The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, March 30, 1918, Image 5
FACE HUNS CONFIDENTLY. I
IIA It HI KB* OF ALLIKS WILL STOP
IN V AD El IS.
French Putt lie ami l*rvss Firmly < on
rlneoxl Tliat (.Ignntlc Fffort of
Central 1 Empires Will Imj Broken?
Horrible Losses Suffered by Ger?
mans Attacking In Muss Formation.
Washington, March 26.?Frame
confidence that the great German of?
fensive is w*etlna Its strength again *t
the allied line Is voiced In an otlieial
dispatch today from Paris. The mes?
sage quotes at length from todays
Petit Jourm.l to show that the Ger?
mans, thoufh suffering tremendous
losses In mawied advances, have failed
to attain their objectives and that
the present situation Is satisfactory to
the allies.
Following Is the dispatch:
"The French press continues to view
with calm confidence the develop?
ments of the gigantic battle which
hue be-en going on for five days. This
eonfldence is based upon all the ex?
periences of this war. Each time that
the Germans have attempted a move?
ment against the troops in the West
the effort, after attaining an amount
of success, always has ended In be?
ing broken against the barriers of the
allied armies.
"The great example before all
minds Is that of the Maine, where
Germany had every advantage on her
aide. Today she is fighting against the
powerful Franco.British armies ac?
customed to war and well supplied;
her effort will again be stopped. Such
Is the Arm and calm conviction ot*
French opinion.
"The Petit Journal says: 'It up
pears now that while attacking from
the beginning on the whole of tho
front, the Germans have brought the:,
principal efforts to the west of St.
Qeentln. In thus acting they wished
to upset the English, reach the lam IP i
and to secure for themselves in thi
direction a route to Amiens, which
they want at all coats to posses in or
der to separate the F.ngllsh from th?
French armies. It Is for this object
that the German center has isjude for
three days such gigantic efforts. Un?
der the furious blow* of the assailants
the English have been obliged to
withdraw, but the obstinacy with
wHloh they have fought has permitted
them to take the necessary measures
to oppose the plans of the enemy.
" 'Finally the left wing operating
South of St. Quentin appears to hav
kad t?>r ?te miesion the object of ef?
fecting a diversion in order to favor
the march toward Amiens. Prince
Ruprecht expected undoubtedly tha*
his troops marching in tho direction
of Paris would absorb the attention
of the adversary*. But the Interven
tlon of the French troops has dis?
turbed this calculation.
" 'As for our pollus, from the mo?
ment of their entry Into the line, In
spite of their numerical inferiority,
they have set the enemy a bay. indict?
ing upon him terrific losses and only
yielding ground inch by inch. The
defensive struggle Is continuing in the
region north of Noyon while wulting
for the right moment to give a coun?
ter-thrust.
" The Germans have not done any?
thing further than apply th*? formula
from whleh they cuti not depart, but
which they plan on a colossal scale?
charges In close formation, more com?
pact than In 1914. I Anywhere th
Germans have attaeked In sueh close
waves that tin- individuals could hard
ly be distinguished from each other
The remit of this prat tie<- is that the)
have suffered horntde losses. All the
prisoners relate that they are ad?
vancing over heaps of head. A terri?
fied Oerman said that more than
half of his regiment had bOOg killed.'
" The military eritio of The Journal
makes the observation that th.- tJoi
man command Is far IfOffl having a
tained his objectives. He writes:
' "The enemy Is adopting, at hast
to all appearances, the plan of limit. !
objectives. He announces the HU?-ee ;
of the first phase oi the battle with
a haste which does not precisely indi?
cate an owiwl elmmg confidence In
the futur.
" If We must take the Germans g1
their word we have then the right to
affirm that at the end of four da s
they have not reached the objective
which, according to their own plain,
had been assigned for the lust day.
" 'i'ntll now the result attained does
not exceed tb.t wimh is practically
Inevitable In an action where such cn
ergetlc methods have been brought to
hear. We have always attained the
same and It is not to be supposed that
the enemy employing enormous forces
would not have th?? game fortune.'
"The Petit Journal also gave ? re?
sume of the military situation as fol?
lows. "The Germans ha\e In front of
them an adversary whose tenacity is
well known and who has at his dis
posal every means and every resource
to continue the struggle victoriously
On the other hund one must not for?
get that the Germans will find It nee
essary to pause and bring up theli
heavy wrtlllery to th* 0JOW hue of com
i, g. The i Sngll ii o in th< ii i riuni up
TUESDAY'S GREAT BATTLE.
HUUUf 01 tum: or WSVKSTH on
BATTLE FRONT,
Sector Taken by 1 ncmy Valueless for
Military PWI'POOOI?Seventy Divis?
ions 1 mployctl in Drive?London
( <>nlii mis Statement of American
Troops in Action.
After mix days of terrific lighting
the Oerman offensive in Franco is be?
ginning to show signs of losing Its
momentum. The plan of the enemy
!ias materially slackened and the form
of the dent made in the allied line
west of Ca inbrai has begun to resem?
ble the familiar wedge-like salient, in
stead of the broad straight forward
movement of an offensive which car?
ries all before it.
At its apex this wedge has gone
beyond AJbOTt and is to the westward
of the old allied line as it stood a
year ago when von Hindenburg bo
Kan his "strategic retreat."
From this point the line runs off to
the northe.ist at a gentle angle, with
the line to the south running back un?
til it reaches the Oise River.
In spite of the tremendous exer?
tions and terrible losses, the German
efforts to widen the tip of this salient
?TON deflated on Tuesday. The Brit?
ish lines have stood firm to the north
and have forced the Oermans to turn
southward towards the point of least
11: istance.
otllciul statements issued at Lon?
don confirm the report from Bsrttn
that American forces are engaged in
the struggle. There has been no of
fclal report to Washington as to the
identity of these troops who are taking
part in this great battle in history.
With the slackening of the (Jerman
pace there come indications that the
allies are ready to strike back some?
where a on g the front. Just where
this blow will be launched will not be
known until it is struck, but it may be
expected that its impact will be ter?
rific.
Each succeeding day reveals the
I Ian of the Germans absolutely to
crush the allies* lines west of Cam
bral, terrain which could not be de?
fended by von Hindenburg a year ago.
Each official report shows that Ulli
sector is valueless from a military
standpoint and that the Germans have
paid a terrible price for their advance
to the lines established by the allies
iluring the first two years of the war.
It is officially reported that 70 Ger?
man divisions, or 840,000 men, have
taken part in the 1 ghtlng.
Observers at the fronl say thai
tie German losses have been fright?
ful, and that the enemy has lost iron
Hi to 20 per cent, of his men by the
most conservative estimate.
The situation as it stands siems to
t l a reptition of the dash of General
von Kluck on Paris on 1914, when the
German artillery and transports
could not keep up with the infantry
and tho Frc neb were able to turn back
the Invaders at the Maine.
Reports from various sectors in the
last two da>s have indie ited thai the
German infantry, relying on Itl mass
attacks, has fought without the cus?
tomary assitance of artillery. To
bring up heavy guns requires time and
the German advance will steadily be?
come more painful and costly.
While the Gorman line of commu?
nications h is bosg growing longer, the
lirltish have constantly moved near?
er their b..so of supplies.
There has bOOgj continued activity
on the Italian front but no attacks of
im port a m-e has been made by either
side in tins theater. The American
lines in tie Lunevillo and Toul sectors
have been bombarded once more, but
no infantry lighting is reported there.
North of tho Bommi battlelield
thor have boon no sngagomsnts of
signlllcame. The British troops in
Palestine have captured the village of
Es-Salt.
The lUltSbtfl BOlshSVtkl are report?
ed to have recaptured the city of
Kherson front Ins Oormano,
JI.USIA CITY FIRE.
Workman confesses That He started
I ire With Cigarette.
Neil Ymk, March 27. The police
announeed today that Jacob K. Alt
man bau confessed tnat he was re
sponsftblc for the tire whloh caused the
SSplOSton and the destruction of tin
s shouse of th ? Jarvli Com]
Jersey City yesterday, SOOOrdlng to
the statement of the police Altmaii
siid the lire started aceidenta1l.\ when
he dropped a olgsrette on Inflammalde
materials. He was employed at lb
plant. The losses are estimai? d ul D
million and I half dollars.
Some people BSOfn to think th it
patriotl-m consists in urging othoi
people t. do their bit. Vndei on
1 Pally Mail.
on a ceit tin delav to prepare for tin
new attack Whloh they will have tu
meet. To support lh? in the French
are on their right Thus the situation
1' Is not of a nature to disturb In an\
way our confidence In the issue of ib<
battle."
GREAT DRIVE SLACKENS.
WAR'S GREATEST BATTLE EN?
TERN SECOND STAGE,
Washington Experts Think Defense
Against Drive of Germans Stiffens
Daily?Allied Rcaervcc still Avail?
able for Wow When Huns Near
Exha ust ion.
Washington, .March 25.?The Ger?
man drive at the British linos ap?
peared to be slowing under the policy
Of elastic defense pursued by Field
Marshal Hatg, according to the opin?
ion of allied and American army otli
OCrs hero, based on the Official state?
ments from London, Paris and Berlin?
The greatest battle of the war. thus
far, they believe is entering its second
stage with the German forces facing
an increasing stubborn resistance
The outcome of this stage may not
be discernible for several days.
The attitude of American military
authorities was stated by Maj. Gen.
Peyton <\ March, acting chief Ol
Staff, lb' said:
"The war department sees no
cause for alarm on the part of the
people of the United States. Sir Doug?
las Haig has announced that the Brit?
ish withdrawal was in accordance
with a dellnito plan. This announce?
ment is to he accepted."
? Similar confidence of the ultimate
defeat of the German effort was ox
pressed by Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood
before the senate military commit?
tee and Maj. Gen. MacLaohlin, Brit?
ish military attache, voiced the feel?
ing of British ollicers hero as to the
work of their comrades in France in
a statement that nothing resembling
a break in the British linos yet has
boon accomplishd by the German
rush.
Repeated report! of the participa?
tion of American troops in the Berlin
reports presumably with the French
on the British Hank caused General
March to say that neither General
Pershing nor General Bliss had re?
ported on the point.
There was much speculation here
too" ay as to the purpose of the Gor?
man leader! in pressing the main at?
tack in the direction of Amiens. The
capture of Nesle, admitted in London
indicates this to bo the apex of the
great wedge that is being forced into
tho British linos near the point where
the British and French forces con?
nect.
The Question raised was whether
the Aerman plan contemplated swing?
ing to their right toward the coast,
designed to hem up all British force-!
in a restricted field Of operations with
the channel behind them; or a sweep j
toward Paris to their left front. As
jot the developments reported do not
indicate the ultimate objective.
One view expressed was that a blow;
elsewhere might follow tho chock?
ing of the present drive or even ac?
company it. Advices from Baly have
Indicated enemy concentrations on
that front for some time past. At?
tacks along the French lines do not
appear to be more than fcintl at pres?
ent calculated to keep the French
from weakening their lines too far in
sending supporting divisions to their
left tlank.
Ollicers here think the enormous
forces concentrated in the drive at the
British front precludes tho possibil?
ity of a major offensive by the Ger
mans elsewhere in France, in Italy.
however, masses of Austrian troops
taken from Russia are available to
strengthen 'be Austro-German fori.
for a big movement. Captured Rus?
sian guns might be used to good ef?
fect, it was said. The only Austrian
forces noted on tin- Westorn front are
artillery units.
Mention today of the allied strate?
gic reserves, not as yd engaged caus?
ed some doubt as to the probable de?
velopments if the British as is ex?
pected, bring the German drive to a
hah within a few days, a temporary
lull while the German.-; bring up artil-j
lery li to be expected at any time.
if the front of the British proves
too firm i<> be broken, however, and
ollicers here have no doubt that it
Will, the Germans eventually Will
reach a point of exhaustion both of
men and supplies Which Will bring
them to a standstill. That would be
the psychological moment for a coun
tor drive ami the strategic reserves id'
the allies would be kept "l order to
have them ready for such a move?
ment .
The German wedge la narrowing
and Unless they are aide to widen it
they can not expect to retain its apex
against a three sided attack. 11' it is
not widened almost Immediately many
'ollicers believe that the dotlnite check?
ing of tho drive will come soon and
they expect tomorrow4! reports to
show the efforts of the enemy to
force bach the British and French
lims on his Hanks, rather than to
press ahead at the point of his great
' est penetration.
i Continuation of the bombardment
i of Purls with medium calibre shelb
failed to Convince ordnance BKpertl
! thai a gun with a range of tr? mile
or more had been evolved bj tin- Ger
I
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THIS STORE ALWAYS STANDS FOR
THE VERY BEST SHOE VALUES
AT ANY STATED PRiCE.
Shaw & McColm Mercantile Co
mans. Those who would discuss the
report! ?tili did not believe that Shell?
are hurled that distance, Official state?
ments from Berlin and Paris notwith?
standing. They pointed out that the
Merman official statement merely
?aid that Paris had boon bombarded
with long distance buna Without any
claim that all previous records for
gun range had been exceeded by from
200 to 300 per cent., and contended
that eventually it would be discov?
ered that the shells dropped Into Paria
had not traveled any such distance as
75 miles. This belief was based on
mathematical calculations drawn
from ordnance experience in all ooun
trieSi however, and not on informa?
tion from France.
11 AY Y FIGHTING GOES OX ALL
J>A\ .
London, M uch 25.?"Fighting of
the most severo description, has been
taking place all day on wide fronts
south of Poronne and south and north
of Bapaume," says field Ma.sha!
ilalg's report from British headquar?
ters In Fiance tdnlght.
"In both sectors the enemy has at?
tached our positions in great strength
WltH fresh forces, and. In spite of tin
gallant resistance of our troops, has
forced ns to give ground.
"Herman troops are in Xesle and
Dapaume. Heavy fighting continues."
The text of the evening statement
reads:
"During the morning of March 2'>.
our troops on the front from tin
Somme as far north as Wancourt had
beaten off continuous and heavy at?
tacks v.iih complete success. Heav>
losses have been inflicted on the ene?
my by our artillery and machine guns
whilst OUr low Hying airplanes re
peatedly attacked the enemy's ad?
vancing columns father to the rear."
"A heavy attack delivered by fn h
enemy troops in the afternoon en 1
them to make progress west
southwest of Bapaume, In lh< dirce
tion of Courcollette. Bouih of IVron
ne our troops have been pressed Intel
in several places,
"Our troops, although tired, are in
good heart and are fighting splendid ; .
and the enemy Is onlj progressing a'
the cosl of heavy casualties.
i on losses in material have been
heavy and include o certain number
1 of tanks."
Washington, March 26. A i aplam
accldi nt at Pensacoln rcsulling i'1
the death of Knolgn .Michael J
Deomanty of the naval resorvsy
i whose home is in Boston, was report
* ed to ihe navy department today.
FOOL OK TltAlTOR:
Italian Description of Man Who Re?
fuses to Subscribe to War Loan.
Rome, March 18 (Correspondence
Of The Associated Press)?"A man
must be either a fool or a traitor to !
refuse to subscribe to a war loan,"
declared Prime Minister Orlando In
connection with Italy's niti, [oan
which has brought in about 1600,000,?
P00, "The nation needs the money
to carry on the war and if there are
enough fools and traitors among u
not to subscribe, then the government
Will simply take what it needs by
high taxes."
The result of the new loan, howev?
er, proved satisfactory and the ex?
treme measures of unusual taxes will
not have to* be applied. War loans
have come to be QUitC a custom; a;
proceeding and the Italian public has
each year made bcw subscriptions
reeaponse to the advertising campaigns
of the secrotary of the treasury and
the banks.
One of the features of the nmr loan
lyis been the Craejcnesn of the news?
papers and particularly of Becreta .
of the Treasury Nittl regardii g flnnn
eial facts. 'There's no use Lying to
fool the public regarding national
finances," he said. "We need tht
money. We are paying nearly sis per
cent Interest to get it. it's n good in?
vestment The Italian govcrnmen
will always pay Its debts. U'i ; n In?
ternational fact that It does ? As far
back --s UM, when It had to offer
i Ight and ten per ? ,!' Interest, ii
; dopted the im.bey of sf m ling by its
pledges, and II will always do so."
Confidence In the Italian loans have
for soveral yearn I een shown by the
i Americans living In Italy.
rpQ tn,. present time the war has
ci si [ta y a) out $4.000,000,000, two
i, ,,, which money has been spen!
,!,, nrm.\ or land forces and the
oti . ? third on the navy, t H this $ I,
,., , ,,. : . . I 1,500,0.00,000 ha\ e been
,'. |>y war loans, $(?00,000,000 bj
I . . ,,;. and about $2 000,000,000 by
k'cial ti ? ?. surj bonds placed prim I
i i|y it ICngland and the ; 'nltc '
Siatei for vie- purpose of paying foi
war purchases.
>P?M A FOL V. ' It.
Committee Igrces to Issue of Light
Billions nf Cert Hlcnlc*.
Washington, March 80,?-The wa>*s
and mean-! c< nruittee has tentatively
agreed ap?the bill to give secretary
efcAdoo power to Issue eight billion:
>'n certllieuh s of indebtedness, dou
i is the ?"?'< unl now authorised.
,: .ilT\ HOXDS IN DEMAND,
Ortci; 'v. of Stac k Exchange Featured
i>> ( all tor Honda,
Xov York. March 20.?An extra
... Mir. ry demand for Liberty bonds,
riy th< second issue 4's,
d the opening of the stock
.; The inquiry probably re
? ! .i'i.ii the publication overnight
details of the forthcoming
third I >am
i ALTY ?.1ST STATEMENT.
... i cpartmcnt Gives Reason for
Publishing Names Only. ,
Washington. .March 26.?-3?fn1^fflciar
r.t ??i the war department's
lasom for announcing only the
mos ?>i Americans killed and
in nice, was submitted to
today by Major General
11 said the old system gave
?my and brought
nts to harass the
relative* of the men. ,
11 IDE IN AUSTRIA.
\ Hspatcli Says Iii? Gun Was
lade at skoda Factory.
?:ene? March 26.?The long j
i th t is bombarding Paris,
to a Yienna dispatch is of
manufacture, being built at
the Sko factory. The nun itself is
not in v but its novelty comes from
i pe sin i! and explosiv? gasSS
. in In gun. There is said to be
[j L\v< or three of the weapons.
HK.JIEK FHE1GHT HATES.
pmiatmn i oinpati> Asks for
Advance to Sou thorn Points.
on, March 26.?The Mer
Miners t; ansport&tto i
ed with tlte interstate
Hi commission an application
ii rail and water class
from three to ten cents,
Philadelphia and
- ie to points in Hastern Geor
. a ami Western Florida.
IVILL COST niUTV MILLION.
; rt Opinion of the t ost of Hog
Island Sl ip Yard.
Washington, March 27.?The total
cost to the government of the eon
struetion of the Ho? Island ship yards
tween thlrtj fiv< and forty;
millions, the senate commerce com,
toi|d tod.tv by .lohn Pro
? man, an expert n.;v.:t architect!