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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (March 28, 1918)
he Omaha .Daily B THE WEATHER Unsettled EE s 1 ?! i 1 4 t f X 1 .it:- f 1 I ,4 s 1 i ' 1 t VOL. XLVI-NO. 243. t-zin r7rrn HAIG'S FRONT LINE STANDING FIRM IN : BEST POSITION YET v , . Even Where Position Is Weakest, Says Reuter Correspon dent, It Is Orderly Arrayed Both in Men and Guns and Nowhere Is Showing Signs of En forced Retirement. (By Associated Press.) London, March 27. The British front is standing firm along the line which appears to be the strongest it has occu-, pied since the battle began, says Reuter's correspondent with the British, headuartersjn France. Even at points where the line-is not strong, the corre-4 - spordent adds, it is being held in very orderly array, alike of men and guns, and nowhere is showing any signs of enforced re tirement. ' , - ' ATTACKS MAKE.NO PROGRESS.? The enemy, says the, correspondent, attacked at various points today, but from all reports these efforts made no progress. ' j British airmen report the whole of the enemy front areas jto be black with troops. BRITISH COUNTER ATTACK ' London, March 27. The British forces are not only offering strong re sistance to heavyattacks both north and south of the river Somme, but have carried out numerous counter at tacks during the day, resulting inthe regaining of ground and the driving back of the Germans at various points. The report from Field Marshal Haig tonight declares that in these opera tions heavy casualties have been in , --flietedTon the Tne"my7 '-" f - Germans Reinforced. British Army Headquarters- in France, -March 27. Fresh enemy forces were flung into the o'uthern nhase of the offensive late yesterday. '. These reinforcements, including the farrfous Prussian guards, were sent forward in a dense vaje against the defenders. The latest rep&rts merely chronicle a, most sanguinary ttruggle without " indicating any :hange in the situation; At the latest reports tke Germans twd made no further attack against Bray. North of Alberrrlowever, they attacked in considerable strength to ward Aveluy wood. The assault 'broke against the British' line and re Coiled. North of tin's point the situa tion is unchanged. Repulse Enemy at Albert. Heavy lighting occurred' late yester day, just north of .Albert, about Meaulte., At the, same time the Brit ish drdve off an attack north of Al bert, at Auchonvillers. 1 " Vhe enemy's gains further north 'have been large, but the elasticrtyof the defending line thus far has de feated his intention of . breaking through here and dividing the British forces. It is probably this elasticity has resulted in he development of the vicious drive which thejjnemy is now making to the south. - x. British Make Gallant Startd. The resistance which has been of . tered by the allied troops to the Ger man advance constitutes one of. the finest pages in the annals of the war. The gallant sacrifcees' which those hardy warriors i.iade in covering the' withdrawal anckdelayTng the German sweep forward.jundoubtedly will have Hti important effect, on the final outcome-of this greatest of all battles. The appallinglaughter of the at tacking' masses has continued since the first day. All the prisoners have much the same story to tell of the great losses suffered. . Undoubtedly, the Germans expected some such re sult and it is probable all their cards have not yet been played. The Weather For Nebraska--Unsettled. Temprratute at Omaha Yesterday. . y Hour. ( veg. i a. m .. i 5 a. m. .... ,"7 33 7 a. m. ....34 8 a. m 36 - J a. m ,....38 10 a. m 13 11 a. m 49 12 m 52 1 p. m 65 2 p. m 68 3 p. m 61 4 p. m. 62 6 p. m ......61 6 p. m .....69 7 p.-m "....57 8 p. m, 54 Comparative I -oral Record. 1918. 1917. 19i6. ,115. Highest yesterday .. 62 66 69 37 Lowest yesterday .'. 24 2S 31 28 Mean temperature .. 48 42 ' 45 32 Precipitation '.' 00 .0Q .00 .00 Temperature and precipitation depar , tures from the normal: ' Normal temperature 4a Excess for the day C Total excess since March 1...... 382 Normal precipitation , M inch Deficiency for the day Oi inch Total precipitation since Mar. 1.. .11 Inch Deficiency slnoe Mar. .1 1.03 inches Excess io cor. period. 1917 .21 Inch Jeficlency for cor. ftariod. 1916.. .79 inch Reports From Stations at 1 P. M. ilstlon and State Temp. High- Raln- ofweather. 7 p. m. est. fall. Cheyenne, cloudy ......50 58 T Davenport, clear 44 50 .00 Denver, cloudy 66 68 .00 Dmaha. clear 57' 62 .00 f'T' indicates trace of precipitation. L. A. WELSH, Meteorologist rann uvu RESULT OF GREAT BLOW UN CERTAIN--VON LUDENDORFF German General Praises British for B(ave Resistance; Says Battle Goes Exactly as Planned. Amsterdam, March 27. "A great battle has been .fought and victory has been wonj bu nobody can foresee what will result from it," said General von Ludendorff, chief aide to Field Marshal von Hindenburg, in an. inter view with the correspondent at the fronfof the Tages Zeitupg of Berlin. The general praised the British for their tenacious resistance and con tinued: "The British believed they could rely oil th strength of machinery. The employment of tanks and great numbers of machine guns is typical of their methods"'fof warfare." The German infantry, the general ajjds, had only one night's normal rest during five or six days of battle. Rislr Lives Many Timet. "In a battle like this," he remarked, "the infantryman must risk his life not only once, but continuously from trench to trench." ' In an interview which is published in the Volks Zeitung of Cologne Gen eral von Ludendorff says: "The course of the battle goes ex actly as jt was planned, and as it was hoped it would go. The infantry has completely maintained the spirit with which it entered the war in 1914, and this will bring fut'ther successes, al though the enemy, is still strong and fighrt witi. determination. "We have succeeded in changing the fighting from position warfare to warfare of movement,.alth6ugh the at tacker had everything against him and the defender had strong defensive means in his favor. Undoubtedly, the British use machine guns with much skill. For instance, they construct subterranean corridors, starting from trenches in which machine guns are planted. Advance With Spirit. I "Such installations cannot be ob served by our artillery, -and in foggy weather especially cannot be reached. Our infantry had to take all these machine-gun nests, scattered everywhere over the battlefield. "Our men advanced with great spirit so that it was difficult to follow rhem with tired horses and damaged carts, but the spirit of the men is splord'd. "The preparations for the battle meant two months of strenuous lalor. In the beginning of February the or der was given and on the nigh? of Marcji 20-21 the attack was befun, right to the minute. Everything was ready. We see the result." KAISER AND LUDENDORFF ' MIX IN VIOLENT QUARREL Paris, March 27 Emperor William andGeneral von Lundendorff had a violent quarrel before tjie beginning of the great attack on the western front, according to a prominent Swiss, Who has just returned to Zurich after some weeks in Germany, and has been interviewed by the correspondent of the Temps. This man is quoted as saying: There ,was much discreet talk in Berlin before the present offensive concerning extremely violent scenes between Germany's leaders at general headquarters, General von Ludendorff spoke so violent and authorita tively that the emperor, becoming very pale, arose from his chair and pounding the table, demanded: " 'General, are you or I emperor of Germany?' General von Ludendorff replied that he was only a soldier, and more than anyone else desired peace. ' He said he was convinced that his plans for an offensive were capable of bringing it about." OMAHA, THURSDAY -in c-n MM xJi I 1 immiKniiiiiiniiraiffiM BRITISH RETAKE 2 TOWNS; i FRENCH RETREAT AT R0YE; ! GERMANS SAY LINE BROKEN Morlancourt and Chipilly Now Held by Haig; Enemy Troops Hold Albert; Pushed Back on Anere. (Bjr Associated Press.) London, March 27.The Brit ish delivered a counter-attack to-, day between the angle of the An-, ere and the Somme and recap tured Morlancourt and Chipilly, the war office announced this eve ning. The French have been heavily engaged west of Roye and were forced to give ground, the an nouncement states. Reinforce ments for them are arriving. An enemy attack in the neigh borhood of Bucquoy has so far made no impression upon the British lines. ' A number of other heavy at tacks, both north and south of the Somme, were repulsed with heavy loss td the Germans. The enemy's troops are in Albert. The Germans crossed the An cre yesterday afternoon, but were counter-attacked and driven back across the river. The British have again ad vanced, their line south of the Somme to Proyart SincneiiicnniinnninKRiniii! toUSS TROOPS ODESSA AFTER JBL00DY BATTLE WITH Bolshevik Forces', Fighting Austrians in Ukrainia, Take Various Towns from Teuton Invaders ; Rada Re fuses to Endorse Peace Treaty; PrepVres Resistance By Armed Troops. London March 27- Odessa has been recaptured by the soviet and Ukrainian troops after a bloody battle, in which naval forces took part, according to a, Moscow dispatch from the semi-official Russian news agency. i REDS REPULSE AUSTRIANS. Moscow, Sunday, March 24. Bolshevik, troops, an official announcement says, have been successful in fighting the Aus trians in the southern Ukraine. The cities of Nikolayev, Kher son and Zmananka have been recaptured by the Russians. TAKE OTHER TOWNS. O, A dispatch received in London from Petrograd Tuesday said it was reported the bolsheviki had' recap tured Kherson and Nikolayev. Kher son and Nikolayev are northeast of Odessa and are important commerce cities. Nikolayev" is fdrty mijes north west of Kherson and has a naval yard and large grain storehouses. BOYCOTT PEACE TREATY. The bolsevik Ukrainian Rada, which fled from Kiev to Kharkov before the Germans, is now at Ekaterinoslav, where it has adoped resolutions re fusing to endorse the peace treaty be tween Germany and the Ukraine, un less the central powers withdraw all troops from the Ukraine. The Rada decided to oppose the central powers byeans of armed forces, strikes and boycotts. French Premier Says Confidence Justified Paris, March 27. In conversation with deputies before the chamber assembled this morning, Premier Clemenceau declared that never was confidence more- justified than now. ' The Franco-British high com mand is taking advantage of the re spite to prepare for battles which) the allies will deliver at their own time and on the most favorable ground. Deputies who took part in earlier campaigns express the opinion that if the Germans can be held for 48 hours more their offensive will prove to have been checked. MORNING, .MARCH 28, 1918 to -A English Now Backing Up on Both Sides of Somme and Counter Attack Fail, Says Berlin. (By Associated Tress.) ' Berlin (Via London), March 27s The British began to retreat early this morning on a wide front on both sides of the Somme, army headquarters announced to- -day. The stubborn resistance of .the hostile rear guard was over come in the sharp pursuit. British and French divisions which were defeated on March 25 endeavored again yesterday in the pathless crater fields of the Somme battlefield, the statement adds, to arrest the German ad vance. The German attack, it is de clared, broke through the enemy's lines. f , To the north and south of Al bert the Germans won crossings of the Ancre. Albert was captured last evening. To the south of the Somme, after violent fighting, German forces drove the enemy back by way of Chaulnes and Lihons. Roye was taken by storm and Uoyon was cleared of hostile forces after bloody street fight ing, the report states. RETAKE GERMANS Praises Bee's Three Special War Extras The Omaha Bee deserves great credit for its energy and push in putting out three spe cial editions Sunday, The people wanted the latest news and The B?e felt disposed to give it to tlieni, and did. Plattsmouth Journal. WHEAT SHORTAGE CAUSES FOOD CUT IN FRENCH ARMY Washington, March 27.-Informa-tiqn that the bread ration of the French soldiers, who are facing the onslaught of Germany s armies, has been cut because of the shortage of wheat has led the food administration to plan drastic measures to curb hoarding in this country. Wherever there is evidence to sup port suspicion that the withholding of food on which may depend the out come of the war is due to disloyalty or promeenng, it was saia lonignt, prompt' action will be taken. Wheat for the allies becomes more imperative as the season progresses, because of the danger of loss in ship ping corn or potatoes, after April 1, when the period of germination sets in. Up to March IS the United States was 800,000 tons behind in its pro gram of cereal exports. Much of the program was to have been corn,, but the breakdawn in railroad transporta tion delayed shipment so that wheat, which earlier in the vear had been given priority, had to be sent abroad to avert famine. 'As only wheat and barley "can be shipped after April 1, the public is being asked to cut its consumption of wheat to 50 per cent of normaf. The March 1 report of the Depart ment of Ag-iculture showed 111,000, 000 bushels of wheat on farms and 69,000,000 bushels in elevators . Germans Look for. Big Allied Counter Blow Washington, March 27. Official French dispatches received here today say the newspapers in Germany are preparing the people for - Franco British offensive, forecasting the en try of a powerful army of reserves. FOURTEEN PAGES. TEUTONS CROSS ANCRE RIVER; ARE HURLED BACK BY HAIG Terrific Counter' Attack by English Restores Towns of Morlin court and Chipilly, -x Says Official Report' - I, i n i 1 (By Associated Press.) . GERMAN LOSS TREMENDOUS. The British counter attack between the angle of the Arce and Somme has resulted in. the capture'of the two tdwns, Morlancourt and Chipilly. z Haig s official statement admits the Germans crossed the Ancre, but declares . they were driven back across the. river, The Germans hold Albert. The British front is standing firm along the new line, which is the sohgesr it has occupied, Reuter's correspondent m France declares. (' ' Germany ha,s lost 400,000 men in the grand offensive around Cambrai, accord- ing toihe BritisKofhcial statement. - -, - The estimated strength of the German division is 1 2,000- men. Official esti mates place the losses of the attacking forces at 50 per cent of the number of men engage. , : t ,rr According to these figures', 38 full divisions have been wiped i)ut. This is borne out bythe fact that Germany has brought up 40 divisions from the reserve torces. - . . , Paris; MaUh27r124ii$tiught the German advance was held up everywhere, according to the official statement of the , war office today. The enemy, weakened by heavy losses, if adds, has been obliged to slow up his efforts. J COUNTER THRUST BY FRENCH ARMY TO FALLAT OflCE Washington Connfident Turn ing Point of Great Battle " Near at ' Hand; Await Word From Pershing. Washington, March 27. Belief that the turniflg point of the battle in France is near at harid pervaded Washington today, and American military observers, who are closely following developments in the terrific struggle, centered their attention on the front held by the French in antici pation of a powerful counter-thrust. War department officials today also awaited confirmation . from General Pershing of British official statements that American troops were fighting side by side with the French and British. Nothing to show American participation reached the War depart ment last night and General Per shing's reports offered only details of the fighting in the region of Nesre and Noyon, previously reported in dispatches to the Associated Press. Until official word -from General Pershing is received none will mate a' guess oa the part the Americans are playing. Quick Action Taken Upon Bills By the Committees (From a Staff Correipodnent.) Lincoln, March 27. (Special-Telegram.) The judiciary committee of the house reported out for passage three bills this afternoon, U. R. Nol. 1, 2 and 3, companion bills to the soldier voting bill, and H. R. No. 6, legalizing the home guards. The educational committee of the house, after wo minutes' considera tion of II. R. No. 4, which repeals the l(fockett law relating to the foreign languages, reported it out for passage. Lloyd George Sends Appeal to America For Troops Quickly (By AMoclated Ftm.) New York, March 27. A mes sage from David Lloyd George, prime minister of Great Britain, calling upon the United States to' send American reinforce ments across the Atlantic in the "shortest possible space of time," was read tonight by Lord Reading, British high commis sioner to the United States at a dinner given here in his honor. 0 Train, it Hetdi. CTMT W PrtDV mm" rI?XTTC! Ntwi SUndt. Etc.. St. Ull SiJi ' ' ENEMY ATTACKS WEAKEN. The statement ays : ' "Last evening during the night the Germans, weakened by their heavy losses, were compelled to retard their efforts. The valiance of the French troops defending the ground, fool 1 by foot, is beyond all praise. "The French are holding a line running through L'Echelle,, St. Aurin and Beuvraignes, north of Lassingy, in front loi the southern partof Noyon and along the left bank of the Oise.' During the night the French repulsed strong recon noitering parties whteh attempted to approach their position! . northwest of Noyon. "On the remainder of the front there was an intermittent bombardment." v GERMANS FAIL OF AIMS. London, March 27. The zone of open warfare 4s continu ing to enlarge as the entente forces fall back fighting under the enormous weight of the German numbers says Reuter' corre spondent at British headquarters in his dispatch today. It is now clearly established, he adds, that the present offensive is the great main effort oftheGermans and that it hai no been as successful as they anticipated, the enemy being a long way behind his time table and having failed to break through and begin rolling; up tactics. TRENCH WARFARE PAST. The Germans are now pushing against the British line with the full pressure of their masses. They have thrown in their reserves more rapidly than they intended, it is declared, and , are, therefore, wearing themselves down, although they are naturally tiring the defense in the process. The general feeling, the correspondent reports, is that the days of trench warfare are definitely passed. CONTINUE FURIOUS ATTACKS. British Army Headquarters in France, March 27. The Germans last night continued their furious onslaught south westward from Ham against the allies' defense in the region of Roye and Noyon, having slowed down in their patent attempt to cut through the British line further north, where such desi perate resistance was offered. Hard fighting occurred last night about the town of Al bert. Large enemy forces pushed forward toward the place, but at last accounts the British were holding them doggedly at this possible gateway to Amiens. ' v U.S. STEEL SHOWS DECREASE OF 65 PER CENTIN YEAR New York, March 27. Coincident with an announcement of an increase of IS per cent in the wages of its em ployes making a total advance of 65 vr . mif .t. it..:. .J Ci. per ceni suite i-jij, mc unuca omica Steel corporation today made public its annual report for 1917. This showed a tremendous increase in the volume of business, but a decrease in earnings. The volume of business for 1917, as represented by combined gross sales and earnings, equalled $1,683,552, an increase of $452,483,773 over 1916. After deduction of interest and other charges total earnings, includ ing an estimate of some $233,000,000 for war and income taxes set aside for 1918, amounted to $304,161,471, a decrease of $38,835,621. Balance of earnings is further re duced" bv other interest charges to $295,292,180 t - WJLil UVJJL X ID, y U PF.rT.ATM T.OST TJTPRTTnPV The Germans have now reclaimed virtually all the territory they held at the beginning of the battle of the ' Somme in 1916. At 6ome places they have not retaken all the ground, but at other points they have overstepped it somwhat. s GERMANS GLOAT GAINS. " Amsterdam. March 27. The Get', man newspapers are already counting the German gains. v "It is self-evident," says the Cologne Volks Zeitung, "that after what is now happening we can no longer con clude peace on the terms which we were ready to accept a week ago. The enemy must be brought to a submi&f sive spirit and forced to grant every, thing we need in the future, especially in colonies and raw materials." German Attack repulsed. London, March 27. A heavy attack was made early in the night against the new British line south of the Somme. It was repulsed after severe fighting, the war office announces. ' In consequence of attacks yester. (Continued on-Far Five, Column Two.) 1 V A: