The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-13
Declares German Artillery at La Bassee Canal
 Was Overcome
STRONG POSITION
 TAKEN BY STORM
Rctl0ubt First Pounded to Pieces With Lydditc Shells and Then Taken by Infantry-Accuracy of the
 Gunners Notable Feature

London, February 12.--(7:35 D. n.) The British army in France is using heavy howitzers which, according to a report from the official eyewitness" with the eApeditionary force. have gained ascendency over the heavy Ger man guns. These howitzers, he states, were used in successful attacks on the German positions in the brick fields south of La Bassee canal a week ago tonight.
 Our heavy howitzers took part in |thIs bombardment, their fire being directed on the railway triangle" the eyewitness says. "The boom of these pieces and the detonations of their shells were audible 20 miles away above tho roar of the other artillery, while to those close at hand the shrieking of the great projectiles through the air was most impressive as were the vol umes of smoke and debris thrown up. The effect of the lyddite shells was ter rife.
 Positions Are Stormed
 "rhe assault was launched against a strong German position among the brick stacks. Our storming columns rushed the work from three sides at once and completed it with little loss Prisoners afterward said the noise of the bursting shells was so great and the clouds of dust so thick that they did not observe our men advancing un- till too late. At the same time trenches north of this point were stormed by an- other party. By seizing these points we occupied continuous line southwards from our forward posts on the canal which formed an advantageous posi- tion in front of the brick fields
 We captured 19 unwounded pris- oners and many wounded. trench mor- tar and machine guns. The Germans left 70 dead on the ground. while oui casualties were insignificant.
 The Germans showed no inclination to accept the reverse and the earl, hours of February a body advanced along the canal bank shouting out Don't shoot. We are engineers Thi. form of strategem, unfortunately fo, the enemy. has now lost its novelty Our men held their fire until the sup posed sappers were only few yards away and then opened with machine e un with the result that the engineers fell back, leaving 30 dead in front oi bur line In the afternoon another at tack melted away under our artillery fre.
 Fire Is Accurate
 "A great feature of the recent fighting has been the accuracy of our artillery Dire On one occasion our guns blew the Germans out of trenches on an embark. ment only 40 yards from those we were holding. On February most of the enc. my's casualties were due to our shel fire The whole of the area both behind and immediately in front of the trenches lwe now hold were filtered with the bodies Df hundreds of Germans killed since Jan. uary 25 Our artillery fire here has ob. tained such ascendency that after the assault on that day our troops actually put up barbed wire entanglements 1T front of their trenches in broad daylight without being fired at. Prisoners cap tured here were Respondent and much ehaken.
 1.-The Germans rely on the incendiar, shell for damaging towns, and in theil recent bombardment of Armentieres usec projectiles packed with material so in. nammable it will ignite if placed in the Bun.'
 Men of Poor Physique
 The Eyewitness" says that some prs.
 (Contfnued on Page Two)