The sun., 1918-06-16
British Strike North Ot
Bethune and Gain on
Two Mile Front.
FRENCH ADVANCE TOO
Their Positions on Edge Of
Forest of VillerS-COtterets
Are Improved.
ENEMY SADLY CRIPPLED
Seven Mile Path Won Along
the Disc Piled High With
His Dead.
ENEMY SADLY CRIPPLED
Special Cable Deapdfch to Tvs Srs.
Copyrokf 1915. all viohfs ves,yr,d.

Special Cable Despdfch to TVS Srs.
Copyright. 1915: all rights reserred.
LONDON, June 15.--It is clear that
the Germans have been effectively
stopped In their drive for Paris and
speculation now is focused upon the
problem Of where they will attempt
the next drive. which. it is generally
expected. will begin in few days
With the complete failure OF their
latest attempt south of the Aisne 10
envelop the forest of Villers-Cotterets
the Germans are now held as securely
on the eastern wing as the brilliant
attacks by the French near Courcelles
and on the Matz stopped their ad.
vance on the western wing.
On the northern edge Of the Vil1ere-
Co,tere:s Forest the French Yesterday
improved their position. and to-day con.
tinuing their offensive. they captured
Coeuvres. southwest OF Soissons. They
also gained some ground around Mont
COLBERT. In Flanders the British in \
loo al operation last night captured the
enemys forward positions on a front Of
two miles north of Bethune, on the
southern side Of the Lys salient. Field
Marshal Hais reports The number Of
prisoners taken in this operation was
1856
The artillery was very active last
night and to-day on the front between
Montdider and the Oise and also on the
eastern side of the Marine salient. south.
west Of Rheims.
Both EGOrts = Failure.
In the words Of one very optimistic
French writer: The total result Of tho
! German attacks since Sunday has been
gain OF territory rot exceeding seven
miles in depth. but this zone is heaped
up with their dead" The general opin-
ion seems to be that the German Crown
| Princes two offcYsivee, delivered within
month. have been equally dnSucccss-
ful and have had no material effect upon
the situation on the western front.
The sacrifice of tens Of thousands of
men has been insufficient to bveal,
| through the great forest area wnich
forms the outermost bastion OF Paris,
defended as it was with the utmost gal-
! lantry by French troops in numbers.
In their latest attacks south of the
! Aisne the Germans threw in five div,-
sions on front OF four miles. being
! compelled to draw on their strategic re.
serves fo- two divisions Here tbs
! French troops. although inferior in mum
bers 10 the Germans. stopped tEem, after
inhicting tremendous losses. on the east
ern side Of the road leading from Laver-
sine northward to the Aisne This was
accomplished by the French artillery
and infantry holding the high ground
west Of the road.
Hitter DisappOintment.
The Germans expected the most brill
liant results from this drive. 1t was
launched with the greatest violence by
very dense forces and was intended to
crush the French resistance between
| Scissors and the forest OF V!llers Cot
| terets. thus opening the road to Com
| pegne, from which the Germans had
been barred by the brilliant French
! counter attacks on the right German
| wing.
Everything indicates that the German
losses have been extraordinary, exceed
ing what had been previously considered
as the maximum that any fighting uni.
estimate puts the number OF German d.
visions engaged between kncms and
| Noyon at fifty and about thirty more
between Noyon and Montdidier "a total
| Of about ! .000, 900 mem. on the Mont
! dldisr line il IL calculated the Germans
| have lost one-half OF their electives
| "a bout 600. 600 men)
One French writer estimates that Gen
| Ludendorn had at his disposal on the
| Montdidler- Rheim front maximum OF
thirty divisions t42O,0 900 mem in re-
serve two-thrds OF which already have
taken part in the battle.
American Work EulORised.
American activity on the battle front.
| which includes its first successful air
| raid into Germany. receives the highest
| praise In British military circles The
rocapture OF Beleau Wood, made Ivy
one American division against two Ger
man divisions, is Considered a most bril-
| liant action, as the attack was made
under conditions all favoring the enemy
defending the position,
! Well informed British opinion IL to
the effect that the position on the Mont
| didier- Comp egne- Chateau Thierry front
is now stabilized. The operations since
| May 81. II is held, again have demon.
| strated that when the attack does not
come as a surprise, the defending side,
| while hound to concede ground before
| the first rush can hold up the advance,
The reasons for the German successes
are ascribed as follows. The Germans
! had the interior line. enabling them TO
move divisions along shorter routes AT
E,cater speed than the Allies They po'
-cssed on March ~ a Stratsgi" reserve
well over eighty divisions 'ahou' 900
] IN