New-York tribune., 1916-07-24
Terrltorials Swept Over
Trenches and Into
Heart of Town.
WILD CHARGE MADE
IN EARLY MORNING
Soldiers Chief Wonder Is That
So Few Men Were
Killed.
Eex8,D

With the British Armies In the Field,
July 23 (via London, July 24).-To the
Australians Is the glory Of to-day's ac-
ton, which takes the British offensive
10 the end Of its third week and what
might be called the third phase. Not
once in the three weeks have the guns
been silent. All the while the fighting
has continued until the spectator has
become numbed with this superhuman
struggle.
The attack Of June 21, initiating the
offensive, began at 1880 in the morn
ing; that of July IA began at o'clock
in the morning; that OF to-day began
about o'clock in the morning. Whiie
resisting many counter attacks through
the week, and Delville Wood becom-
ing a shambles, the British have been
creeping forward. More little round
spots of new advanced posts and PEN
cilled lines of saps and trenches ex-
tended as the human moles dug their
way forward.
More German Artillery.
More German artillery and more
troops have been massed to meet the
increasing numbers Of the British,
while the British guns kept moving
nearer and practising shots at targets
for future concentrations Of fire. More
important than ever 20 either side are
those points or high ground on the
front of the British pressure. Both
straining combatants strive for the po-
sitions, saying, 81 must have that"
All last week the Associated Press
correspondent kept his eye on some
black, stick-like points resembling
broken telegraph poles, which were
once shade trees in the village OF
Pozieres. Villages like La Boiselle
have become 20 unacceptable from
shellhre that one does not know where
the villages begin or end. But the
sticks Of trees are whitfield and whit
tied by the shell bursts until a d.
rect hit at the base levels them.
Pozieres was under the same Brit
ish shellfre as the other villages suf-
fered before tho Germans were forced
out. Not human being was seen in
the neighborhood, except near a COM
munication trench, in front of which
few British were making shell
crater into field fortress. Across the
way the Germans were engaged in
the same business, both having
sneaked out of their positions in the
night.
Shellbursts Showed the Way.
By the location Of the shellbursts
in the morning it could be seen how
far the British had wormed their way
up over night.
One of the humors OF the week &c
the army is the German fas shells
At first such numbers of them wer,
astounding, especially those which Dc
not explode. but emit a volume of gas
One British soldier called out, "If you
expect to kill us with them you have
to come over and hold them up to oul
noses"
The British officers are worried lest
the British public, hearing of the large
volume Of gas shells, will insist that
the British begin the use of a weapon
which seems wholly disbeleved in by
the British army experts.
"Pozieres will be hard nut tc
crack" everybody has been saying in
the las flew days as he looked at the
sticks of trees and the ruins Of the
knoll above Ovilllers. That task was
given to the Australians this morning
Australians Good Fighters.
Smooth shaven, clear cut Of feature
there is no mistaking the Australian
at the front. He wears q slouch hat
while all the res tof the British wear
caps. A rising sun is his badge. His
ways are democratic. His pay is the
highest Of any soldier in Europe, which
he spends freely. Open-air men, with
plenty Of initiative.
Today they had their first big test
in France. Charging from their
trenches in the darkness against the
new German trenches around Pozieres
they did not have much to do at the
first German trench. or at least they
did it uqickly. Then out Of the con-
fusion of the night illumination she'll
flashes came the news that the Aus
tralians were past their objective, and
then on the main street of Pozieres.
which is the main road to Bapaume,
and hugging close the Germans on the
other side Of the street. os that the
German artillery could not fire on
them.
People had said that either the Aus
tralians would get there or be killed,
and the surprising thing. the wounded
say, is now few weer killed.