Newspapers / The Wilmington Dispatch (Wilmington, … / March 23, 1918, edition 1 / Page 1
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A; -W. 1- k J North and South Car- ce .na. Clouay xonigni and Sunday; probably rain- 1 TlinAY'v lltWT-l5"i TODAY FULL lEASmm!MM& V VOL XXIV. No. 73 WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA, SATURDAY AFTERNOON, MAI l H 23, 1918 PRICE FIVE CEN1S 4 ,L ax r BISPAT . -. v-i' --i : W J' . ; , Wi BRmSH ) ? ? i iS BliffiN ONE Ehewk GERMAN DO ITISH Da ST. QrafM Field Marshal Haig Announc es Breaking of the Defen sive System FALL BACK TO OTHER PREPARED POSITIONS British Had Prepared Trench es Further in the Rear to Meet Such an Emergency. Holding Elsewhere Lj i o ondon,, March LD. row - erful enemy attacks delivered . , . . i . r . With great Weignt O mrantry i . ii i i i ana artillery nave DroKen through the British defensive system west of St Quentin, the war offifce announces. The British troops on the northern portion "of the battle field are holding their posi tions. The British west of St. Quentin are falling back in good positions further west. Heavy fighting wtih fresh ene my forces is in progress. The war 'office states that there are prepared positions behind the British to which they are falling back. The statement follows: Heavy fighting continued until late hours last night on the whole battle fronts Dur ing the afternoon powerful hostile attacks delivered with great weight of infantry and artillery, broke through out de fensive system west of St. Quentin. Our troops on this part of the battle front are falling back in good order across the devasted area to prepared positions farther West. Cur troops on the north eni portion of the battle front re holding their positions. Very heavy fighting with fresh hostile forces is in prog ress. " for the second time' on the West tra front since the opposing armies established themselves in their jench systems the defensive zone Js been broken through. In other pit attacks tbe British, French and 'rmans have been able to bend ba.ck We lino V,,,v i, x aXji. x i t- 'J? zone of defense. Many military 'rics had reached the opinion that I account of the strength of the wem until one side or the other ha ,;en v;orn down to such a point that ' Jouid be no longer able to man it ', ?iy. J-'nles sthe British are able to re !"e the situation by a counter at- a withdrawal on a wide front be necessary with open field Jhe point at which the British- line ;3 been broken is near the south- front ' uerman auacsmg u1 "n-u exienas rrom Arras to Beln miies Deiowest. yuenun, i, 0W this Kfir.tnf fa tlio trvant a-rr- iri Hear nt" wheT? the Wne approaching tO PariC turn r. r.Vta-pr1ir r Vi to Paris turns sharply to the I fast Th - firman offensive has devel- ted itu almost unparalleled.-, SHELLS WEST FORCED TO ity. One reason for this is indicated in Field Marshal 113158 reports showing that the Germans are con stantly bringing up fresh bodies of troops. The statement of the British war office that . the troops west of St. Quentin are falling back to prepared positions indicates that the Germans although . they have broken through the British defensive system have not pierced the entire British zone of de fense. The allusion in the British statement to the defensive system may be only to the main battlfront system behind which other lines have been prepared. If that is the vase, me urieiiiaus uavo uuub iillio more than repeat what the British di( to battle of the Somme when they pierced the Hindenburg line and antnrAd Ions- stretches of it. forcine the Germans to retreat to prepared position in the rear. -- The experiences of the attacking forces in other campaigns show that the Germans, as they progress, are likely to find their movements more difficult and the resistance of the British more effective. The more deeply they strike into the British lines the further they must move from their bases .entailing increasing difficulties in providing supplies for their troops. They must move for ward over a devastated area while the British will have the great advan tage of good roads and, railroads. Perhaps the greatest problem of the Germans will be to bring up their heavy artillery. . In every previous campaign of this nature it has been necessary for the advancing forces to halt- frequently while bringing up the heavy pieces. The extent of the British defenses has been a subject of much specula tion, but it is known they have been i vastly improved dufing the last win ter. Earlier in the war when the of fensive rested with the French and British less attention was paid to po sitions of the rear. The British in particular were said to scorn elabo rate defensive zones such as the Ger mans constructed. After the defec tion of Russia and consequent, in crease of German strength in the West, however, it became necesasry for the Allies to consider defensive j measures, wnicn were camea ouiifor the reception and entertainment I during the winter. , of tne city's distinguished visitor to Field Marshal Haig has deemed it.be Th Academy of Music is admit expedient not to aivuige me eiauL io-; i cation of the British battle line, but -the most intense fighting has been .around Croisilles on the nprth and Laverguer on the south. In the cen ter of the northern half of the 50 mile front near the Bapaume-Cambrai high road ,the British have held against the enemy. Near Croilselles the Germans used nine divisions in their attack and south of St. Quen tin they used six divisions. Here the British retired to the s protection of the Oise river and the flooded ground near it. Berlin, in announcing the capture of 16,000 prisoners and 200 guns, does not locate the fighting areas, nor does it. specify the sectors of most intense action. It places the fighting as along a front between Arras and LaFere. The initial eGrman efforts were aimed at Iiagnicourt,. at the northern end of the sharp Cambrai salient, and at Gouzeaucourt, at the southern point of the salient. After the first assault the eGrmans, firing great Quantities of shells into the British positions, lengthened the attackin fronts several miles at both ends o the salient. Apparently they gaine the first line British position on the sectors attacked, but suffered severe ly from British rifle, machine gun and artillery fire against their solid ad vancing ranks. - Th& Germans have not yet taken advantage of the concentration of Al lied attention on the Cambrai front to make an attaack on another sec tion' in the West. Intense artillery" bombardment in the Verdun and Ypres sectors, . however, continues. Along the Chemiri-Des-Dames and in the Champagne the German guns have been firing- violently, but three rikmnn attacks m tne vnam- jcarid-iliagiifl ranulaad .hy Jha.JExsasbA Germain OF WERE RETIRE Director General of Railroads Will Be Here on April . Ninth LAYING PLANS FOR , HIS ENTERTAINMENT May Be Heard at Harbor Is land 'A'ulitorium Acad emy of Music Admitted ly Inadequate ' Hon. William G. McAdoo, Secretary of the Treasury and director general of railroads, will be in Wilmington the evening of April 9, and wilf ad dress a Wilmongton audience. Tele, grams to this effect were received by the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Clubs and by Major Joseph W. Little, chairman of the county executive committee of the War Savings cam- paign. Fololwing is a copy of the tele grams received today. Deeply appreciate your hospitable invitation to visit Wilmington. While 1 had already arranged itinerary after careful consideration, I have found that by special effort it will' be possi ble for me to accept. I have arranged to arrive over the Atlantic Coast Line for an evening meeting." The tele-1 gram was signed by Secretary Mc Adoo himself and not by an under sec retary, and Was dated out of Washing- jton. Already plans are being discussed tedlv inadequate to seat the vast crowd that will want to hear the sec ond biggest man of the country, and it is not thought possible that an open air meeting would be satisfac tory to either Mr. McAdoo or his au dience, despite the delightful climate of this section. It has been suggstea that the meeting b held in the Harbor Island auditorium, the belief being expressed that the Tidewarter Power Company would be more than willing to place the fare down and bac. within easy reach of all. These mat ters, however, will come up later and will be acted upon then. SELECTIVE DRAFT AMENDMENT UP Washington, March 23. Considera tion of the joint resolution ' providing for the registration under the Selec tive Service Act -of all men who have reached the age of 21 years since June 5, last, was taken up- in the Sen- ,te today. . 4 Senator Hyd wick's amendment providing? that all-male persons, citi zens of the united States or residing in the United States, who have be come 31 years old since being regis tered, June 5, and not already en rolled in the . military forces, shall he exempt from tne draft law, was rejected by the Senate without a rec ord vote. CLEARING HOUSE CONDITION. New York, March 23. The actual condition of clearing house banks and trust companies for the week shows ' that they hold $54,9t'5,830 re serve in excess o flegal requirements. This is an increase of S2Q.65O.02O from -last jI SECRETARY M100 WIRES ACCEPTANCE CITY'S INVITATION OmtsmgM BAKER VISITS ALBERT London, March 23. Newton D. Baker, the American Secretary of War visited King Albert of Bel gium and the Belgian front yes terday. AIR RAID ALSO Paris, March 23. 9 a. m. An air raid alarm has just been given. BOMBARDING PARIS. Paris, March 23. The Germans having been fir on Paris with long range guns since 8 o'clock this mornu& shells of 250 millimetre have been reaching the capital and fcuhurbs at intervals of a quarter of an hour, killing about 10 person! and wounding about 15. The shortest distance from Paris to the front is over 100 kilometres (62 miles). The announcement that Paris was being bombarded, was made off icially this afternoon. Measures for counter attack ing the enemy's cannon are under execution! London, March 23. The Germans forced their wayvinto Bory but a dashing counter attack-drove them out, Reuters correspondent at British headquarters telegraphs. A " large party was surrounded and probably Was captured. : j-A The Germans this morning were pressing hard the British forces defending Hexmies, about Bileja line, in the region southwest of More intense fighting is expected. The operations is so vast and is changing with such kaleido scopic rapidity as the line surges backward and forward that it is impossible to visualize the scene sufficiently to give a con nected and accurate account of it at present. Forty-nine German divisions have been identified thus far on the battle front and prisoners have been taken from 18 of them. Some estimates place the number of German divisions' engaged as high as ninety, but it is impossible, to say whether this is accurate. 25,000 PRISONERS. Berlin, March 23. Between Fontaine Les Groisilles and Moeuvres German forces penetrated into the second enemy position and captured two villages, army headquarters an nounced today. British counter attacks failed. So far, the Statement announces, 25,000 prisoners, 400 guns, and 300 machine guns have been taken. The two villages taken on were Vauix-Vraucourt and IVlorchies. ( 1 he rormer village is about 3 1 -2 miles and the latter former British front. Fighting Gallantly. British Army Headquarters in France, March 23. 1 1 A. m. The British, gallantly fighting, are still presenting a solid front to the fiercely attacking Germans although the defensive troops have .withdrawn their lines in certain places for strate gic reasons. ORDERS ISSUED TO TAKE NO PRISONERS London, March 23. General officer operating in Finland and the Ukraine ave ordered he soldiers to tako no prisoners but to hang si Red Guards as they are only bandits, German newspapers report George Ledebour, an Independent Socialist leader as de claring in the Reichstag, according to an Exchange Telegraph dispatch from Amsterdam. Deputy Ledebour added: "On the one hand, we make peace with the Bolsheviki and on the other we hang them." That is the best way to stir up hatred that will last forever against everything German." Tne- speaker was interrupted Dy President Kaempff who called him to order. Encounters on Italian Front. Rome, March 23. Numerous patrol encounters have occurred along the Italian front, the War Office an nounced today, and there has been some increase in the artilelry fire on the mountain line. French Attacked. Paris, March 23. The Germans launched an attack on the French lines in the Woevre district last night which was dispersed by the French fire. The Germans suffered apprecia ble losses and left some prisoners in tha hands, of th FrQ; ; ,rWBOn r . . . . 1 . . , J . "V 'S PARIS TWO BAYS TERRIFIC FIG Cambrai. the Fontaine Moeuvres front about 2 1 -2 miles behind the BELIEVE PRESENT BATTLE DECISIVE London, March the press on the summarized by the respondent of the 23 Commone in offensive as new Copenhagen cor Exchange Tele graph Company is to the effect that the present battles are the final and decisive exertion of strength on the part of the German pepople before peace comes. The newspapers say Germany need hold only a short tim, and that vic tory will be obtained. Much 'attention is being paid also to the Italian front. Washington, March 23. Army offi cials today awaited eagerly fuller de tails in the break by the British sys tem west of St. Quentin, reported by London. Until the extent of the re tirement of the British lines is re vealed there is no means of gauging the strategic possibilities of the Ger man successes. . , Observers found comfort in the fact that announcement of withdrawal came from British, not German, sources, and also in the orderly move ment of the British to new positions. These facts, they . feel, preclude the possibility that a large sector of the British position has been overwhelm ed and a grave threat crested at the security of the whole line In that re- Being 62 MILES TING CAUSED THE BRITISH TO YIELD GERMAN ARTILLERY DELUGED BRITISH WITH IRON FLOOD Preparations of Enemy De scribed as Most Violent I Ever Endured .V no- 600,000 GERMANS v WERE IN THE DRIVE T One BritisTi Division With AS"' stood Assaults of Six Ger man Divisions Until Dark ness Came London, March 23. The artillery preparation of the Germans in the drive against the British lines which is now in progress is described by those who took part in it as the most violent they ever endured, according to the Daily Mail's correspondent on the British front. "The thing that stands out 'as characteristic of the. fighting up to the present," says the correspondent, "isthat we did so well under the terrific impact" Continuing, the correspondent says : "Upon, one corps' front there was a gun for every 15 yards. The strength of the mortars which the enemy brought up in such great num bers sent over such an overwhelming weight of iron and high explosives that in most parts of the front wire ceased to be an obstacle and trenches were obliterated. At the same time all of our known battery positions were drenched by gas, but their gas shells failed to reach all of our bat teries, nor did they succeed any where in breaking down our wire. At one point where the Germans found our wire unbroken they set to work with scissors until they had made a way through. All of this was done under our machine gun fire. a curious ract reported by our airmen was that the Germans com posing the special assault divisions wore new uniforms. Out relaying corps did valuable work despite1 ad verse weather conditions. One of our men in the early morning reconnais sance spotted several thousand Ger mans moving westward south of Bullecourt and another reported 3,0( 1 oi tne enemy m a sunKen road, in the area waiting to advance. Few enemy machines were seeii and they merely flew low, peppering our trenches with their machine guns. "This is the first battle where the British gunners had to serve their guns in gas masks and it was a dif ficult task. Fortunately practices with masks have been taking place frequently for an hour daily. I found every one I saw pretty confident. At first they did have a hard job to meet the masses of Germans who came on in, denser formation than ever before, yet all reports show that they fought magnificently. For example, south of St. Quentin one of our divisions had to bear up against the repeated as saults of no fewer than six German divisions, possibly 90,000 men, and only when the assaults ceased with darkness did our troops withdraw to strong positions behind the canal sys tem between St. Quentin and Oise. It is estimated that p together nearlv 600.000 Germans p;cipated Thft pnpnir fought in the offftnsive. Th pnpmc fonerht well and his gunners uid good serv-i3.ll churches under the Archbishop of'. ce. The' quickness with which the! Munich fo rthe success of the opera guns were brought forward into No (tion on the Western front, according Man's Land after the infantry had advanced was marked. He had in many places the advantage over us in positions and he was at all points largely superior in numbers." WithstoodM AWAY The Action is Now SomewKai in the Open at One Point EFFECT OF BREAK NOT YET APPARENT, Oniti- I ;lrlxr TV, lroops Are becoming bn-; gaged bitty German Di p visions Are Now Involved After two days' terrific battling ta their great offensive on the Western front, the Germans have finally sue ceeded in bringing the action at oac point on the front somewhat -more itvth0 open. Field Marshal Haig reports toil the British defensive .west -of." St. Quentin, near the southern edge of the 50-mile front under attack, mm .-, broken through by the great weight : of the enemy infantry and artilleryv' The British here are failing back la good order. -.' That he yielding of the line at this point had been by no means nn-; expected and possibly had been lore seen as ultimately inevitable, is Indl-' cated by the statement that the re tirement is to prepare positions far ther west acros sthe devastated dis trict. There is nothing in the report to indicate that this retrograde move-'-ment will affect the strong defensive lines to the north in any way serfr ously, as it is explicitly stated that ' these positions continue to be held ; by the British forces. Just what the effect will be npoj front to a point some 15 miles south ? -'j'A or St. (juentin. tne river Oise at about. -r .ft :vm the town of LaFere, where the French line begins. No reports have been received from Paris as to whether, the French forces have become Inf volved in the battle. From the near ness of the point of eGrman penetra tion to their lines, however, it would seem probable that they soon will iouna lading part in me struggle. .. There is another factor to be cpn sidered also, should the German thrust develop more seriously. There was created last winter by the Su-r preme War Council at. Versailles an Entente "army of manoeuvre," under stood to be made up of troops ofall. Allies, which was designed to be available for action at any point 'on the wide front from the North Se:; to the Adriatic, where it should be ; npp(i-rf It has doubtles snot been the En, tente intention to throw this" army. '2 into action hastily, but it unquestion' ably stands ready for use in any' emergency and might easily prove the vital factor in any general engage-: ment which the Western front fight : ing should develop. The battle is stil lin progress along '' the British front with the German j; continuing to throw fresh forces into! the struggle. It is estimated that 50 .; German divisions are already involved with probably 25 or more additional : divisions in close reserve. Advices .. from correspondents indicate - that wherever the British troops are faIJ': ing bkek they are doing so in excel lent order and with deliberation ' withdrawing voluntarily at some points in order to maintain an un- broken front. Special Services Held. London, March 23. Special serviWS. of intercession have ben ordered In ? : of intercession have ben ordered In i to a dispatch trom Tne Hague to tne,; Daily Mail. A ppaetoral letter ironi c the archbishop to all churche s der clared that the hour for a decisis engagement had struck, l Tjl r-.-vj.! - Sa-r . 1 1 il . . '.!.' r!'" J: ' Y: 161,1 ii 'i; -I. l ., mm. b -1'; n J . 4-, il j j Mm '-.HI m 1 Am mi mm ft $ mi 1 i'4 m 'lift if: if i ii till. 5. ',T if-" is- mi ii I mm m y. S '.. 5:1 r- :. ! t ' r . - . ' , ... - - . f . .. . .... .. . r ! . .... . -''..:;;.'-.-
The Wilmington Dispatch (Wilmington, N.C.)
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March 23, 1918, edition 1
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