Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-03-28
GERMANS ATTACK
BUT ARE REPULSED
BY THE BRITISH
Repeated Assaults Along the
Somme Resisted and Pris
oners Taken
MAY MARX SECOND PHASE
nv Associated Press h Every Evening

ny Associated Pres= n Every Evening
Striking with almost unexampled fury
against fhc Allicd front, ncar the point
where tho French and British lines con
meet. tho Germans. yesterday and lest
night. drnvo N deep wedge f. the west
and forced thc French ouf of Nonididier
This town. which lirs 10 mites south
cast If Amiens. ono of the German oh
Ieriivrz. IS Ten miles wcst IF Rove. which
the Germans took pn TUESDAY
Tho threat against Amicns. IN the
north zeouis ~ ho well held bV Z he British
along their front north ~ tho Somme
who're fbcy havc maintained their line
firmly a. ~ points and even. as indicated
hY tnday.s officials report havn ad-
vanced # ~ plaeos
IN the Noyon and l.aesigny regions
and along thr Disc 10 the east. the French
are likewise preventing the Germans from
getting an opening The force ~ their
drive thus was diverted ~ the wes' IF the
Royc region and the forward push there
developed probably the fietcest fighting
If the present battle
FRFVGH FfGHT HFsvFrv
Paris characterized the engagements
as af "unhcard of ferocify The French,
however. fought With their accustomed
bravery and made the Germans psv dearly
for ovsrv bit nf ground they covered IN
their desperate push for an outlet. the
French finally retiring m good order 70
he heights to the west If NtoBtdidier.
News dispatches from the front this
morning reported the line N This sector
to he holding well
While thls effort to drive IN between
the British and French armies was being
ssss-
apparently worried by the salient thev
vere creating and wishing ~ protect
their tight wing from thanking attack
have developed threat on the extreme
north Of he present front IN the region
cast ~ NrraS
HTAvY RoNRAHnWENTl
London reports he bcglnnInE this
morning u heavy hombardmcnt of the
British lines 10 this sector followed hv
the development II m attack
The possibility - not lost sight Of
that this attack. 50 far north on the front.
may herald the extension nj the active
fighting front aloug the north ~ The
development of rerman push for The
channel ports However. the enemy has
all ho can take carr of IN he way of
opposition la the present hcid IF the
he Arras threat proving p protective
rather than new offensive measure.
Meanwhile, the German lius - being
o<tcnded to AN apparently dangerous OK
tent on The outhorn front where q flank
ng operation has been pointed 70 rs most
likely - prove effective.
LoNpo~. MARcH -
has morning the enemy opened
bcavs bombardmeut on the British dc
fences cast Of Nrras An attack IS dc
veloping n has sector
Repeated attacks were made by he
enemy along the valley ot tho ~ommc,
IA the ncighborhvod Of Beaumont Ilsmcl
PuslcuN and Moyenncvllle They we're
repulscd
The official statement follows
severe Sighting took place again
YESTERDAY evening and during the night
astride the Nolnme and nCrthward from
Nbcrt to Bovclles Repeated attacks
we're made by he cncmy along the valley
of the Somme and IN the ncighborhood
Of Beaumont Hamcl Pusicux add Moyen-
neville. They were repulscd. We cap
tured a number Of prisoners and a mum
Der of machine guns.
The fighting ls continuing berccly On
both banks Of the Somme.
This morning the enemy opened "a
heavy bOiubardment on our delences east
Of Arras and an attack Is developing in
this sector
NAY N4RK SECOND THASF-
The reference in the official British
statement To an attack cast of Arras evi-
IDENTIFY means that the Germans have
widencd their battle front and arc deliver
ing new stroke on the north
The attacks which are developing today
may mark he beginning Of a second phase
of The battle German military writer's
Ia the last fcw days have been hnting
that surprises we're in store Tor :hc British,
and there has been much discussion Of the
possibility % Il German drive for the coast,
with the chapncl ports Of Calais and Dun
kirk as the objccjivcS