The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-05-04
TEuTON DRIVE
ON ITALIANS
TO Be BEGUN
SOON, BELIEF
Indications Are that Foe Is
Also Ready to Resume At
tacks on the Franco-Bel-
gian Line.
HEAVY COMMANDMENT
(By Associated Press.)


Vienna dispatches today indicate
| that the predicted Teutonic drive
| against Italy may be about to begin.
Simultaneously there are indications
that the Germans are on the eve of .
renewal of major attacks on the
Franco-Belgian line.
1t is announced that Emperor Char
les has left Vienna for 'the 'front.'"
presumably the Austro-Italian front,
and the Vienna war office statement
reports pronounced activity all along
the practicable fighting line from
Lake Garda to the Adriatic
London announces the beginning this
morning of an intense bonn mbardment
of the French position in the Flanders
front south and southwest of Ypres. 1t
was here that the Germans met their
disastrous defeat early this week in
their vain attempt to develop their
success in capturing Mount KENNEL
the week previous. 1t has been as
sumed that they were gathering their
forces for another and presumably a
greater effort
To the south, on the Somme front,
the artillery activity continues and
there have been no infantry move
ments by the Germans.
Huns Still Hesitate.
Germany's military leaders still hes
itate to renew in force the offensive
to which they are committed and the
lull in Flanders and Picardy is still
unbroken by heavy infantry fighting.
The past week has been a distinctly
unfavorable one for the enemy. After
capturing Mont KENNEL and herald-l
ing it as only the first step Of a vic
torious blow in Flanders, the Ger
mans have not been able to advance
either southwest of Ypres or east of
Amiens. Checked by the heroic de-
fense of the French and British in the
north, they were also unable to gain
south of the Somme.
In Pfcardy during the past few DAYS
the British and French, especially
General Petain's men, have made i'm
portant local gains and the Germans
have not reacted in force, an unusual
procedure. The enemy has made no
attempt to force the French from Hill
80, near Castel, and from the new
positions around Hangard. The Brit
ish and French in the Villers-Bretto-
neux region also have not been mo-
Tested except by the German artillery
which continues a most violent bonn
bardment south of the Somme and
north and south of the Avre
Intense Artillery Fire.
Intense enemy artillery fire on the
southern flank in Flanders has not yeL
been followed by infantry fighting.
The Germans also are bombarding
heavily the British north of Albert.
Perhaps the enemy may intend blow
on the Arras salient as these bom-
bardments have been against the
northern and southern line of the SAL
lent. Dispatches from the British
front indicate the Germans are max
ing ready for further attacks, and it is
believed they have not yet had time
to complete all arrangements.
Anglo-French airmen continue to
harass the German communication
lines in northern France and Belgium
and have dropped thousands of bombs
on railroads, railway station and other
important targets. Thirty-eight Ger
man machines Of which % were de-
stroyed, have been accounted for by
the British and French. On the Amer
lean front northwest of Toul, Aviator
Chapman has met death in a combat
in which he destroyed his adversary,
both machines falling in German terri
tory.
Great Russia rapidly is being cut OFF
from access to its former European
allies. Finland is almost completely
under control of the Finnish govern
ment forces and its German allies,
while in the south of all but of the
eastern coast of the Black Sea is in
the hands of the central powers. The
Turks have reached Batoum in the
Caucasus and in the north, Berlin
claims, the Germans have occupied
Taganrog, in the mouth of the Dow
river and in the Don Cossack territory,
and also part of the great Donetz
coal basin.
Berlin significantly refers to the
Finnish red guards as the enemy" in
announcing the defeat and capture Of
10000 of them. Reports that Ger
man prince will head monarch in
Finland again are being circulated.
These rumors come from Finnish
cities under German control.