, 1918-03-28

British lines on the south, the Ger.
mans have forced their way forward
over a front approximately twenty.
one miles in length, have penetrated
to a depth of four or five miles west
OF Cambria and have reached Ham,
west of st. Quentin, a distance OF
about nine miles west of the British
lines as they stood before the incep-
ton of the Teutonic offensive on
Thursday.
With the British Army in France,
March 25.-The British and French
who cooperate at the junction of the
W armies were viewing the trend Of
the German offensive with optimistic
eyes Sunday morning. Hard fighting
was in progress but reports showed
little or nc change in the situation in
favor of the enemy since Saturday,
while on the other hand the defenders
had pushed the attacking forces back
after a bitter struggle and were hold.
ing strongly along the whole new
front to which they had withdrawn.
Fighting of a most desperate ma
ture has been continuous since the
initial attack Thursday, but SO far
the British have used few troops
other than those which were holding
the front lines.
These shock troops have beer max.
ing as gallant a defense as was ever
recorded in the annals of the British
army and as a result they have en-.
abled the main body of the forces to
fall back deliberately and without
confusion and occupy positions which
had been prepared long before the
German offensive began.
The Germans, on the other hand,
operating under the eyes of the EN-.
peror and the crown prince, have
been hurting vast hordes into the fray
with utter disregard for lives and
have followed into the abandoned po-
sitions, getting farther and farther
away from their supplies and finding
their communications increasingly diff.
ficult.
More than fifty German divisions
already have been identified by &C
tual contact, and many of these men
were simply given two days iron ra.
lions and sen over the top into the
frightful maelstrom made by the al.
lied artillery, machine guns and rifles.
The slaughter OF the enemy infantry
as it advanced in close formation
we the open has been appalling.
The British losses have been within
the bounds expected, due to the tao.
tics Of the commanders. The allies
have lost a considerable number Of
men in prisoners and a certain mum.
Der of guns. But very few pieces OF
artillery have been taken by the Ger
mans since the first day. In fact, the
whole withdrawal has been executed
in a mastery manner, showing how
thoroughly the British had planned for
the very events which have occurred.
1t is permitted to say now that some
have known for a long time, namely,
that the British never intended to try
to hold the forward positions in this
region if the Germans attacked them
in force.
There is every reason to believe
that harder fighting than has yet TAX
en- place will develop shortly. The
Germans, in the British view, cannot
now hesitate in carrying on their at
tack, and 1t is a case of break through
or admit defeat.
In this circumstance 1t Is interest
ing to note a statement made yester
day by a German officer, a prisoner
who declared that the German often
sive was an act of desperation brought
on by the TACT that the fatherland
must have peace.
The hardest fighting yesterday oc
Cured east of Peronne and in the Bois
de Genlis. The most important phase
of the battle occurred in the latter
neighborhood. During the morning
the Germans had pushed southwark
toward Ham and has succeeded in get
ting a foothold at some points in the
defenses to which the British had fall
en- back.
The British organized a counter at
tack and hurled themselves against
the Germans with such ferocity thai
the enemy was forced to give way and
the situation was restored. This was
one of the very few counter attacks
as yet attempted by the British.
Saturday night was fairly quiet
along the battle front, but Sunday
morning the British again surged for
ward against the Germans to the
southeast of Ham. while the enemy
continued their assaults.
The Germans have captured Peronne
and Ham and defeated British and
American regiments brought up from
the southwest for a counter attack on
Chauny, according to the Berlin wal
office statement. The statement add
that more than 10000 prisoners have