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Show I II HEROIC DEFENSE I BY THE BRITISH Lines Are Held Against Repeated Re-peated Assaults by Great German Forces. WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN FRANCE, April 14. (By the Associated Associat-ed Trosa ) This morning found the British holding Bnnly m the critical Batlleuil-Merrills rector, after a nlgnl or the mosl Intense Aghtlngi during which numerous heavy enemy attacks were repulsed and the invader.- were driven from Robocq bv a counter .stroke. The Germans today won' continuing to drive forward in masses aciainst the defending position-- which block their raj to Haaehrouck, with its rallwaj lines, but at the latest reports the British lines had not wavered in ihe ..re of the terrific onslaughts by su-! su-! rinr numbers while no one could predict 'he outcome out-come of the fierce battle now raginc. the British position this morning -'-emed more firm ind settled than it any period since the Germane began their onslaughts wc-i ol Axmentierea The enemy attacks in this region have been earned out with steadily incrasint forcet The troops emplo ed on the openmc day were low aa nmparcd with those now in the attacking at-tacking lines Attack In Grest Force. Between St enant and the Ypre.s-f'omines Ypre.s-f'omines canal the enemy last night had at least seventeen divisions In line, with six more divisions held in re serve. There has been no cessation In the Iftsperate work which has been going forward since April All last niclii ihe opposing forces struggled a1 clo quarters at numerous points, and when daylight came the German" l.u.m lied two more tremendous drives. one south of Bailleuil and Meieren. and 'he other against the blood-stained zone about Neuve Eglise. We are holding." was the cheering import of the news received by the correspondent of the Associated Presi about noon concerning the sector involved. in-volved. The fighting about Neuve Eg-line Eg-line yesterday and last night was continuous con-tinuous and sanguinary. Three Separate Assaults. During the day the enemy launched three separate attacks against this place, and each time was hurled back without making any gains. A1 7 SO o'clock yesterday evening the Germans I again surged forward, but they came under such punishment from machine ma-chine guns and rifles that the were j forced to fall back. This was only n introduction to the night ? work Thrnii!hniil thft lnni rlark honrc tlie I battle continued, nd when daylight fame it proceeded with added fur U Ihe enemy rushed up fresh troops and flung them against the grimly holding; Britons. It is hard to conceive how the comparatively com-paratively weak forces of the British j aave been able to withstand the heavy j Jhocks. especially in view of the fact that the Germans continually kept bringing new troops into action ftcainst the long-suffering defenders But they have held and the record of Ihe defense in the Merville-Bailleuil sector will form one of the most graphic grap-hic chapters In the history of th( Heavy Rush Below Railleuil. The fighting below Bailleuil has dif fered little from that at other points The Germans made a heavy push here ' last night about Merris, but could make 11 1 tie progress The British gave i a tiny bit of ground below Moolenack-pr. Moolenack-pr. but the situation was virtually un-.il'ered. un-.il'ered. This morning the enemy again began his vicious strokes here Southwest of Vieux-Bercquin ester day the Germans made four big at- I tacks, accompanied by an intense bombardment. The onslaught was a terrific one, and there was at that time only one British brigade facing several divisions of Germans. How the British held probably the themselves could not tell today. |