The sun., 1917-09-21
Tremendous Attack East Of
Ypres Launched at
Daybreak.
OBJECTIVES ATTAINED
Deepest Barrage Ever Used
Follows Most Extensive
Artillery Preparation.
TANKS AID INFANTRY
Flying Men Carrying Out
Elaborate Offensive Take
Great Part in Battle.
TANKS AID INFANTRY

LONDON. Sept 20.-The British, ~.
sumins the great battle Of F7anders,
launched tremendous attack at day.
break this morning over front OF eight
miles east OF Ypres. outing into the
German lines to a maximum aepth Of
about a mile and taking 1000 prisoners.
Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig reports
tonight that all his objectives were at
tained. Among the positions taken are
Veldhoek and the western edge of Poly
son Wood. Further north Zevenkots
was captured with few guns Core.
spondents at the front say this offensive
gives promise OF developing into the
most important that this front has
known
After artillery preparation, which IL
characterized as the heaviest ever seen,
an extraordinary barrage was thrown
over the German lines, the deepest bar.
rage. 1t Is said. that has ever been used.
In some places there were five barrases
thrown out at the same time. The Ger
mans have been kept worrying for sew
eral weeks by the intensity of the artil.
lery fire and the Berlin reports have
been commenting on it for fortnight,
predicting new offensive. but they did
not know exactly where to look for it.
Even to-day's German report said that
a heavy bombariment was in progress
from Houtholst Wood, about five miles
south OF Dixmude, to the River Lys, q
front OF about fifteen miles
Easy Work for British.
owing to this thorough and highly
skilful work by the big guns the British
araf
swarmed out of their trenches at 5 40
CLOCK and dashed across the zone Of
death. otherwise called No Mans Land
The Germans were dazed by the tre-
mendous barraCes. curtains of eyplodine
shels arranged in rows, one behind
another. and the British reached the
nrst trenches with little loss. buf as
the barrages lifted thousands of Ger
mans emerged from their shelters and
the second and succeeding waves OF
British encountered the fercest kind OF
hand to hand fighting
The whole of No Mans Land is 4
mass of shell craters, filed with water.
interspersed with tangled barbed wire
and shattered trees and dotted all oye~
win the Germans new defence posts.
what the men call pill boxes" concre:s
iortiets' each housing dozen men or
more, and everywhere there were Ger
man machine guns. hundreds of them.
Farthest East Attained.
The main attack was delivered on both
sides OF the fpres- Menin road. and prob
ABLY the fercest lighting was In the Sec
tor about Inverness Copse and Glen.
corse Wood, where many Of the most i'm
portant of the numerous British raids
were made In the last fortnight little
10 the northeast, at the village OF Weld
mock and Pol, gon Wood, on the line be-
tween Ionnebeke and Gheluvelt, Haig's
men attained their furthest east, more
than mile from the battle line az IL
was yesterday.
The Reuter- correspondent at Rritish
headquarters telegraphs
Tanks were employed in limited num-
oers, for the ground does not favor their
use, but some of these machines were
seen by the airmen moving to the assist
ance OF the infantry, where the latter
were temporarily held up
The nyins men are taking great
part In the battle. and are carrying out a
much more elaborate and coordinated
offensive than on any previous occasion
Quickncss Surprises Foe.
THE first advance the British made
very rapidly, the men being in light
skirmshing order. and the Germans con-
fess that they were surprised at such
quickly delivered attack. il is note
worthy that the British swept over
places which have figured so frequently
IN communiques since the end of July a.
serious obstacles. such as Pommern
Castle and r"iouht, the Iberian block
house and Gallepoli.
Schulcr gallery, a long hne of pill
boxes, gave considerable trouble. hut
the dash OF our men was Irresistible
our walking wounded report that every
shell hole and pill box yielded its quota
OF anything between a dozen and thirty
prisoners Some surrendered without
firing shot others made stubborn re-
sistance by fire and bomb throwing.
AS our barrage crept toward them
the occupants Of these defensive posi-.
t'ons issued with fixed bayonet-, mani.
testify In accordance with previous or
ders to receive the attack But gem
orally when they saw our infantry
sweeping toward them they surrendered.
Tho larger proportion of the prisoners
are quite young and chiefly Bayarians
Under cover Of heavy protective
barrage the work of conso.id .idation has
been strenuously progressing through
out the afternoon. Our lighter batteries
have been got forward in wonderful
| fashion.
The casualties are not heavy con.
i ia.