Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-11-14
Germans Completely
Surprised by British in
Attacks Along Ancre

(Copyright, 1916. By Associated Press)
With the British Armies in France,
Nov. IS, via London, Nov. IA - (5:14
a. m.)-The Germans were apparent
~ completely surprised by this morn
ing's attack in the valley of the Ancre
An evidence of this was found in the
fact that the garrison of the trenches
around Beaumont Hamel were pre-
pairing for breakfast at the very mo-
ment when the British infantry
stormed the position. The British,
after partially clearing the under
ground galleries and rounding up 700
prisoners, proceeded to eat their
tives that they would be fed when they
arrived within the British lines.
1000 Prisoners
a total of nearly four thousand
prisoners has so far been sent to the
cages, including q regimental COM
mander who was captured in a dug
out with a major, an adjutant and a
number of other officers. The ma
jorlty of the prisoners are Silesans,
and, according to the British officers
very inferior fighting material. The
German higher command depended
apparently on the supposedly i'm
pregnable character of the old front
line and its strongly fortified villages
rather than on the stamina of the
troops. The British officers believe
that the Germans withdrew their best
men for service elsewhere on the
British front where the new and
shallower positions to which the de-
tenders have been forced demand
greater resisting power on the part of
the infantry.
British Losses Light
The British losses were unusually
light owing largely to the unexpected
ly feeble character of the German ma
chine gun fire at Beaumont Hamel
and St Pierre Divion. Large num-
bers of German dead were found
strewn in the wrecked trenches of the
original main line. This line con-
sisted of four parallel roads of
trenches, the last being flush with
the western face of Beaumont Hamel.
For some days past the sector at
tackled to-day and the area behind
have been subjected to successive
bombardments which rose to a rec
ord pitch yesterday and resulted in
the demolition of large part of the
defenses. The garrison accepted the
mornings deluge of shells as part of
the usual daily program and did not
fully realize their danger until the
British infantry was seen approach
ing in the darkness.
Attacked From Rear
The British north of Beaumont
Hamel was held up on a front about
one thousand yards west of Serre. The
first detachment captured some Ger
man trenches and passed eastward to-
ward the village. Suddenly hidden
machine guns and infantry snipers
scattered in great profusfon IN the
craters and other shelters, began firing
in the backs of the attacking troops
and necessitated their withdrawal
North of Serre the British gained
ground but owing to the failure of
the advance Immediately south the
position is subjected to an enfilading
fire from higher ground in the neigh
borhood of the village. \ number
of isolated pockets are being cleared
of Germans in the intervening ground
between Beaumont Hamel and Beau
court-Sur-Ancre. The British are
firmly established on the western out
skirts of the latter hamlet. The re-
naming fragments of the old Ger
man line Immediately south of the
Ancre which were "pinched OUT by
the British flank pivoting to the
northeast around the elbow of the
stream. had been partially isolated
since the capture of Schwaben re-
doubt. Three hundred Germans, the
only survivors of the bonn bardment.
were captured in this extensive system
of riverside caves. Prior to the at
tack the only communication be-
tween the caves and the German rear
was by a causeway across the Ancre
which could only be traversed at
night.