The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-04-19
VAINLY STRIVE
To CROSS CANAL
Ten German Divisions PIung3
at British Detenses.
ENGLISH FORCES ARE FIRM
The Line Holds Despite Desperate
Assaults and Teuton Losses Again
Multiply.

With the British Army in France
April 19.-Ten divisions of German
troops were driving furiously agains.
the British defenses between Given
chy-leS-La BasSe and St Nenant in an
attempt to effect crossing of Ii
BaSSee canal.
The British were holding well and
inf1icting heavy casualties on the enc
my, according to the latest report.
The Germans brought up fresh di-
visions for the hard thrusts which,
they made. Although the British were
unable to hold Wytchaete and Mete
rem, which they had retaken by 4
brilliant counter attack, they beat of
the enemy elsewhere. The British
maintained their line throughout the
night
Six heavy attacks were delivered by
the Germans between Bailleul anG
YpreS in an attempt to bend back
the British front still further and to
create another dangerous salient il
the Flemish marshes.
KENNEL Hill was assaulted by three
waves of Germans, but the enemy was
thrown back in heavy casualties, anG
a counter attack completely restore !!
the British line. Other attacks wer,
broken by British machine gun fire,
An effort made by the fourth Ger
man army, which holds the enemy
right flank to the sea, to drive in the
front of the allies from the coast was
extended to the User region held by
the Belgians. After an allnight BON
bardment, the Germans attacked on u
front of four miles between LANCE
marck and Kippe.
The Germans gained a footing il:
the Belgian advance position, hut they
were thrown out after Il fight lasting
nearly all day. The BelgianS took 600
prisoners, including many officers be
longing to seven different regiments.
which represented one Bavarian, two
Prussian and one marine infantry di-
vision.
Had any one said months ago thai
there would soon be rejoicing to see
the British withdraw and abandon the
PaSSchendaele ridge system, which
was won with such difficulty last sum
mer. it would have excited derision-
But the whole British army Is glad al
this bold movement. Ii not oniE less,
ems the danger from the enemy drive
about Wytschaete and Bailleul, bui
greatly ShOrtenS the defensive line.
1t seems hard, in a way, to give ul'
ridges over which the British battle1
forward in such a spectacular fashion:
last summer, but it is decidedly fol
the best, and will help defeat Prus-
sianiSm.
The Germans must now pull for
ward and once more make the difficult
heights, and they will have to drag
their artillery up over bad ground To
the positions which it occupied be
fore the British offensive began las
summer 1t will be an undesirable
task
The Germans have only a few good
roads in this region over which they
can send their transports, and these
highways are kept under continual
fire by the British artillery, and are
being bombed so constantly that they
are filled with the wreckage of the
enemy transports and dead horses.
Numerous enemy attacks have beer.
delivered about LOGON, but in every
case they were repulsed. At Pacaut
wood, northwest of LOGON. an unus-
usal engagement was staged Tuesday,
when the German and British infant
ry advanced at the same moment for
an attack, and clashed in the forest
Heavy hand-to-hand fighting ensued
and the British claimed Il slight adj
vance when the Germans had been re-
pulsed.
y battery of German field guns sta
toned on the eastern edge of the
wood was completely smashed, and
all the crew were either killed or cap
fured.