The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1919-01-22

Here the advance was halted. In the
meantime, on March 20, the allies. fac
Ing catastrophe, at last agreed upon
a unificatiOn of command, and General
FOch, the brilliant French leader, was
placed in supreme command of all the
allied armies.
few days after the launching of
this drive, Paris was bombarded by q
mystery" gun which 1t was known
was at least 81 miles away. On March
70, Good Friday, this long-range gun
made a direct hit on Paris church
and IS worshipers were killed.
On April 10, the Germans shifted
their attack and began the second
phase Of their offensive-a drive
against the British in Flanders with
the channel ports as the objective.
Here again the British were forced to
give ground, but there was no break
such as occurred earlier on the SOmme
front. The British and Portuguese
were swept back along the River Lys.
The Germans took the Messines ridge
and threw $4,000 men against the
British below Ypres. But the Ypres
defenses held firm, and in the west the
Germans failed in their efforts to reach
Hazebrouck. The terrific drive spent
itself and the Germans had failed to
threaten the channel ports seriously.
On April % the British navy execut-
ed one Of the spectacular feats of the
war, blocking the channel of Zee
brugge, a German submarine base.
Germans Renew Offensive.
On May q the Germans renewed
the offensive with powerful attack
between the Aisne and the Marine. In
day they swept over the Chemin-des-
Danes on the heights north Of the
Aisne and crossed the river in rush.
Next they took scissors and reached
the Vesle. On they went to the Marine,
| extending their front on the river from
Chateau-Thierry to Verneuil, and
threatening Reims in their advance.
The drive was halted with the Ger
mans occupying front 16 miles wide
on the Marine. -
| In the meantime the Americans had
won attention on May % by taking
Cantigny on the Picardy front in a
brilliant attack.
| On May %, German U-bOats began
operations or the coast of the United
States, sinking II ships.
The German drive for Paris was re-
sumed but the turning point was
reached when on June 6 and Z Ameri-
can marines were thrown across the
path Of the advancing army at Chateau
Thierry. The Americans not only
| stopped the Germans but drove them
back two miles, capturing several hun
dred prisoners.
In an effort to unite the Somme sail
ent with that of the Marine to provide
base for another move toward Paris
the Germans launched another heavy
attack west of NOyOn on June 10. They
made considerable gains on 2O-mile
front but the drive was halted within
two days.
/ Austrian Offensive IL Fiasco.
Attention was transferred from
France to Italy when on June Is the
Austrians opened an offensive on the
Italian front from Aslago plateau tC
the sea. The attack proved complete
fiasco. 1t was repulsed at all points
and the Italians pursued the fleeing
Austrians across the Piave, taking As,
600 prisoners.
The German commanders made one
last effort to break through to Pari.
when the crown princes army grOuI
on July Is, the morning after thu
French national holiday, launched ar
offensive along front from Chateau
Thierry to Masslges, 80 miles east o.
Reims.
This fifth and last phase of the grea
offensive failed most signally, bein,
stopped on the third day. The Ameri
can forces played big part In this sec
ond decisive battle of the Marine. Eas
Of -Thierry the Germans force,
|, a passage across the Marne and tn
Americans who opposed them wer
forced to fall back temporarily. Then
J in brilliant counter-attack, the Amer
leans drove the Germans back acros
the Marine, taking 1900 prisoners. In
Guiding complete brigade stan.
Allied Offensive Opens.
: On July 10 General Foch assume
the offensive. He struck the crow
: princes right flank vital blow and o
; the first day the French and American
| fought their way for six miles alon
; the Aisne. reaching the outskirts q
{ Scissors. For two weeks the grea
: counter-Offensive continued. On Jul
3 20 the Americans met the crack div
( sions of German guards and defeate
). them In stubborn battle Mt Serg,
Scissors fell to the French on Augu.
! and by the following day the entll
Soissons-R eims salient had been wipe
Z out.
3 The indignation OF the British pc,
/. Pile. aroused by the U-boat outrage
3 perpetrated by the Germans. was Il
r tensified early In July when news W,
9 received of the sinking by a subm
i rine Of the hospital ship Llandovel
e Castle, carrying wounded men ar
g nurses between Canada and Englan
!. causing a loss Of 258 persons. inclu
: Ing IL nurses. The United States co
b tinued to speed up Its war activiti