The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-04-20
Foes Bridges at La Rassce
Swept Away fy Allied
Artillery.
FRENCH ARMY NAI.TS
ON AMlENS SALIENT
-sa-#-7
No Attempt Made to Follow
Gains Made in Picardy;
Awaiting Blow.

April by the Associated Press
Along the northern battle front at
| noon today. the Germans were still
resting on their arms after the bitter
defeat which they suffered Yesterday
in their great drive. Up 20 that hour
they had not recovered sufficiently to
| make any further threats IN this line
and they were rushing reorganization
of their badly hammered forces.
Each successive report gives further
| &C nfirmation OF the terrific losses a,s-
| tained by the assaulting infantry dur
| inr yesterdays sangninnry struggle
Between Givcnchy end Festubcrt the
ground this morning was strewn with
German dead and at many other points
In the long front OF action excessive
casualties were inflicted by the British
artillery and machine gun fire whcl,
moved down the unhappy storm troops
H. countless numbers The British
machine gnnners worked their weap-
| onS until the enemy was only 80 yards
away.
Leave Trail Of Dead.
There was no chanca OF missinp
! these point-hlank targets. Time and
| again the enemy line wavcrcd and fell
| beck. unable to withstand the delupe OF
bullets. and where they succeeded In
Getting to close quarters they left n
heavy trail Of dead and dying behind.
In the neiehborhood Of Robeca many
Germans threw away their rifles and
| swan the canal to the British side ia
| 90 1l,.
| bear mp under the stream OF machine
run bullets which was sweeping
through them. The British trench
rnortars also did great execution.
throwing their high explosions Into
dense enemy ranks at close range
Artillery Fire Terrific.
The German artillery bombarament
| about Givenchy and from La Bassee
| northward along the canal yesterday
morning perhaps set new high water
| mark for intensity Veterans of MANY
battles declared that they had never
seen anything like It, although many
records have been broken since the
offensive began March 81.
II was tho German intention TO wipe
Givenchy off the map and In order TO
| accomplish this they increased three.
| fold their already great concentration
cf artillery. Guns Of all calbers. up
To ll-inch monsters. took part in the
| preliminary movement and continued
throughout the day TO hurl thousands
| "i shells into the back AREAS. I'm
| donbtedly this bombardment did much
dumhte. but this morning all the Ger
| mans had to show for their cxpendi-
furc of ammunition, and subsequently
| their sacrifice of life was one bit Of n
| forward trench at Givenchy and one
! nth" outpost at Festnbert. where n
small company Of British fought to the
| last man before the enemy was abb. To
get In.
Desperate Fighting All Day.
The German infantry kept surging
forward In waves all day about Given
chy and northwestward to Festubert,
and the fighting was most desperate.
| NJ GiVenehy the opposing troops bat
ted at close quarters much of the day.
NJ one time the enemy succeeded IN
working round and almost into the
south side Of the town. but vigorous
counter-attack by the British forced
l
continued until after 30 o'clock last
night when the enemy finally desisted
| After having gained footing in
BIZ Of IA forward trench at one time a
body Of Germans pushed through until
they got TO battalion headquarters,
ard there the servants. orderlies and
clerks armed Nlemselves and fought
side by side with the infantry until the
rn1ans were beaten back.
| Weishnren, Surrounded, Fight On.
One body Of Welshmen who were
surrounded in a melee held out and in
flicted heavy casualties on the enemy
lurtil assistance arrived and they Were
able to fight their way out again.
The British wounded from Givenchy
were In the highest spirits today, not
Understanding their hurts, because of
the casualties that had been inflicted
lon the Germans.
Northward Of the canal and south