The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-12-26
CANADIANS CHARGE 2 MINUTES BEHIND
 ''CURTAtN OF FIRE"
Raid German Trenches in Day. light, Blowing DugOuts
 To Pieces.

With the British Armies in France,
 Dec. 26-North of Arras certain
 Canadian troops accomplished last week what the British officers de-
 clare marks new phase in modern
 trench warfare. In rapid action which was much more than a, raid, though it has been so called officially,
 they succeeded in putting out of action, temporarily at least, an entire
 battalion of German infantry.
 They took 59 prisoners, including
 one commissioned officer. and esti-
 mated that they killed 150 Germans in dugouts, which were blown to atoms after ttheir occupants refused
 to surrender The Canadian losses were extremely light.
 The "raid'' took place at 3 o'clock
 in the. afternoon on a front of 400 yards. The German prisoners admit that they were taken completely by surprise. The officer captured said that he was convinced that something was about to happen, but believed that the attack was coming on Christ mas Eve. He reported to the higher but received no support
 Right Behind Artillery
 The CdndQlduS, ulOSIIy Sldi men from the plains of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, had skill fully established themselves we'll for ward, so that when the artillery had ceased the preparatory fire they were in the German front line trenches in less than two minutes. The officer in command, who was reporting the raid to brigade headquarters by tele- phone, said that he had hardly utter ed the words They're off, before he had to say They're in."
 Consternation reigned among the Germans, who scrambled for the saps and dugouts leading to the rear trenches while the Canadians pelted them with hnnd-grenades. Caught absolutely unprepared, many Ger mans in the front line offered no resistance, but threw up their hands with cries of "Kamerad.' Others were taken as they fled for the sef- ond and third lines, for the Cana dians pushed on quickly to the second trenches. l..
 About twenty dugouts were de- stroyed by the Canadians, several with bombs captured from the Ger mans One of the officers, engaged said:
 "As we entered the trenches many Germans broke for the dugOuts. All who did were subsequently, we'll cared for. Each of our men was given de- finite instructions for his precise task and map of the enemy's trenches which proved absolutely correct.
 Came Out Singing:
 Each man knew every detail of r,.r delighted at this and entered the fight with great cheers. When they came out two hours later they were sing ing and as happy as schoolboys on a holiday. The neatness and despatch with which the raid was carried out were unique. The artillery co-opera- tion of the British guns was per- fectioh.
 Beautifully placed curtains of fire our advance and, creeping forwa I'd, protected us as they pro- ceeded to denlolish absolutely the enemy trenches and dugouts. The pro- gram had given the men an hour and a KaIf for their work, but the clean up was accomplished in an hour and ten minutes and the raiders signalled | they were ready to return to their | own trenches.
 No attempt was made at counter attack until the following night when l the. Germans bombarded and raided | their own first line, or what was left l of it, thinking that the raiders were 1 still there. As a matter of fact the | who. carried out the op- eration were miles away. They were l not part of the fighting line but on rest, and had gone forward for this l particular piece of work which was l plaf1hed decks ago. A War Office statement issued un- l fer Sundays date tells of another l successful raid carried out on Sat- lrday night in the vicinity of Hebu- ] ,erne. ,..sf:
 We entered enemy tranches last night .in.nthe neighborhood of .Hebu- l ,erne,,' says the bulletin. ''Dugouts l by the enemy were bombed | and prisoners were taken
 'z.'Gas was successfully discharged l 3y us, yesterday evening. against the l enemys trenches twest of Messines. ] I4asts night the enemy fired a camou- l let at Mount sSorre1. No damage is 1 'eported. 7 = Intermittent artillery activity con 1 inued, particularly on the right of | ,ur- line between the Sonne and Heb lterne. Northeast of Morval an en- my working party was caught by our ire. < Our heavy artillery shelled en- my battery positions opposite Neuke H. 1I- '-