The evening world., 1917-11-22
Many Had to Leave Breakfast
in Dugouts and the British
Swept Over Them.
By William, Philip Simms

WITH THE BRITISH ARMIES
BEYOND THE HlNDENBURG
LINE, Nov. % Omitted PressJ.--Vlc-
torlous Britain carried on" to-day
with her Triumphant smashing Of the
IIlndenburg lines.
Tanks. cavalry. infantry-all wero
closing steadily around Cambral-the
great war machine rumbling over the
enemy Just as tho tanks FIRST crushed
tho way through the German lines.
With their stories and the tales
wrung from German prisoners stlll
dazsd with the surprise OF the British
blow. It was possible to-day TO piece
together some idea OF conditions In
the luxurious and-supposedly--im
pregnablo German positions Of the
Hindenburg line when Gen. Byng
loosed his surprise party.
Not n German had any knowlsdse
OF the attack until the tanks loomed
over their heads Then they literally
blew up" in panic. French civilians
In towns Just behind the lines 1e-
scribed the officers and men as run
ming around like chickens with tlclr
heads cut off" The whole nrmy qliv-
ered and shook with the suddcnncss
of the thing: the great ghost-i.ke
steel Aonstcrs that battered through
cement and earth and human walls
were fearsome giants: the swearing,
yelling f!ends who followed tncm
were gnomes who suddenly sprang to
lifo out OF the ground.
1t must have been RS re-" tS's
palsy Of surprise. OF fear and ~ mat
almost amounted 20 superstitous panic
that something supernatural had oc-
CURED. passed away among tho Ger
mans.
British "moppers up" told OF how
men from whose heads the lethargy ot
sleep had hardly passed blnmnRy'
! dazedly crowded out OF their dugou's'
or how. uncomprehend!ng that II was
reality and not dreams, they duly teI
I great ldDhS NIuSH NilciAA he's ~
ly cleaning British bayoneLs find then
mark.
In trenches and dugouts blankets
and cots were stu warm from sleep
ers' bodies or breakfast tables tof
Off cers. daintily set. s,i.l smoked Lp-
petizlnRly. A tangie Of personal he
longings In limo after limo OF duBonts
showed sleepers IN the hunks and on
the cots had leaped TO their feet IN
the nrst terror of the moment--and
ficd to the ghoStly dawn above with
out hats, without blouses, without
guns. almost without with their
senses.
Vast stores OF eh-lce wines were
found Ia tho officers quarters Cigars
and cigarettes were packed there
protusely.
Many sections OF the iIlndenburs
line came into British hands abso-
lutely intact. The tanks had smashed
great gaps. Through these the In
fantry poured and spread out. fan
wise, behind. taking yard after yard
! Oh ln6 looINASAo AAOAA
the rear.
Tho correspondents were sum
moned TO the line during the night
They stood that memorable morning
In the very light Just before dawn,
In the midst OF great droves Of tanks
all camouflaged and bedizened-a
veritable multitude OF the Things.
They were q great herd OF gentle
loolting stolid creatures. that seemed
to browse on the grass covered bat
tle.leld, sheltered somewhat by trees
whose branches showed no nlpping
bv shells. The scene was l!ko some
farm In the Kentucky bluegrass re-
gion. One could imagine the tanks
either as bovine herds or as cluttered
up dingy- looking neglected farm ma
chinery scattered about.
Only a few desultory shells exploded
In the distance-the regular. monoton-
Gus. every-morning Interchange. Col
umn after column, mass after mass OF
men and machines and horses and par
aphernalla had slid through the oily
night shadows and were lined up at
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