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Show PP LiSES WW Ki "" -:- -:- ... .-. :-: :: gmin IpjM in A () Kites- TEUTONS III WIGHT halted hi. firewall Germans, Aware of the Great Offensive. Are Powerless Before Homeric Ho-meric French Smash By AeaoeiaUd Pro.. BERLIN, April 17 (Via London). "One of the greatest battles of the mighty war, and . therefore also in world's history," says the offi-' offi-' cial statement issued to-day to-day by the German army headquarters staff, "is in progress on the river Aisne." By Aaaeclotad Prat. TJ ARIS, April 17. Gcrinauy aiifferfd anothfr cruhhinu How upon th wpstorn front hcn forty tnilrg of the stronprKt P'rt of her line wrre wrrNtnl from r with an eallmatrd lna of nrarly 'MOOD killed, woiindrd and prlaonrrn rrault of the oprnlns yenlrrdny French offrnalve. It atUrk hrnan alnng the twrnty-pn"1" twrnty-pn"1" froBt from rlo!ona to ft.im. Itniln the rrt wratrrn ' V" "llatance of cloae to 160 mllra. Ihn nna-thlrd of the mighty line "wltaerland to the pea. The (It mi. were ewe re of what fntinnrit nn pnre 8 KAISER LOSES MVntlnnail from paga I I waa coming, aa lhay abnwad by a niim-bar niim-bar of furtnua attacks mada, notably at fXaplgnaul and timlat farm with lha ohjat-t of findlnaT nut something daf-nlla daf-nlla In raard lo tha Kranrh prapara-linn. prapara-linn. Tha Invaders had manned naturally natu-rally furmldahla aaillnna Wltk a.'ac. I'vaa amnuntlng In at laaal I want y dlvlalong and an anormoua number of guna. wall guppllad with munitions, GERMAN DRIVEN BACK. Tha battla ofienad on lha left nf tha rra where, snnriiy srter s ociock in the miwnlng, lha French Infantry awapt forward In an trreatalihle wave In aplta of a a'lft raala'sui-e, lha liar-mans liar-mans were driven back and Ineida of half an hour prteonere began atreaming toward tha rrenrti rear by hundreds. The struggts waa hot teat eaat nf Ndvra as well ss In lha whole sector of Berry-au-Hafl and to tha east of rannnella. but tha renrh heavy shells ware loo much for tha tlorniana and before noon lha whole first llna waa won. On lha light ths anion began a little lit-tle later In lha morning. The rench met with a determined resistance and the fighting was terr-ll.la After several houra of homerte struggle the Kronen Infantry, thanka to tha aupport of several hundred heavy quirk firing guns forsed Ihalr way Into ths enemy's first line. It wss a fins success as lha terrain waa moat difficult and tha positions po-sitions formidable. GERMANS COUNTER ATTACK. In tha afternoon the Germans coun. tar attacked with extreme violence almost al-most everywhere along the front. The majority nf their reserves wera en-gaged en-gaged souch and aasl of tha Ilrimont ridge. It la from tha Ilrimont fort, built on a crest which dominates all the plain around, that tha Germans hava bombarded the city of Khelina Tha Krench troops are now very close to this rlda-a, which Is llkaly to play an Important part In tha oomlng fighting. fight-ing. In capturing Lolvre lhay hava drawn nearer to Mermertrourt and have gone far beyond tha famous position posi-tion which lhay lost In lha first weeks 0 the wsr snd fulled to win back at ths bsttle of the Marne. According to lha latest news reach-Inu reach-Inu Karla, tha Germans are bombarding bombard-ing the lost trenches furiously, counter attack after counter attack having been delivered far Into lha night. The struggle Is particularly fieri:. In tha region of ( raonns, but the Krench have an fsr managed to hold their gains. The Krench advance avsraa-ea In dplh from two to two and a half miles beyond be-yond the German first position, which Is composed of lines of five and six trenches, one behind another. sleaaured by tha amount of territory terri-tory freed lha victory does not compare com-pare with the ftnmme offensive which ipenad a month ago, but viewed fri-m the amount of destruction done to the enemy's srmed forces and tha damage to hla military prestige. It la a far greater success. Ilsre thara can ba no nueatlon either of a previously planned retreat or a surprise. The enemy expected an attack and mads every preparation to defeat It CURTAIN OF FIRE. From ttnlaaons to Oraonne Hie Harmon Har-mon line runs along a series of hills of an average height of Mio fret with deep valleys between. The attacker advanced up the valley under a cross -firs from each flank, but the artillery curtain at fire, on a new plan Invented by a rtrltlsh general, waa ao effactlve that the operation waa carried out at loss cost than might be ax parted. The weak point of the (Jarrnin line Is from Craonne to Hhslrns, where the ground Is more level. Hera the attack at-tack made mora progress and the danger dan-ger of a rupture of ths line became so Imminent that the Germane threw In all available reaerves. The reserves wsra smashed by the Frenoh field ar-tlllery ar-tlllery which kept close on the beels of the waves of Infantry. - |