Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 April 1917 — GERMAN'S FRONT LINE CAPTURED [ARTICLE]

GERMAN'S FRONT LINE CAPTURED

Vicious Fighting Marks Entire i Western Front. OVER 14,000 GERMANS TAKEN Departments of Aisne and Marne Are Scenes of Hard Fighting— Allies Everywhere Winning. The French troops in the departments of the Aisne and the Marne have delivered a violent infantry attack at the Germans over •a front of twenty-five tniles and made important gains of territory and captured more than 10,000 prisoners and large quantities of ‘ war material. The battle took place between Soissons and Rheims and over a distance of eighteen miles from Soissons to Craonne, the entire German first line positions fell into the hands of General Nivelle’s forces, while east of Craonne a second German position, south of Juvincourt and another position on the outskirts of Bermericourt, run- ■ ning along the Aisne canal to Loivre and Courcy also were captured. Violent counter attacks uMivered by the Germans on several sectors were repulsed with heavy casualties to the attackers.. The artillery for several days had been violently shelling the entire region and Monday while British activity along the front from Lens to St. Quentin had almost ceased owing to a heavy rainfall, the French launched their infantry in an endeavor to break through or press back the Germans from this .point of great strategic value. To the east in Champagne violent artillery activity continues, probably being the forerunner of an attempt by the French at a drive against the German lines in this no less important region. Up to the time that the rain storm began Monday afternoon, the British had captured from the Germans the village of Villeret, southwest of Hargicourt and eight miles from St. Quentin, and had also made additional progress northwest of Lens. During the week that the British offensive has been going on Field Marshal Haig s forces have made prisoners of 14,000 Germans and captured 104 guns and large quantities of war stores.

From the fact that the French troops in Alsace and Lorraine have renewed their fighting against the Germans, preceding it with heavy artillery preparation and delivering infantry attacks that netted them good gains of terrain and resulted in heavy casualties to the Germans, it would appear that all along the French front the moment is approaching for an extensive battle from Belgium to the Swiss border. From hone of the battle fronts except that in France has there come reports of any great battles. There have been small encounters between the Austro-Germans and Russians on the eastern front. A Teutonic allied attempt against an allied position in the Cerna river region of Macedonia was repulsed. In the Austro-ltalian theater the operations have been limited to patrol encounters owing to snow storms. British airmen, aided by French aviators, have carried out for the first time the announced policy of reprisal issued by the British government against the sinking of hospital ships by German submarines. The town of Freiburg, Germany, has been heavily bombed by airmen, with good results, according to a British communication. The 'most useful contribution the United States can make in the fight against German submarines will be small craft from tugs to torpedo boat destroyers, according to the British first sea lord. Admiral Jellicoe. The admiral said the possibility of submarines operating on the American coast, is negligible unless they have a base on that side. '