Rockingham post-dispatch., 1918-04-04
ey EDWARD W. PicKARp.

Another week of the bloodiest kind
Of fighting failed to bring to the Ger
mans the real victory on which they
had 80 confidently counted, for though
the British and French armies had
been forced to yield further territory,
their lines were unbroken and their
spirits undaunted. As the German mil
itary authorities. General Ardenne.
says, It Is not the capture Of territory
that can bring a decision, hut only a
victory over and through the shatter-
ing Of the enemy's armies So far from
being shattered, the allied forces,
weary and battered as they are. are
full of confidence, and as this is writ
ten IRE but awaiting the opportune
moment to strike back with the big
army of maneuver which was placed
at the disposal of the supreme war
council.
Aniens, a most important link in
the british line Of communications,
anDenrcd to be the real objective Of
the Germans, and they were able dur
ing the week to push forward toward
that city, along the line of the Somme,
rs far as Hamel, and little farther
north they took Albert and were hold
ING IT against fierce counter-attacks by
the British. To the south they had
pushed a salient forward little be.
yond Montdidier. but there the French
came back at them with such elan that
they were checked and lost several
commanding positions. East Of this
sector the, French troops held stub
bornly to their lines along the Oise and
on Thursday attacked dashingly south
of Noyon and drove the enemy back
two miles at the point Of the bayonet.
It was along this east and west base
of the German salient that the allied
world expected the great counter
thrust of the army Of maneuver to be
made. Any considerable advance to
the north there It was pointed ont,
would force the Germans to draw back
to save their lines Of communication,
which already are so badly stretched
out that they have great difficulty in
bringing up artillery and food.
What looked like diversion lath-
er than a serious threat was the at
tack of the Huns in the middle Of the
week at the northern extremity Of the
line of battle toward Arras. There
the British, after giving some ground,
repulsed the enemy with terrible
slaughter. Presumably this thrust at
Arras was made to keep the British
from sending men and guns to the Sec
tor where their lines Join those of
the French, but 1t was so quickly
blocked that it failed of its purpose,
Extraordinarily bold and successful
was the work Of the British and
French aviators. In their low-fying
battle planes they few in swarms con-
tinuously over the battlefields and back
of the German lines, playing havoc
with the enemy's transports and in.
flicting heavy casualties in his re.
serves. Battles In the air were innu
merabie, but the allied alfmen main
tained the upper hand always. The
artlllerymen also distinguished them
selves, sticking to their firing to the
last moment and usually saving the''
guns when. forced to fall back.
On the whole, the developments Of
the week were such as to restore con
fidence among the allies, for though
the situation was still critical, 1t seem
ed that Premier Clemenceau was right
when he said that whatever might hap
pen in the next few days, the enemy
could not win the path to the sea mol
the path to Paris.
"a
Just what part the American troops
have been playing in the Somme battl,