The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-05-05
Local Thrusts in Flanders
Believed to Cloak Another
%
Drive for Amiens. It
SOME FIGHTING ON LYS
Attempt to Cut Ypres-Bet
thune Railway Ends in !;
Sharp Repulse.
FRENCH MAKE ADVANCE
- 4
Their Position Near Locre,
Southwest of Mont Kemmel,%
Is Greatly Improved.
FRENCH MAKE ADVANCE
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Copyright. 1918: all st0Ats scssrvs1.
LONDON, May All the news from
the front indicates that the week 10
closing with the Allies armies firmly
holding strong positions. while the
Germans. after recuperating from the
effects Of their unsuccessful attempts
in the Ypres sector and before Amiens.
show signs Of resuming the struggle
in the heavy bombardment begun thia
morning Of the French and British
lines from Locre. at the foot Of Mont
Rouge. to the pres-Comines Canal.
This Is shown also in the infantry
activity about Meteren and Niepps
wood, where between Merris and Vieux
Berquin on both sides Of the railroad
to Hazebrouck they are attempting to
cut the railroad from Ypres to Be-
thune. The success OF this thrust would
threaten the development Of Mont
Descats from the southwest and inn
peril the high ground so successfully
held by the Allies this week.
HarassinE Attacks By Allies. IS
So far the Germans. despite the cap
ture Of Mont KENNEL. have been dc.
cisively beaten in their great effort to
turn the Mont Rouge -Cassel line Of
! ridges and penetrate into the Flanders
plain between Ypres and Poperinghe.
In the last twenty-four hours the
French and British armies have shown
signs for the frst time since March 81
OF being in a position to indulge In
tentative Initiatives to feel out the
probable German points Of advance
and to harass the enemy concentrA-
tions.
An attack Of this kind is reported
by Field Marshal Haig Tonight near
! Hinges, on the south side OF the Lys
wedge. in which the British took forty
| prisoners. The French In a similar
local operation at Locre made good
progress and took more than nifty
prisoners. In another attack. near
Meteren. west of Bailleul. the British
gained some ground. A rather strong
German attack this morning south Of
LOGON. on the south side of the Lys
salient, was repulsed,
Ready for New SACRIFICES.
| There is no doubt that the German
high command Is preparing another
blow. Swiss correspondents Of italian
newspapers telegraph that the German
General STAFF Is determined to continue
| the offensive in France and Flanders
| without regard to the sacrifices entailed:
that they have calculated the number Of
men necessary for them to sacrifice in
order to achieve their objectives. and
assert that they have so far not lost
more than one-third OF the number.
As the German objective from the be
ginning has been to dislocate the French
and British armies, II would appear that
their main effort will be made through
Amiens in the direction OF Abbcville. AZ
It is vital to the Allies to preserve their
battle line continuous and intact from
the sea to the Swiss frontier the defence
OF the Ypres positions and the Channel
ports becomes of secondary Importance.
On the other hand. as the military
commentators are now pointing out. the
German ambitions have been steadily
| shrinking since the first days Of the
offensive. The original plans provided
for complete separation OF the French
and British armies. followed by an un.
obstructe cd march on Paris. Failing In
that, they attempted to separate the
bulk OF the British army from the French
by thrusting toward Amiens.
Unsuccessful there. the still more lin
lteu enterprise tnVOuRN RTfnentieTo6
which II it had been successful would
have cut of the Ypres army. was begun.
Still unable to break through the Flan-
ders operations degenerated into an at
tempt by the Germans to capture Ypres.
had Week for the Germans.
Since Mondays decisive defeat of tho
Germans between Ypres and Meteren
the struggle has become limited to at
tempts against isolated positions and
) these have not gone favorably for the
Germans At the time when Mont Kem-
mel was lost. the Allies administered a
decisive check TO the Germans at Villers-
Bretonneux. east OF Amiens.
!, The result OF the weeks operations
has been that two German lines OF at
tack. toward Amiens and toward the
Channel ports. have now become OF
about equal Importance In the German
strategy Gen. Ludendorr undoubtedly
will concentrate on the point which
I, affords the better chance Of attaining "A
decisive result. whether that be Ypres
where owing to the capture OF Mont
KENNEL and Wytschaete tho enemy now
has n fairly broad front on which to
attack. or Amiens. which Is moro I'm
Q portant In the German programme. tho
coming week probably will reveal.
, 1t ia possible that on the principle
: that half "A loaf Is better than mono the
Germans may decide to continue their
northern offensive in the hope OF taking
, Ypres and Dunk!rk and depriving the
place for an allied offensive In Flanders,
which contingency the German high
command always had dreaded.