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Show GREAT DRIVE STOPSl French and British Beat Back I Germans in Furious Sunday Fight I I Germans Prepare to Strike Mighty Blow on Entente 4 I First Onrush at Standstill and Hindenburg Bringing Bring-ing Up More Men and Guns to Smash Way ! Through to Paris Final Victory Not in Sight and Allies Bracing for Terrific Struggle. Germany's great drive into the Allied lines in northern France seems virtually at a standstill today. Her first great onrush appeared to have been stemmed with large gains of territory scored but with final victory no nearer in sight and her resources in men and material depleted. French and British troops beat back the enemy last night in his desperate efforts to advance toward Amiens and to push out from the Montdiclier salient. Slight progress in the drive for Amiens along the Luce and Avre valleys is the only forward for-ward movement reported anywhere along the line, despite ihe almost incessant Teutonic attacks, and at, at least one Doint, the enemy was pushed back. nrmsn rave way. The most determined assaults seem to have been in the leighborhood of Hangard-en-Santerre where Franco British ;roops meet the assaulting waves. A British attack paved the way, for an Allied victory after the combined forces had Dioken up the German attack. The French gallantly followed lp the advantage and the village was recaptured. The setback for the Germans here was most pronounced, as they were established west of Hangard-en-Santerre. and were endeavoring to debouch from this position, within a scant ten miles of the outskirts of Amiens. They have now been pushed back well beyond that limit. French Punish Assailants. Further south, in the Montdidier region, the enemy made a determined attack to capture Grivesnes and enlarge the salient he had pushed in here west of the Avre. His powerful power-ful thrusts, however, delivered virtually without interval, were broken up by the French who punished their German assailants badly and retained possession of the village. To the north of the Somme the British held their lines intact. The Germans made two attacks upon the British positions in the western outskirts of Albert but each time met with a repulse. London dispatches reflect the expectation there of a renewal- of the powerful assaults all along the battle line when the Germans have further consolidated their positions and brought up their heavy artillery. There seems increasing hope however, that the Allied line, reinforced and under co-oidinated co-oidinated command, will prove an impassable barrier, even to the heaviest assaults the enemy may bring to bear. PARIS, April 1 . The bombardment of Paris by German long range guns was resumed this afternoon. Mile. Germaine Francerie, auxiliary nurse at the American Ameri-can ambulance at Neuilly, was one of those killed in the church which was struck by a German shell on Good Friday. LONDON, April 1 The reports from the battle front this morning are regarded re-garded as favorable for the. allies and the belief is held that the first onrush of the enemy has been stopped, J-Ie is engaged in the process of consolidating consolidat-ing his position and bringing up havy artillery and it is expected that when ihis work has been completed another big blow will pe delivered with all tie energy which he still has. With strong reinforcements on tb ground and with co-ordination of command, com-mand, the hope is expressed here that the allied line will prove lmpn-t-'nabh-and that the Germans will dash themselves them-selves against it in vain. Millions to Fight in France The newspapers are occupied with the new manpower proposals and America's expected participation in 1 the fighting. The Standard advises (Continued on Page 7) GERMAN TROOPS STRIKE MIGHTY BLOW (Continued from page 1.) the generals "to think in the offensive" offen-sive" It says Iheir forces are ample to regain the initiative after the German Ger-man effort is frustrated. By calling up all the men of military age and raising the age limit, England can have an additional million men by autumn, au-tumn, it says, and adds: "With the gathering forces of the United States there should not be less than two million new troops available for warfare in the autumn." The statement follows: "The enemy twice attacked our positions posi-tions in the outskirts of Albert yesterday yester-day evening. Both attacks were repulsed. re-pulsed. "South of the Somme the enemy is persisting in his attempts to advauce along the valleys of the rivers Luce and Avre, but has made little progress prog-ress Attacks and counter-attacks follow. fol-low. -d each other in this sector throughout yesterday afternoon and evening with varying success and the fighting is expected to continue "In the local operation in the neighborhood of Serre. which was ro-ported ro-ported in yesterday morning's communique, com-munique, the total number of machino guns taken was 109." Review of War Situation. As allied troops begin offensive movements on the Picardy battlefield, P the German assaults show signs of ylackenlni; both in number and intensity inten-sity and the Germans are digging themselves in feverishly around Las-signy Las-signy on the southern line of the salient sal-ient where French pressure has been heavy South of the Somme, the tide turned Sunday German assaults were repulsed .and the French made good The German peace drive toward Amiens, Paris and the channel ports is fast becoming a battle of the nations. na-tions. The conflict opened with British Brit-ish and German soldiers the adversaries. adversar-ies. Since then the French and American Am-erican armies have joined with Field Marshal Haig's forces, while Austrian and Bulgarian forces are aiding the , M enemj Canadian cavalry and Australian Aus-tralian infantry have been doing much of the fighting under the British flag 'in the last two days. 100,000 Seasoned U. S. Troops. Over the roads to the battlefields in motor trucks and on foot, 1U0.000 Am-ii' Am-ii' an soldiers are moving to join the fight against the infaders and to drive him back. The American troops are now under control of General Foch, the generalissimo, but their destination destina-tion in the fighting area has not been disclosed. They are seasoned troops and are reported as anxious to get into the fight. I The most intense fighting is progressing pro-gressing south of the Somme where attempt after attempt is being made by the Germans to break the indomitable indom-itable defense of the allies and to reach the Amiens-Paris railway line or to reach Amiens itself. Battle Changes Four Times. Unable to make gains astride the Somme, the enemy has made heavy attacks at other points but with no success Moreuil, the center of the fighting south of the Somme, is re-ported re-ported to have changed hands four times and is now held by British, Canadian and French troops. Around Montdidier where the battle line curves northward the French have reclaimed Aycncourt and Mon-chel. Mon-chel. Further east toward Lassigny in the direction of Noyon the Germans have been pressed back and a salient driven into the enemy lines. It is in this region that the Germans are now digging in. German attempts to force pM.--.me of the Olse at Chauny were crushed b the French who wiped out an enemy force which tried to establish estab-lish a bridgehead on the southern bank of the river. North of the Somme, where the Ger-mans Ger-mans were thrown back with severe J losses by the British Saturday, the enemy made no further attempts Sun- : day and the fighting activity has been I moderate. Von Hmdenburg Not in Paris. If Field Marshal von Hindeuburg I Intended to spend April 1 in Paris he must, have meant some other year than 1918. His troops are still more than 50 miles from the French capital and in eleven days of fighting and under tremendous losses they have not even reached the Paris-Amiens railway, rail-way, the principal route from northern France to Paris. Indeed they are get- j ting ready to defend themselves against the Anglo-Franco-American 1 forces under General Foch. The boast- II ful utterances of the (ierman leader, much in evidence in the early days of the present campaign, also have ceased. Fighting in Italy. IB northern Italy the artillery firing j Is increasing in intensity and patrol actions are more numerous but there has been no infantry action on a large ; American patrols continue active j northwest of Toul. The German lines are under heavj bombardment. Marked Mark-ed activity behind the enemy lines shows no sign of letting up but the Germans have not attempted any at-tacks. |