Show I See n in S' S St t td Be e Beaten eaten Back It U. U SO E Give Vie 5 5 f 5 By Ily International News Service c T A HI March Margh 23 De Dc De Decision I WA W ItIS in inthe the pending pending battle battle on V V- V the western front is looked for forby forby by officials l here lere re within a aw w week wet ek Th The German Attack should reach roach its maximum of intensity wi within the next five days the military ex experts ex- ex here said today It will be beaten back they say if it the situation to date If is to be accepted as for Cor torI I comp comparison irison and these experts say that It must be S Officials who today studied t the e off official I- I cial reports and the maps naps of r thc region were well satisfied with the results The German cl claim Um that they have captured cap cap- tur d 16 men and ad guns is rs com com- negligible It IL was to be ex expected expected ex- ex thai that the British would lose men and weapons at pointy point In fact It was essentially necessary essentially necessary that they they- sacrifice some to h hold ld back the Initial charges of the German shock troops The result was that certain units were instructed to hold to hold their positions to the end in their first at attack attack attack at- at tack and it is from these sectors that the boasted German gains gains' came In explanation of the situation a strategist o of the general staff made the following statement to the International News Service today PICK YOUNG MEN Germanys s attack ha has J her initial ef ts e ts She attacked en J along the entire British line Irne j Her troops were In three In front were the shock fo fortes foz's s young men I picked because of their strength and I ability wh who had been especially trained for this work I The second line was made up of the i veteran units from the west and cast I technically termed the up up The rhe third line was the I serves who were hold hoW the captured positions were consolidated Both the firsthand nd second lines were badly bally cut and all that they succeeded in up accomplishing J was to to get footholds In the British front line trenches They at no point drove drove the the British I out of their battle positions positrons and were I kept and for that matter still are arc di directly directly directly di- di under the massed British guns But In order to make male their resistance effective the British were compelled to hold their front lines at all points to t tie the e very last And as the official communications show this naturally I resulted in ln losses to the defending forc forces and it is logical to assume that it was as these hese IH e losses looses Which the Germ Germans ns I now are parading to toLINE LINE BENT BACK e eThe I The British line bent back before the force of the German assault This TIlls I i was wise strategy It allowed the infliction in- in of terrific losses at a minimum cost When hell It is remembered that this supreme assault was initiated by forty German divisions It will be seen that sheer weight of numbers demanded that the British retire slowly awaiting for lor or the attack to reach its maximum before doing more than defensive fighting objective was to great wedges into both sides of tho the Cambrai salient thereby cutting of off thousands thousands' of British forces and permitting permitting per per- I an encircling That effort seemingly has been Jeen een checked for forthe forthe forthe the time b being beig but it will be renewed It can be expected that the German German Ger Ger- man span attack attach will be he continued for SomEtime some sometime time to come It is iu plain that the high command b believes that hat the British cannot hold bold Our Our information information Is all to the contrary And when the German attack has reached l its maximum it is well nigh I c certain that the British will initiate a counter offensive that must have haie a far- far reaching effect It also can be ex expected expected ex- ex that there will be another grand granda a assault against the Trench French line and 1 also against the positions held by the i Americans For excellent reasons it isI is I Inadvisable to discuss this point But ButS S there n need ed be no real uneasiness here The supreme war council has taken II into con consideration every p possibility and andi i ha i planned to oppose it I l When the German offensive ends I I and it I is dl distinctly significant that here use uses with great emphasis em em- the when Instead of the possible possible ble if It if-It It is believed here that the allies allieR will definitely take over the of offensive of- of There Thera will be e no waiting I APP APPALLED BY DEAD DEAP i As As' As soon as the German Gesman attacks ceased the British launched a series of powerful counter blows which wo won wog I back for them a great amount of th advanced positions they had lost Fierce fighting attended these counter counter coun coun- ter tel thrusts at some points especially south of l where the Germans had quickly transformed some wrecked farmhouses into blockhouses after atter their capture A At every point where the BritISh went forward tho they were appalled by bythe bythe the number of German dead lying on the field The whole was littered with gray field-gray corpses copses That section of the ground lying along the Arras Cambrai road proved especially fat fatal l for the Gt Germans for there the theatt att attacking l ng columns were caught taught under machine gun fire from three sides and were m wed down In heaps O On the ground flanking the Cam- Cam brai bral-Bapaume road there was violent fighting In t that at district the tho British S troops so distinguished themselves that their theft gallantry was vas pointed out by byField byField byField I Field Marshal Haig in his official disI dispatches dis dis- patches I Although att attacked cl cd by hy overwhelming forces orce after being battered by heavy artillery fire the British held their I ground gound even moving out Int the fore- fore field to meet th thir lr enemies instead of 01 I remaining In their trel trenches hes the gallantry b of the British 1 J along the whole lin line was such that j l Marshal Haig himself said there would be difficulty in picking out any l force that had distinguished It it- it edt Relt above the others along the fifty- fifty S mile front of ot attack USE MEN The magnitude m of ot the Germ German in assault assaults as as- sault were wee underestimated at first but official report reports that are arc corning coming from the now nev show that hat tremendous numbers p of men were use used l. l One Oe report S I I 1 sai said that that the Germans used nearly 00 men in the initial phase of the I drive between the and th the Olse rivers on Thursday The built bulk of or these those soldiers were thrust forward northwest and southwest southwest south south- I west of CambraI Cambra where the Germans made their greatest effort I Altogether tho the Germans used more than men In their their grand grand as asI assault assault as- as j I sault ault holding many more troops I in reserve The number of guns I employed In the preparation for forthe forthe I the drive was underestimated also aso I It is believed that the Germans alone had from to cannon massed between the river and Vend- Vend I I S S I The Germans do not make any extensive extensive ex- ex claims of ot ground gained al although although although al- al J I though they claim the capture of more I Ithan than 15 British pris prisoners and I guns I II i These figures contained jn In n an I were j I I official statement issued by y the German German Ger- Ger I Ger-I j man war office last night |