Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-10-24
MOVING DAY FOR
WILLIAMS MEN
British Gunners Jest as They
Prepare to Open on occu-
pants in Trenches.
SECURE REGINA DUGoUT

Copyright, 1916, by The Associated Press)
British Front in France, Oct. 81
(Via London, Oct. 23.-With the re-
turn of fighting weather, the British
resumed the offensive on larger
scale this afternoon and turned on
enough gunfire and sent in enough
troops to make sure Regina trench
was theirs. 1t was the most impor<
tant attack for three weeks. .- '
All this month Regina trench has
been developing sinister reputation.
1t joins on to the old first line fortifi-
cations in the neighborhood of Thiep-
val and anything in that region, with
comfortable dugouts, the Germans
like to retain in order to prevent the
active battle front from broadening
and for another reason which Brit
ish soldier expressed when he said:
with winter coming on we feel the
need of those deep. snug dugouts the
Germans spent so much time in build
ing"
Big Bite Required.
Parties of the British got possession
Of portions of Regina trench on sew
eral occasions, but the Germans
swarmed in front of their burrows and
repulsed the invaders. Evidently
Regina trench was not to be taken by
nibbling and required one big bite. In
such cases there is nothing to do but
wait till clear weather when the gun
ners can see what they are doing and
turn on number one artillery curtain
of fire.
Yesterday morning a set gunner's
smile was on the face OF the whole
army Instead OF rain and mist max
ing a gunner's bane of low visibility,
an almost wintry sun was shining in
crystal clear air---literally an artillery
mans heaven.
All the gun tribe necessary for the
job were up and in position already
waiting for such day as this, when
the eyes that see for them from the
observation posts can tell whether the
practice shells they leisurely fire are
on the target which they are to paste
as far as they can see on the signal be-
ing given for the concert to begin.
When the same kind of weather con-
tinued today, staff officers who ar
range these affairs said:
Moving Day for Germans.
This is moving day for the Ger
mans in Regina trench"
The Regina is long trench Of near
ly three miles-about the same length
as the battle front at Gettysburg.
Shortly after noon, when there had
been the usual amount of shell fire all
morning and nothing anywhere on the
landscape to show that anything I'm
usual was going to happen, number
one curtain fire was suddenly turned
on, with the same effect on the ear
as when all the whistles of New York
start when the clock strikes twelve on
New Years eve. The usual billowy
cloud of shell smoke, vigorously ex-
tensive in the cold air, churned and
whipped the length of Regina trench,
with the customary accuracy of these
swathes of death and tempest, and
then the British infantry were in full
possession of the trench.
Some Germans boited from the first
ugly breath of that barrage, knowing
from experience that the only thing
to do was to move on to another posi-
ton and force the gunners to prepare
another deluge for the next step of
the entente allied offensive. Six hun
dred left alive were taken prisoner.
Fires Are Pleasant.
? The gunners are smiling at the stars
tonight, which promise another fair
day tomorrow The cold weather has
transformed the army into a winter
chrysalis. The battalions are march
ing up the trenches all wearing their
overcoats. The call is for more choco-
late and more bacon sizzling in pans
in the dugouts. The gunners, who
were stripped for their work in Al
gust, now warm their hands on the
heated gun barrels.
At night on the field where fires
are permitted, the men gather around
the blaze of any wood they can gather.
Those digging trenches on the ground
won don't mind how cold it is SO long
as the ground is not soaked by rain.