The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1918-02-08
Some Big Battles Forecasted
Are Expected to Break Soon
on the Fronts.
AMERICANS STOP ATTACK
Heavy Casualties Believed to
Have Been Inflicted on the
TeutOns But Reports Are Con-
flicting as to French Line.

From the North sea to the Swiss
frontier the military activity seems
to be growing in intensity, and it
may be fair to assume that in the
not distant future some OF the big
battles that have been forecast will
break. The American, British and
French armies have been taking
hacks at the German line, either by
fairly strong patrol attacks or by
bombardments, while in turn the
Teutons have been giving consider
able attention on various sectors to
their enemies.
From the American viewpoint an
other successful maneuver by the
Americans on their sector is OF the
greatest interest. AS on last Sat-
urday, the Americans again have
Ripped in the bud an impending sur
prise attack on their trenches and
taught the Germans a salutary les
son with their artillery. In the Ger
man trenches the Teutons were
awaiting the word to go over the top
for an attack, when the Americans
opened heavy fire on the positions.
Heavy casualties are. believed to
have been inflicted on the Teutons.
and considerable damage was done
by the 75s on the German trenches
due to the accuracy of aim of the
American gunners.
The Germans have not vet been
able to reoccupy the trenches and
dugouts battered by the American
fire Saturday evening and have been
forced to build another line Of
trenches at that particular point.
Next in Importance to the opera
tions on the American region have
been attacks by the Germans against
the French in the Aisne region and
north of Verdun, near Baumont
The French war office asserts that
the attacks north of the Aisne were
repulsed, but the German war office
says that south of Beaucourt, Baden.
storming troops pushed far into the
French front, infiicting heavy cas-
ualties and returned to their own
lines with prisoners.
The British have carried out sue
cessfui raids against the Teutons
southwest of Armentieres and in the
vicinity of the Ypres-Staden railway.
where many of the enemy were kill
ed and others captured.
Intensive air fighting has been 60
ing on between the French and the
Germans in France and between the
Italian and British airmen and the
Germans in the Italian theater. Sun
day thirteen enemy planes were
downed by the French far inside the
German lines, while an equal num-
Der were shot down by British and
Italian airmen.
In Germany, according TO the la
test advices, the strike situation has
about died out. although discomfort
is said still to exist. This feeling
has extended even TO the German
troops in Flanders who are asserted
to have melted Belgian workmen IN
strike
Seeming evidence that the peace
negotiations at Brest-Litovsk are
ended for the moment, or that thew
are proceeding without the attend
ance or some of the chief delegates
OF the Teutonic allies, is the fact
that conferences took place in Ber-
lin Monday between the German
emperor and Crown Prince and the
Bulgarian premier. Count Czernin.
the Austro-Hungarian foreign min
lister, and the Turkish grand yizier.
That knotty questions were to no
solved is also indicated by the fact
that after the conferences, the en-
peror presided over a crown conn
Gil.
Turko-Tartar forces in southern
Russia now are in operation against
the Bolsheviki. They already have
captured the town of Yalta. in the
Crimea and now are fghting with
red guards. soldiers and sailors in
an endeavor to press onward and
take Sebastopol. Russia's big for
tress and naval base on the Black
sea.