Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1918-05-31
meet
REBUFF IN
BIG PLUNGE.
French RepuIse Attacks Behinu
scissors; Some OF Rheims
Forts Fall; Enemy Press
ing Toward the Marine.
(By Associated Press. }

10y Associated TTeSS.J
Slowly but surely the plunge
of the German crown princes
armies is being halted by the
French and British armies.
While the momentum Of the
German masses has not as yet
spent itself, there has been a
notable slackening of its ad.
vance during the past day.
The chief efforts of the Ger.
mans now seem to be devoted
to the widening of the gap they
have torn in the positions Of
the allies between Pinon and
Brimont. This work seems to
be progressing slowly against
the desperate resistance Of the
allied forces.
FRENCH STAND FIRM.
The French, having fallen back
from the limits of the city Of Sois-
sons, have stood their ground against
the attacks of the enemy, and the
German official statement fails to
show material advances there during
the days fighting.
The French are here fighting on
familiar ground which has been made
historic by numerous battles, some OF
which are named among the decisive
combats of history.
On the eastern fighting line, some
of the forts before Rheims are said,
TO have fallen, which was to be ex-
pected from the fact that they have
been outflanked by the tide Of inva-
sion that has swept far to the south
of the city .ss..sssa.s--.-ss2 y
Movement Fanshaped.
The fighting has taken on the r.
miliar aspect Of the first invasion of
France in 1914, the advance Of Won
Mackensen along the Dunajc and the
fighting in Picardy in March. After
breaking the French and British de-
fensive positions, but not breaking
the allied lines, the Germans are again
moving their forces out in a fam
shaped figure, fighting hardest on the
flapks Of the extreme front of their
advance.
The situation while apparently ex-
tremely serious, has not assumed the
critical aspect Of the fighting late in
March. The allies are resisting the
enemy's attacks stubbornly, giving
ground when overpowered and always
maintaining solid front.
Approach Valley Of Marne.
The wave of the advance is now
approaching the valley of the Marne,
the nearest approach to that advance
towards Paris being at the village Of
Vezilly, which lies at the extreme
apex of the German wedge and ID
about seven miles from the river. In
1914 the Germans advanced over
front extending from Braisne, just
east of scissors, to Vauquois, little
west of Verdun. After having reached
the Marne, the Tcutons turned the
force Of their advance toward the
west and they may be expected to
repeat their tactics of four years ago.
Foch May Launch Blow.
The reserve forces at the command
of General Foch are now coming into
action OH ground chosen for the conf
bat by that master strategist, and it
is possible that blow of tremendous
proportions may be struck somewhere
along the front of the German wave,
or on its western side, which seems
to be open to an attack which might
crumple up the German armies to the
east of Soissons.
The Americans who captured Cat.
igny have beaten off attack after at
tack by the Germans. Large German
forces are said to have been gathered
to retake the village, and they Iave
launched savage assaults at the Amer
leans, but the latter, with rifle and
machine gun fire, have moved down
the advancing Teutons, while the
American artillery has smashed the
German formations with barrage fire.
Americans Hold Their Own. i
Along the American-held positions
in the Toul and Luneville sectors,
there have been several spirited en-
gagements but nowhere have the Ger
mans succeeded in penetrating the
American lines. The fighting in tho
air in those sectors has been of re-
markable intensity, with the Ameri-
cans holding their own against the
foe.
The allied positions in the Flan-
ders sectors have been. subjected to-
bombardments, but tho only infantry
fighting there has been initiated by
the French near Dickebusch Lake.
south of Ypres, which improved their
positions as the result of an attacks
on the Germans.
The fighting on the Italian front has
not been of an unusual character.