Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-06-15
General Situation in France
Not Seriously Affected by
the Great Blows Enemy Has
Struck This Spring Despite
the Massed Number of Men
Crown Prince Has Thrown
Before the Allied Guns
EXPECT HEAVIEST BLOW
IN THE PICARDY FIELD
Berlin Claims to Have Secured
Great Amount of Booty and
Ground as Result of Recent
Offensives; Italian Troops
Break Up Every Effort of
Austrian Army to Sever
Lines; Pass Safely Held

Allied strategy and tenacity in
combat again have checked blows
by massed bodies of German troops
and the German crown prince has
given up his second offensive within
a month without either of them haN-
ing affected seriously the general sit
uation on the western front. Except
for artillery duels a lull has come to
the fighting sectors but a new enemy
assault is expected soon.
In the offensive which began last
Sunday the Germans used large
masses of troops on short front.
For three days they gained ground
and were rapidly forcing their way
southwark along the Aisne. French
resistance stiffened and then the
French took the offensive. The Ger
man effort to strike south of the
Aisne and reach the Disc south of
Compiegne also failed after a slight
gain.
Huns Lines Reforming
Friday there was no infantry
fighting of moment anywhere along
the front from Ypres to Rheims
which is now the vital section of the
western line. The Germans made no
further attempts and are probably
reforming the divisions shattered by
the French resistance of the past
week.
. South of the Somme and between
the Aisne and the Marne the artil-
lery fire has been above normal but
there are no indications that the Ger
mans are prepared to renew their
offensive on either sector. Military
observers believing that the Noyon-
Montdidier effort was feint to oc-
cupy the allies, expect that the heav-
lest blow yet will. come soon on the
Picardy field with the enemy again
attempting to separate the French
and the British and reach the coast
Yankee Bombers Busy -.
Berlin reports the number of guns
captured since May 81 by the crown
prince as 1850. In the latest often
sive the Germans gained 1S0 square
miles of territory and captured To-
900 prisoners and $50 guns, the poor
est showing in any of the four major
movements since March 81.
While the American infantry has
been inactive on all sectors, Ameri-
can aviators on the Toul front have
been bombing towns behinds the
German lines. The first American
bombing raid was against Dommary-
Baroncourt, northeast of Verdun on
Wednesday. This was followed Fri
day by another incursion on which
seventy-nine bombs were dropped on
Conflans, a railway junction midway
between Metz and Verdun. on both
occasions the Americans returned
safely, despite efforts of enemy air.
planes and anti-aircraft guns.
Italy Checks Advance
Italian troops have checked sue
cessfully strong enemy attempts to
force a passage through the import
ant Tonale pass, northwest of Trent.
Two attacks by Austrian infantry
were broken up by the Italian de-
fense and 130 prisoners captured.
Tonale pass is just north of La
BusaZza, where the Italians recently
gained a commanding height and the
Vermiglio valley passes through it..
The remainder of the Italian front is
quiet.