Show J j jJ r t- t In n I fIG FIGHTERS Il f FORCED f j a H BACK HEDGE A ATTACK II ACK I Il l S. S I r POSITIONS NS j By national 1 News Service L T Q ONDON ON ar March March 23 Afa Ai l an enormous cost of f human life the trie Germans I J- J h have v s1 succeeded e ed in p 1 tf t the e British defenses defens west est of Cambrai I The BritisH w war ir of office a admitted today that the Germans Gerina ls had bi br v. v an n 11 some of their positions i in the St. St Quentin sector but st stated ted that the British troops were falling back in g good od order I II I H Heavy av fig fighting con continued until a late hour of J. J the e l nit night ig the he hevar war var j ac a inns PJ need need- Qi r- r AA a v j j-j j i x v r a During the he afternoon of Friday i th the Germans h T increased dh their l artillery ri A y I fire and employed heavy masses of infantry The The attacks attacks Centered in inthe the the sector ector of St. St Quentin where the British were compelled t to give ground They fell back to pr previously prepared positions The district through which h the British retired d had previously ben n completely devastated devastated devas devas- by the Germ Germans w wien en they made their retreat from the Bapaume district last year It is virtually a des desert rt of blast blasted d land lan land and nd ruined farmhouses ses Even the forests had been leveled J 1 ir if LON LONDON ON Mr March w 23 Powerful p Powerful i f By enemy I Associated at attacks Press delivered delivered wl i lid r rent lt weight of r infantry n- n try and artillery hay have broken through the sive system m vt of St. St Quentin the war wai office reports f J JW f The British tr troops o s on the northern portion of of f the battle s s are holding their positions t The British west et of f St St. Quentin are falli falling back f. f i in in order ord order to i tp positions ns' ns further west Very heavy ng wl with h. h fresh enemy forces is in progress The war states that there are prepared pr pared positions behind the th British to which they are falling m back k The statement statements follows follows vs llO i t Heavy fighting continued until late h hours last night Q on the whole battle front During During Dur Dur- ing the Afternoon Ji powerful hostile atta attacks ks delivered with great weight of of infantry and artillery broke through our defensive system west of St. St Quentin Our HOur troops one on th this s part of the battle front are falling back in good god order across the devastated area to to prepared positions further west Our troops o on th the northern portion of the the battle front are holding th their ir positions Very heavy fighting with fresh hostile forces is i in p progress For the first firs time in in the war on the west western in front since the opposing armies established established established themselves in th their ir trench systems the defensive zone one has his been brok broken ll through In other gre great t attacks the British French and Germans and Germans have been able ble to bend back the lines but not to fo strike through the zone of defense Mahy Many military critics had reached the opinion that on on account of the strength of the lines it would be impossible to break them until one one sid side or or r the other had been worn down to such a point that it would be no longer able to m man n it stio strong g. g Unless the British rire are a able le to restore the situation by a counter attack a a withdrawal I on a a wide front may be ge necessary ary with open field warfare The at which at-which which the British line has been broken is near the southern end of the German attacking front which extends from Arras Arra to La Fere fifteen miles niles below St. St Quentin Below this sector is the great arc in the front where the line lirie approaching nearest t to Paris turns sharply to the east The fhe German offensive has developed with almost unparalleled led rapidity One reason for this is indicated in Field Marshal Haigs Haig's reports showing that tire the Germans are constantly constantly constantly con con- bodies of bringing up fresh troops tJ I The statement he-statement of the British war office that the troops west of St. St Quentin are aie falling fallin fall fall- in ing o back to pf prepared pared positions indicates s that the Germans Germans al although they have broken through the British d defensive system have not pierced the entire British zone of defense The allusion n in the British statement to the defensive system may be only to the main battle battlefront battlefront front system behind which other lines have been prepared If that is the case case the Germans Ger Ger- mans ha have e done little more than repeat what the British Brutish did in the battle of ot the Somme when the pierced the Hi Hindenburg denburg line and captured long stretches of it t forcing the Ger Germans Germans Germans mans to retreat to prepared positions in the rear v The fhe experiences of the attacking forces in other campaigns campaigns' show sho that the Germans as they progress ss are likely to find their mo ments more moie difficult and the resistance e of the British more effective The more mor deeply the they strike strike int into th the British Britis lines the further urther they must move from their bases entailing bases entailing increasing difficulties in 11 providing supplies tt for their i l' l to I i |