The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980, March 26, 1918, Image 1

The Oregon statesman., March 26, 1918, Page 1, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextWJllTIIKIt Probably ralnf moderate southwesterly winds. SIXTV-NKVKXTK YKAIJ NO. 312 KALKM, OKWiO.V, TIKSBAY MOKNIXG, MABCH 2, 1018.- , . - - -I'lUCK FIVE CfcA'Tti DAILY EDITION FALLS TO GERS8AHS Berlin Declares Stubborn Re sistance of Enemy Is Brok en in, Violent Battle; Teu tons Mount Heights West of Somme River TOWN OF NESLE IS CAPTURED BY STORM Hon Forces Drive to Old Po sitions Held by Armies Be fore Beginning of Battle of Somme in 1916 . LONDON', March 25.- Confirma tion ofthe" German report that the fritisa have been forced out of Ba paunie Is contained In a supplement; f 1 official statement issued by the war office late tonight. BERLIN, via LONDON', March 25. (British Admiralty, per Wireless Press. )--"Crown Prince' Rupprecht - has, with the armies of General von Below and General Von Der , Mar witz again defeated .the. enemy In a tremendous struggle near Bapaume, while the corps of General Von Der Bertie, General Lindequist ; ,and General Kuebhe. broke through strong positions of .the enemy to the northeast of Bapaume," says the text of the official statement. "in. bitter fighting the trooos of General Cruenert and. General Stabs, coming from theeast and southeast drove the enemy back via Ypres and Eailly. - - .; r - iteMonce I Broken. "The' etubmbrn enemy resistance, which had been reinforced with ' fresh troops, was broken In a violent battle. Freshly brought up divi sions and numerous tanks threw themselves) against our advancing forces along the roads leading from Bapswtme and Perofine. They could not br'tig about a decision In favor of the enemy. In the evening they ? streamed back again In' a westerly direction. ' I "During the course of the night battle Dapaume fell Into the-hands , of the "Germans. Hot fighting de veloped for the possesion of Corn Men and the heights situated to the east. The enemy was defeated, at tacks by English cavalry breaking . down. We-now are standing to the north of thffSomme and in the mld- die of the former Somme: battlefield. ' 8omm- Heiffit Mounted. ."The Gerr"n crown prince with . the army of General Von Hutler has . forced a passage across the Somme 1 Ifclow Hni. H victorious trooos have in bitter . fighting mounted the 'heights to the west of the Somme. Violent counter-attacks by the Brit l?h Infantry and cavalry broke down with sanguinary losses. The town of Nesle was taken by storm In the evening. , '"Between the Somme and the Oise the troops which penetrated across the Crozat canal late In the evening of March 23 have taken by, storm strongly fortified and fctub-; bornly defended nosltlons. "Oa the wept bank of the canal n hot fighting British, French and " American troops were thrown back through the pathless wooded cotin ; try La Neuvllle and Villequler-Au-""t. The attack continued Satur day and French infantry and, cavalry divisions which were brought for ward ,fnr a counter thrust were , thrown back with sanguinary losses. Tte- relentless pursuit by General Von Conta and General Von Gayle pressed after the retreating'enemy. CuUcard and Chauny were captured. ' -' Old Position Taken. : f BERLIN, via LONDON. March 25. Between the Somme and the Oise," - "ays -the official reoort from head pnarters this evening, "our troops "re fighting their wav fifrward. There was hard fighting, the state ment continues. "botweon napaume nd Peronne. We drove the enemy ack here to his old positions which wfre held between the Anere and the hoirnn before the beglnniag of tbo Somme battle in 1916." 1 LONDON. f March 23. "Fighting f the most severe description has reen takinir place all .day on wide fonts south of Peronne and south d north ,bf napaume," says' Field -'arshI Ilaig s reoort from British headquarter in, France tonight. . Fttk Force Brought Fp. In both sector the- enemy has attacked our positions--In great strength with ftesh forces, and, in 'PUe of the gallant resistance of our troops, has forced us to gjve ground. (Continued on Page 2.) GERMAN DRIVE SLOWING DOWN. AMERICAN VIEW War Department Sees No Cause for Alarm by Peo ple of United States HUN WEDGE NARROWING ' lb ' ; Apex Cannot Be Retained in Face of Three-Sided At 1 tack, View WASHINGTON. March 95 Tho German drive at the British lines. appeared to be slowing under the policy of elastic defense pursued by Field- Marshal Ilaig. according to the opinion 'of allied and American army officers here, based on the offi cial statements from London, Paris and!Beiin. : The greatest brittle of the,war,. thus far. they believe, is entering its second stag's with the German forces facing an Increasingly stubborn resistance. Th'jjoutcome of this stage may not be discernible for several days. The attitude of American military authorities was officially stated by Major General March, acting chief of staff. He said:, ? No 'a u.se for Alarm Hen. .'; "The -war department sees no cause for alarm on the, part of the United? States. Sir Douglas Haig has announced that the British with drawal was in accordance with a def inite plan. iTh announcement is to be accented." Similar confidence of the ultimate d,efeat of the German effort was ex pressed by; Major General Leonard Wood before the senate military committee, and Major Heneral Mac Lachlin, British military attach-?, voiced the feeing of British officers here as to the work of their com rades in France In a statement not ing that nothing resembling a break in the British lines has yet been achieved by the German rush. tT4 S. Particf nation tnconfirni1. I Repeated , reports' of the, partlcipa tonjof American troops in the bat tle, presumably with - the French on the British rightflank, eansed Gen eral, March to say that neither Gen eral Pershing nor General Bliss Jiad reported on this point. ; There was much speculation here today as to the purpose of the Ger man leaders in pressing the main at tack in the direction of Amiens The capture , of Neslc, admitted in London,' Indicates this to be the apex of the reat wedge that Is being forced intp the British lines near the point where the British and French forces connect. Objective Not Indicated. , The question raised was whether thef "trman - plan contemplated a swing to their right toward the coast designed to hem up all British forces In a restricted field of operations with the channel behind him; or .a sweep toward Paris to . their Jeft front. As yet the -development re ported do not indicate the ultimate objective of tha assault. , One 'ew expressed was that .a blow elsewhere might follow the checking of thrf present drive or eren accompany It. Advice from Italy have Indicated enemy concen trations oft that front for some time past. Attacks along the French lino do not appear to be more than feints at present, calculated to keep the French from weakening thelr (Continued on Page 6) MEN READY TO REPLACE LOSSES Reinforcements Prepared to 1 y Enter. Battle,t Says I " Lloyd George LONDON', March 25. In a nief page to Field MarshaV Halg. David Lloyd George, the British premier, .says 'that the men necessary to re place those lost a rof either now la France or already on their way. All funs will be replaced and still fur ther reinforcements of men and guns an ready to enter the battle. The premier's message follows:' "The British cabinet wishes to ex press to the army the nations thank ror its spienaia aeiense, in whuih empire is filled wlth pride as it watches the heroic resistsrhee offer ed by its brave troops to overwhelm ing odds. j "Knowing their steadfastness and courage whenevery the honor of their country depends upon their valor, the empire awaits with confi dence the result-of -t hi struggle to defeat the enemy's-lat desperate ef fort to trample down the free, na tions of the world. "At home; we are prepared to do all! In our power to help in a trn Fplrit of comradeship. The men nec essary to replace all casualties and cannon and machine? guns requlr.)i to tnako good all thewe lost are eith er i now in France or alreadr n their way and still further reinforce ments of men and' guns are ready to be thrown into the battle." THIRD LOAN TO B FOR 3 BILLIONS New Issue Bearing Interest at Rate of 4 1-4 Per Cent Is Announced by McAdoo to Commence April 6 i LATEST ISSUE WILL , NOT BE CONVERTIBLE Nation's Soul Fired by Events in France; Rapid Buy ing Is Urged WASHINGTON, Maich 23. The third liberty loan, to open April 6, will be for $3, 000,000, 000 and all over subscriptions at 4 per cent in terest. Bonds of the first loan, bearing 31a per cent interest, and of the second loan at 4 per cent, may be converted into the new bonds, but those of Jhe third loan will not be convertible Into any future issue. This announcement was made to night by Secretary McAdoo with the coramenj that "the great events now happening" in France must fire the soul of every American with a new determination to furnish all the dol lars and al the material resources of America that are needed to put an end to the excrable atrocities of Geinan militarism." 1 Bonds To I? Kept At Par. In connection with the loan, .the secretary plaas to establish a sink ing fund with which to purchase back any L bands of the third loan thrown upon the market. In order to aid in keeping the price up to pat. The maturity of the bonds Is yet to 'be determined, but it' was offici ally stated that they: would be long term, probably between 20 and 30 years, iOther features will be settled a, soon as congress passes the nfceessary legislation authorizing the length of .the (campaign and the terms of payments on the bonds. Interest I late 4U Per Cent. Most financal observers were sur prised at the comparatively small size of the loan and at the Interest rate, both off which they had ex pected to be higher." Redaction of Government expenditures and allied loap below the former estimate is responsible for the loan's size. Sec retary - McAdoo explained. He said the bonds were made non-convertible to put an end to expectations of higher interest rate In the future, in dicating his purpose to maintain the 4 "rata for future loans. Legisla tion will be drafted tomorrow by Chairman Kitchin of the house ways jmd means committee to provide for an additional bond authorization of $ 4,5(00.000.000 more, than the $3, 666,000,000 sum already authorized but unissued, for the increased In terest rate for continuance of loans to the allies this summer and for is suance of more than the four billion certificates of indebtedness now au thorized. An effort will be made to rush-? this legislation through both houses this week so that final plans may I be made! for the third liberty loan land the engraving of the bond, faces by the first of next week. No opposition to the legislation Is looked for In either house. In announcing the loan. Secretary McAdoo made the following state ment: ' Amount Below Ktlmate.. "The secretary of the treasury in a conference with Mr. Kitchin, chair man of the way and means commit tee, today outlined bis plan for the third liberty loan. Actual expendi tures of United States government and of the ailed governments having been much less than had been indi cated by the estimates, the amount of the next loan will be only $3,000. 000.000, the right being reserved to allot over-subscriptions. "The secretary will ask authority from congress to issue bonds bear ing Interest at the rate of 44. per cent per annum acceptable at par and accrued interest In payment or United State inheritance taxes and having the, benefit of a sinking fund of five per cent annum during the period of the war and- for one year thereafter. I ' 1 T IntetfAt Held Sufficient. "It is tho belief of the secretary! that the rate now pitjposed Is suf ficient and that, by restricting on neeeesary capital Issues, and by In ducing the people who subscribe for liberty bond to rave and keep them for Investment, and by purchases with the sinking-fund from those who find themselves compelled to sell future Increases In the Interest rate may bo avoided. In order to put an end -to the expectation of higher rates. It Is proposed the con version privilege shall be eliminat ed from the new bonds, but" the holders of liberty bonds of air exist ing Issues will be given an oppor tunity to convert their bonds Into the 'new 414 per cont bonds. IBg K-iie To He Asked. "In addition to the foregoing principal items of the proposed pro gram, congress will be asked for au thority to issue bonds to the amount (Continued on rase 2.) ENGINEERS ONLY MEN FROM U. S. IN BIG ATTACK Two Regiments Aid British Where Germans Are Di recting Offensive PERSHINGSENDS REPORT Message Disposes of Rumors American Reserves Are in Battle WASHINGTON. March 23. Gen eral Pershing cabled the war depart ment tonight that two regiments of American railroad engineers are at tached to the British forces on the fiont attacked by the Germans. Three companies of the engineers, he said? were working in the areas in which the German official state ment mentioned the presence of Am erican troops and no( report has been received concerning them. Engineers In liattle. The dispatch follows: , "Summary of activities from noon March 24 to noon March 25: Noth ing to report, bul usual patrol and trench activities, with some gas shel ling by the enemy north of Toul. In reference; fo German communiques of Mareh 2 4 and 2." regarding Amer ican troops, two regiments,,. of rail way engineers are with th Hritlsh armies involved In this battle. Three, companies of engineers were work ing In the areas -mentioned In the communique in the vicinity of the Crozat canal. No report other than the German communiques yet receiv ed concerning these troops." This message, announced tonight by Major General March, acting chief of stoff, definitely disposed of re Ports that American reserves , had been sent -In the battle. General Pershing said there was nothing tin usual to report from the American sectors. ... . .: Americans Aid BrltUhi. The German communique yester day said that tha.Britleh third and fourth armies and "parts of French American reserves that had keen brought up had been repulsed with heavy losses on the line from Ba paume to Bouchevesnes. behind the somme and at Chauny." y War department officials had as sumed that if any American troop actually were Involved they were en gineers attached to the British for ce, as there had ben no advices to Indicate that any American contin gents were to be employed as re serves. If the engineers were caught In the German advance there is no doubt here that 'they made them selves felt In the fighting. When American engineers with the Brit ish near Cambrai last November found themselves In the midst f a German turning. movement, they val iantly Joined" In the battle and won high praise from the English com mander. Detail Are Aw sited. -WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN FRANCE. March 25. The fact that the enemy has officially mentioned the presence .of Americans In the baU tlefield of the Somme and has re peatedly reported that some were captured indicates the good accouni American engineers gave of them selves when the Germans attacked. They probably threw down their picks and shovels, look up guns and fought as they did at Cambrai last year. Official details announcing tha rart American engineers have takm in the great battle are eagerly await ed here. Only certain units of the Ameri can railway engineers are with the Hritlsh army In France and only a few com pan lea. are known to be in the area near the present fighting, ft Is believed therefore, that whatever Americans were captured there, ac cording to th German official state ment, are American engineers, who, however, may have fought like n fantrv as they alwjav carried rifles and bayonets ss well as tools since the Cambrai battle In November. 1917, when they helped repulse Ger man attacks, "May God Be With Us," sWire German Kaiser AMSTERDAM, March 25.--The fall of nanaume w announced to night in a telegram from 'the German emperor to the -wnpress, it in an nounced officially. The emperor's telegram reads: "Bapaume fell last night, after a hard struggle. My victorious troops afe pressing forward from Bapaume and .further south ar advancing on Albert. . The Somme has i been crossed at many points above Pe ronne., The spirits of the troops are( as fresh as on the first day of the battle. v "Over 45.000 prisoners, more than 600, guns, thousands of machine guns and enormous quantities of am munition and provisions have cen taken- Just, as after the Isonzo battle in Italy. "May God be with us." (Signed ) - ; "Wilhelm." WOOD URGES U. S. ARMY OF . 5,000,000 Germans on West Front Held Numerically Superior on Ground and in Air; Fight ing in Open Is Forecast SHIPS AND ARTILLERY ar urgently needed While Initial. Success Sur- prises, Failure of Offen sive Is Seen WASHINGTON, March 23. Back from a visit to the western battle frontMajor General Leonard Wood, in a confidential; statement today be fore, the senate military committee, declared that allied military opin ion Is unanimous that the German offensive will fail and urged a great increase to 4,000.000 or 5, 000,000 men in America's army. It waa General ' Wood's .opinion, according to. his auditors, that the Germans on the western front are now numerically superior, both on the ground and in the air, but that the allies are Jn a better position. While confident, that the German of fensive will be halted before the ene my has gained any material dbJec-H uvea,. General Waod suggested that the offensive may change the war fare into a more open contest.' For that reason he recommended the training of American forces for open warfare, as well as for trench fight ing. v .. V. S. Army of 4,000,000 T'rged. The general was before the com mittee, for three hours and . frankly discussed the situation In Europe and at home. Stating that the French are disappointed In the -size of the American army thus far sent to Eu iope, according to cammittee mem bers, j he recommended Immediate steps 'to Increase both he Aerlcan expidieionary forces and the army iu training in this country. Chairman Chamberlain said General Wood rec ommended that an army of 2.500, 000 men be maintained In' France at the earliest possible moment and 2500.000 more in training at. borne. Another committee member placed General Wood's recommendations at 4,000.000. one half in j France as soon as they can be sent there. ' In this connection. General Wood also recommended compulsory universal military training. . . . ? , Aviator Without Plane. In urging that, the American war program of men, ships and muni tions be speeded up and increased. General Wood said no American ar tillery, or airplanes are yet available to General Pershing's men and that, although one thousand American av iators are ready, they are without planes. Use of Liberty motors In bombing instead of fighting ma chines also 'was recommended. Commenting on the German of fensive, GeneraL Wood, according to members of the committee, said that, aitlfough the initial success of the Germans probably had been greater than expected eithe by- the allies or the enemy, judged by the number of British guns reported captured he and allied officers believed the drive will be short-lived. There is no pos sibility, he said, of the Germans at taining their apparent objective, tha channel ports or threatening Parl.J Men, rttitp. Aitinery -aeciea. Explaining the viewpoint of allied officers wttti-whom he recently talk ed and who were expecting the pres ent attack, he said thi Germans soon will reach more difficult ground to traverse, while the British and the French retire to superior prepared positions, at whffh the German of fensive will be stopped. Iiombardment of Paris by long range German artillery. General Wood ls reported to have told the senators, Is not a serious military factor and will have no effect upon the mqale of the French people. Men, ships and artillery, in thf order named, the general is said to have stated are tie principal mili tary. needs of "the allies from Ameri ca, and wll equipped, i He deplored the fact they are without American artillery or airplanes. Training of the American forces, the general said haft been rapidly accomplished and supplies are plentiful. Shipping Plan Criticise!. In urging the necessity for more ships. General Wootf criticised pres ent shipping arrangements and said he had suggested to the war depart ment that fast and slow ships be begregated in , the convoys, so that fast ships will not be held back by the slower vessels. . . The i break down of Russia, has greatly Improved the morale of the dermn army and the German .peo ple. General Wood said. He addei that America should pay more at tention to the Italian situation and suggested that Americans of, Italian origin be entto Italy tocombat th German propaganda .which has been active In that country. American Front Unprotected, j Associated Press dispatches from the American front telling of thj (Continued on page .) DISINTEGRATION NOT INDICATED BY BRITISH LINE Frightful Toll of Lives Exact ed for Every Foot of Ground Abandoned OWN LOSSES NOT UNDUE Drive No Longer Is Straight at Line But Is Diverted Toward Oise (Utt The i Aociated Ptcm) . Battling for every point of van tage, giving ground only when over whelmed by number and exacting a frightful toll of lives for every foot of ground abandoned, the British line in Picardy is still Intact. While the German onslaught gained ground at a number of points -on Monday, there waa no sign of disintegration In the British forces, which at many points, especially on the northern end of the long line of battle, are standing fitun. . , . The German official report tells of the defeat of the British and their retreat via Ypres and Sailly. This would seem to Indicate heavy fighting far to the north of the Somme battlefield, of which no Hrit lsh report has spoken. . There - Is, however, a town called Sailly south of Bapaume and eastward of this place is a town known as Ytres. It is probable that these were the points referred to - In the statement from Berlin. - The largest gains made by the Germans have' been west of St. Quentin, where they have captured Nestle. t . ' ..v ,Vj .'. "Plncer System , Used These points, which ase at the tip of the -Teutonic attack, are' more than ten .miles from the front as it stood March 21. , . . . , Military observers discern In the scheme of the German attack a repe tition of the German "pincer" y tern of attack, which . was used by Von Mackensen in Russia, Rumania and Serbia, This attack consists. of two attacks some distance apart, which, after progressing to some depth, turn toward each 'other, com pelling the forces caught between them to fall back or be In danger of capture. The British have faced this dan ger and have met It by first checking then forcing the northern jaw of the pincer southward,, while they i bave dropped back on the center and, have not fallen into the German trap. The pressure of the defenders - of the Somme front. eems to be bending the whole perman attack Jo the south where It Is hoped its force will be. dissipated. French Join In Fighting. The French positions joined the British to the south of St. Quentin, but there have been no reports showing that the French have fallen back from their advanced positions. On the other hand, reports would In dicate that the original French lines now virtually outflank the advancing Germans along the Oise river. , Jn the meantime the British strat egy seems to be devoted to the task of meeting the attack so thiY H is directed no longer straight at the line, but Is diverted toward the Oise, where the German advance has been most rapid. ' .French troops have taken over sectors of the front and have releas ed British traits for work farther north. Berlin states that Americans have also joined in the fight, but (Continued on page .) BRITISH BOMB GERMAN CITIES Fires Started in Stations; 45 Enemy Machines Shot Down in Fight LONDON, March 2. British avi ators have bombed the railway station at Cologne, as well as var ious other Important cities in Ger many, the of flclar statement on aerial operations announces tonight. The text of the statement reads: . During the night one of the enemy's large bombing machines landed behind our lines. Following a successful daylight raid on Mann heim, other objects in Germany were attacked during the night. "Half a ton of bombs were drop peir on, thV railway stations at Cologne, where a fire was started. Over a toribf bombs were distributed between the Luxemburg railway station" where a fire broke out, and the Courcelles railway station, east of Meta. Two tons of : bom ba were dropped on the Metz railway sta tion. "The fight was the most severe so far experienced.. Our airplanes shot down 4 5 enemy machines and drove down 22 out of control. Two other hostile machines were shot down by our anti-aircraft guns. Ten 'of our machine are missing. - 'Over 17 bombs - were dropped during the day on different targets." ASEiME Great Struggle Continues With Unabated Fury Brit ish Right Wing Is Holding Firmly Germans Rush en Despite Losses V BRITISH INFANTRYMEN REAP RICH HARVEST Battle Fought on : Hist eric Ground Nejr Longueval De clared Most! Spectacular cf AH Along Entire Front WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN FRANCE, March 25.$-Thls has been another day of most desperate and sanguinary, fighting along the who! front. of the new hattl mn in tart In the northern.' sector there has been no cessation In the awful work since yesterday morning. The Ger mans have continued to hurl great forces of infantry Into th conflict, depending largely on weight of num bers to overcome the Increasing op position offered by the heroically re sisting British. Britten Heap IlarrMt. On the northern wing of the of fensive the enemy, this morning brought np additional troops after an all-night struggle of the fiercest nature and renewed his efforts to break the British front In the region of Errillers. To the south, near the center, of the line, an equally stroDg attempt Is being made by the Invad ers to extend the long narrow salient which they had pushed In south of Bapaume, near Longueval famous In the annals of the-battle of tho Somme. These places were again the scene of shambles In which the Brit- lsh machine gunners and riflemen ex acted ! a terrible toll of death from the closely pressing enemy. Still far ther south the Germans were pound ing the front hard in an endeavor to push on and get a firm grip on Nesle and swing the British right flank back while the determined defenders were battling doggedly to force the enemy back and reclaim the positions previously held by them along the river. ,.. Decision Yet In Abeyance. i The decision at all of these cen ters Is yet In abeyance, so far as is known at this time and the atrugcle goes On with unabated fury. The re sistance of the British right wing has been particularly strong. On Saturday the Germans essayed the crossing of the Somme. on rafts In the Nesle sector, but these expedi tionary forces were caught in a hall of artillery, machine gun and rifle fire, and virtually wiped-out. Yes terday, however, the Germans suc ceeded In getting troops across In this manner and followed these ad vance guards up with strong force which pushed on In the neighborhood of Morehain. The British were con testing the enemy advance fiercely and, at latest reports were holding the bard hitting enemy strongly. Battle Mot Spectacular. The battle today on the historic ground about Longueval was per haps the most spectacular of any along the front. It was a Hay for machine gunners and infantrj?. The Germans were" pursuing theirlactlcn of working forward in massed for mation, and the British rapid-fire squads and riflemen were reaping a harrest from their positions on the high ground. Notwithstanding their terrible losses, the .Germans kept coming on, filling In the places of those who had fallen and pressing their attacks. The Btlsli artillery in the meantime poured iii a per fect rain of shells on the enemy, carrying havoc into the ranks of tho enemy. In this section the Germans were operating without the full sup port of their guns because of their rapid advance. V British Abandon SJerey. In the north. In the -region of Ervillersthe British last night were -forced once more to abandon Mory. which had changed hands several times In the last few days. They fell back for a short, distance, and the battle- this morning was staged largely along the Bapaurae-Arras road. The Germans employed large number of divisions In this asnault. which in the early hours was hM off by the British gunners. For -the Ust four days,-French refugees hav heea streaming back from the evacu a ted towns In large" numbers. Every where along the roads leading to the front were to be met old men. wo men and children all trvdgfng stical ly behind their horse-drawn carts of household funiture, or ev-n packing (Continued oa pago 2)