The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-06-08
British Forging Ahead in Most
Powerful Drive Yet.
Germans Massing Forces to
Retain Captured Nation.
TEUTON OFFENSIVE SOUTH
Violent BOmbardment on the
French at st. Quentin.
But Paris Reports Thrust Halt.
ed at Its Inception.

| London, June s.-Across a blunt
wedge five miles broad at its apex,
British troops were still forging ahead
today, smashing Germanys steel grip
on Belgium.
Early front dispatches today told OF
another night of intense fighting. The
German line was bent far back in
the initial shock of vast mine explo-
| sions, of a helI-fi-e of artillery and of
| the dashing blows of the infantry. Up
to today the enemy's elasticity had not
been evidenced in any swapping back
into line of that fracture. Apprised
now of the tremendous strength of
the drive. the Germans are massing
reserves and fiercely opposing every
step of the British advance
The great city OF Lille and the i'm
portant industrial towns OF Iourcolng
and Roubaix are directly menaced by
the newsstand probably the most
powerful-of the British drives. the
three cities are the centerS OF france S
industrial section of the nort9- me
fighting is over Belgian so1l-but the
| detectives sought are in France.
! In this locality the Franco-Belgian
line twists in a sharp dip forming
triangle whose point is just above
| Armentieres Menin, Wervick and
/
triangle, being the Belgian border
lcitiesNthe hypothenuse of a triangle
whose upright line runs from Ypres
land Messines to near Armentieres.
Lille is six miles distant from Ar
mentferes 1t is ten miles from Mes
sines. further up on the triangle line.
| The capture of the low-lying ridge
from Messines to Wytschaete' how
| ever makes the MeSSineS victory I'M
! nortant even if it is farther distant
!
| promontory dominates the flat Bel
| eian-French fields in this section. 1t
offers an ideal observation base
Moreover, it gives an advantageous
strategic position from which to turn
the frank of the enemy army just
| above Armentieres.
British Headquarters in France,
June s, via London.-(F'rom starr
correspondent of the Associated
| press THE numbers of prisoners
reaching the collecting stations since
the beginning yesterday of the new
British drive in Belgium has now
reached more than 5000. Many more
prisoners are coming in.
No estimate of the number of guns
captured is yet possible, altho it is
known several German batteries were
taken practically intact. The night
passed quietly on the front of the new
attack. all the conquered territory be-
ing held.
Prisoners say that scores of German
guns were destroyed by the British
| bOmbardment.
The German losses in their counter
| attacks were terrible. The full depth
of the British attack was 5000 yards.
Three counter-attacks by the Ger
mans, which were not delivered in
great force, were broken up last night.
Praise Airplane Work
Two comparatively large pockets of
Germans, overlooked in the first rush
forward, have been surrounded in Bat
tie Wood, near the northern flank of
the ten mile attacking front, and in
Oxygen trench, down toward the
southern flank of this line. The "mop-
ping up troops were expected to deal
with these Germans during the day.
OF more than 100 officers taken many
are artillery men. All the latter said
the British fire of the last seven days
had destroyed scores of German guns.
In some instances all four guns in
u German batteries were damaged, while
in other cases three of the four guns
were lost The work of the British
flying corps in directing the shooting
is beyond all praise German officers
said they felt absolutely helpless
when airplanes came over head and
the British batteries began to fire I'M
der their observation and direction.
Il Germans in Counter-Drive.
Paris, June S.-Germany has APP
parently started a counter-offensive
along "a great section of the French
front.
Today's official report detailed a
violent enemy bombardment around
St. Quentin and La Fere, preliminary
to an attack which the French killed
at it's inception; more violent artillery
fire centered on French positions
north of Moulin Laffaux and south
Continued on Page Seven)