Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 April 1918 — ENEMY RECOILS BEFORE BRITISH [ARTICLE]

ENEMY RECOILS BEFORE BRITISH

Germ Make Gains But Fall to Break Allied Line. FORCE OF DRIVE IS WANING Teutons Deliver Heavy Attacks Against Americans Near Toul but Yankee Fighters Do Not Yield. London, April 16. —German attacks today were concentrated along the Hazebrouck railway in the sector of Merris and east of Neuve Eglise, says the war office statement. The Germans hoped by these thrusts to create a twin salient and "pocket” at Bailluel, just as they did at Armentleres. (Balllent lies about six miles northwest of Armentleres and between eight and nine miles from the great railway and highway center of Hazebrouck.) It is expected that the Germans will now begin to direct their chief pressure toward Hazebrouck. The battle line in the Merris sector Is still about five miles from (Hlazebrouck. Seven days after the Germans launched their gigantic assault against the British lines between Lens and Ypres, the momentum of their attack has been broken and the waves of the Teutonic forces are recoiling before the rock of the British defense. While the Germans have made gains of gound and have driven a wedge into the allied lines to a considerable depth, they seem to have failed In their attempt to break through or take important railroad junctions. During the last day there have been bitterly fought engagements at four places, all on the northern side of the salient to the south of Ypres. Seven assaults against the British trenches at Merville, near the apex of the triangular dent in the British line, have been hurled back by the British. Neuve Eglise, on the extreme southwestern spur of Messine® ridge, has been taken by the Germans after a struggle which will go Into history as one of the greatest of the past week.

American forces near Toul are standing firm before heavy attacks by the Germans and have held their lines intact in spite of all the weight of men and cannon the ene-' my have loosed against them. The ‘Germans halve lost heavily. The constant heavy German attacks in this sector may have some bearing in the development of the German offensive campaign, and much Interest in the situation throughout the region held by the Americans under General Pershing is evidenced by the allied leaders. Coincident with reports of acceptance of the resignation of Count Czernin, the Austro-Hungarian premier, comes a report of the serious outbreak of the Czechs at Prague, which for many months has been reported to be seething with anti-pan-German-ism. Bohemians, or at least the Czech minority in that country, object to the creation of a German government there, but the incident may be more significant than has so far appeared, Th e Slavic races of Bohemia have long been standing out against the Germanization of their country and the outbreak at Prague may be only another indication of the deep-seated opposition to the war aspirations of the central powers. Nothing out-of the ordinary has been reported from the Italian, Macedonian, Palestine or Mesopotamian theaters of the war.

Washington, April 15. —Hope that the force of the German stroke to-’ ward the channel ports has largely spent itself grew here today as the British lines stood fast under repeated shocks. The day’s advices indicated again that Field Marshal Haig’s men were obeying to the letter his call for unyielding resistance. The weekly -review published by the war department, although it carried operations only up to last Saturday, showed that wax college opinion saw then indications that the German wave was reaching its crest. In allied diplomatic and military circles the same impression prevailed today, strengthened by more recent reports from the front.