Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 112, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 May 1918 — AUSTRALIANS WIN VILLIAGE [ARTICLE]

AUSTRALIANS WIN VILLIAGE

DARING NIGHT ATTACK DRIVES GERMANS FROM VILLE-SUR-ANCRE. London, May 19.—The capture by Australians of the village of Ville-Sur-Ancre, northeast of Morlancourt (below Albert), with 360 prisohers and 20 machine guns, is announced in tonight’s report from Field Marshal Haig. British troops on the- Flanders front raided a German position southwest of Meteren. There was artillery activity on both , sides throughout the day. London, May 19.—1 n the face of the growing menace of a German against Amiens, the key position on the Picardy front, both the British and French held the, aggressive in this sector and scored appreciable gains last night and early today. * The fighting centered at two points that have figured almost daily in the local operations of the past three weeks—Moriancourt and Hangard. At Moriancourt the Australians continued their series of daring onslaughts against the German line. Striking the enemy near Ville-Sur-Ancre,- slightly to the northwest, they advanced and further improved their positions against the expected German drive and at the same time took a number of prisoners and machine guns. At Hangard, where American troops are engaged, their French brothers in arms took the aggressive. In a sharp night attack they thrust back the German lines and* gained a toll of prisoners. As a background for these local battles was the growing intensity of the German preparatory fire. Hindenburg’s guns raged all night against the allied line defending Amiens, reaching the peak of density on the section of the front north of the Avre which is held by the French. Every indication points to a renewal of the German offensive on a grand scale within a few days, possibly tomorrow, and Amiens undoubtedly is still the grand objective of the Kaiser’s effort. The brilliant sunny days and the bright, clear moonlit nights that have prevailed recently are believed to have held up the enemy’s blows. The allied commanders are convinced that the first days of storm and mist will bring with it the full weight of the German offensive. The Germans attempted no infantry operations in either of the two vital sectors of Flanders or Picardy within the past twenty-four hours. Their only aggressive attempts were near the low%r Ailette River, on the Woevre plain and on the Argonne. All these were repulsed, Paris announces.