The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-03-26
HUNS HELD
BY BRITISH
ON BORDER
OF SOMME
Germans Fighting Against
Time-Allies Expect Bet
terment of Position Within
Next Few Hours.
MAY STRIKE BACK SOON
(By Associated Press)

Although still giving ground at cer-
tain points before the desperate Ger
man drive, the British and French
armies engaged in the great battle in
Northern France are preserving their
united front intact and apparently are
waiting the opportune moment for the
delivery Of a counter blow to dispel
the German dream Of world domina-
ton.
Big events are impending in the i'm
mediate future, at any rate, and the
advices from the front indicate that
| these are expected to develop favor
| ably to the allies within the next
few hours.
All accounts agree that Germany is
| paying heavily for every foot of
ground that she has wrested from the
| allied armies. Her casualties are
shown by the British official state
ment to have mounted SO high that
every part of the western front has
had to be drawn upon to provide the
badly needed reinforcements for the
! battle area
100000 Men in Service.
Field Marshal Haig's reports reveal
that more than 20 divisions of be-
tween 500, 900 and 100000 men have
already been engaged in the battle on
the German side, and that the wide
spread call for fresh troops makes it
/ plain that the fighting forces are be-
| ing rapidly used up in the terrific and
costly onslaught.
| Forty divisions Of German reserves
are reported to have been thrown in
fn ha linz I'll fhA
| day of the battle.
| The ard movement in the face
of the Teutonic attack has now
brought the allied armies vel toward
the edge of their former battle lines
in the Son,me area and in the de-
vastated region to the southeast.
New British Line.
Field Marshal Haig reports the new
| British line drawn somewhat to the
east of Albert and Rove. Paris indi-
Gates the French fighting front as
extending southwark from Chaulness
past Noyon, which has been evacu-
ated b. the French, and then running
eastward along the southern bank of
the river Disc.
The German troops have been re-
ported as rapidly retiring from their
breathless plunges into the Entente
lines and they evidently were forced to
take a breathing spell last night OPP
posite the British front, as the Lon
don MONDAY statement reports the
fighting to have died down. This
morning, however, fresh forces prob
ably had been brought up and the at
tack was resumed south of the Somme
in the Roye and Chaulness areas.
Ready for Counter Blow.
1t is in this sector and in the Noyon
region that the German wedge is be-
ing driven in hardest, and it is here
or on the line to the west should the
Germans further expose their left
wing that the weight of the expected
counter blow may fall
The Frerch on their line are hold
ing the line of the Disc strongly
Their artillery is cutting huge swaths
in the German columns and the
French infantry is making frequent
counter attacks inf1icting heavy losses
upon the Germans and retarding their
: advance.
British resistance to the mighty
German blow apparently is stiffening
The Germans, despite the new masses
of reserves which are being hurled
, into the battle line continuously are
slowing up on some parts Of the at
tacking front before the defense of
Field Marshall Haig.
, Slow in North and Center.
On the extreme north and in the
: center, the German progress has been
I appreciably slower, while around Ba-
t paums, on the old battle field of the
q Somme, and east and north of Noyon,
y the enemy has made gains, but only at
the cost of a fearful toll exacted by
machine guns and artillery. The fight
i ing on these sectors continues Of the
j. most severe character.
e Southeast of Arras, the British line
s has yielded only about three miles at
the greatest depth since Saturday. I'm
:. mediately west of Somme. south OF
e Peronne, the Germans suffered heavily
:. in forcing a crossing of the river, and
O seemingly have not been able to ad
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