had not resumed
their heavy assaults at the latest adj
vices from Sir Douglas Haig to-day.
Further hard fighting was ahead,
however, the field marshal predict
ed. The enemy was still being held
in the British battle positions, he
reported, which means that the Brit
ish line still is intact, although ad-
mittedly it has bent backward at
points under the terrific Teutonic as
sault.
British Regain Positions
The battle line has not moved in
only one direction, however, the
British having struck back spiritedly
at the German masses and regained
some of the positions which they
had temporarily abandoned. The
German official statement received
to-day reports that the British po-
sitionS were attacked from a point
southwest of Arras to La Fere. the
British first lines being captured. The
dispatches from British headquar-
ters purposely omit giving the exact
position of the British line at present
for the stated reason that the enemy
might be given valuable information
if TIE line were accurately traced.
Artillery Battle Raging
While the infantry is being held
temporarily in check the artillery
battle still is raging. according to in
dications in the news dispatches
Great numbers of Austrian cannon
are declared to have been trans
feTre6 to the western front TO rein
force the German artillery. Bull
garians. too, have been brought into
tie field by the German command,
it iS declared. the understanding be-
ing that they are to be used as d
strategic reserve.
Altogether the indications are that
the Central Powers have all possible
forces at their disposal on the west
front for the present drive. The pros
poets seem, however, that they will
need every man of them if they keep
up their attack long with anything
like it's initial force, as all the reports
indicate the German losses have
been terrific under the withering fire
of the British artillery and machine
guns The German artillery, too,
has suffered heavily through counter
battery work by the British who
found the massed guns fine targets
for effective destructive work.
Meanwhile the italian front is be-
ginning to attract more attention.
Rome to-day reports operations be-
coming more active along the entire
line