The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-10-25
British Guns Never Cease
Devastating Fire On
Flanders Front
GERMAN OFFICERS
ARE LOSING GRIP
One Prisoner Says Ger
mans are DESERVING and
Returning To Homes
(By Associated Press.)

With the British Armies in France
and Belgium, Oct 24.-The consoli-
dation Of the positions won by the
allies in Mondays attack was being
rapidly completed today under a
bright sun which is mitigating some
what the difficulties of the work in
the morass-like ground. Active
artillery fire marked the night east
and north Of Ypres.
The British big guns have never
ceased to pour a devastating fire into
the German positions along the
Flanders battlefront, and the enemy
has responded vigorously. Last
night the Germans directed a heavy
fire against the sector between the
Ypres- -Menin highway and the Ypres-
Roulers railway and also concentrat-
ed on Abraham heights, which are ON
the Gravenstafel ridge. southwest OF
Passchendaele.
Shortly before dark last evening
the enemy launched a counter attack
against the British south Of Hout-
hoist forest. near the junction with
the French, but this was repulsed
with machine gun and rife fire. Both
the French and British were holding
their new positions in this difficult
territory on the edge Of the forest
strongly.
The assertion in the German OIL
cial statement that the British on
Monday also attacked on both sides
Of Gheluvelt and were repulsed is
entirely erroneous, as no such attack
was made. The British offensive
was confined to operations along a
narrow front several miles north Of
GheluveIt. tE n
ofHcsr Killed BY Men.
The report that British troops had
found a German officer who had been
executed by his own soldiers, the body
having the hands bound behind the
back, has been confirmed. The in
cident occurred at a redoubt south Of
Poelcapelle during the recent fight
ing. There were fourteen German
soldiers and young officers holding
this place. When the British troops
stormed this redoubt the German SOL
diers surrendered and the British
found the dead officer with five bullet
wounds in his body. The reason for
his execution was that the men de-
sired to surrender, and he refused to
give up his stronghold without a
struggle.
This affair Is another link tending
to substantiate statements made by
prisoners that the German officers
commanding certain bodies Of troops
along the Flanders front are losing
control over their men. There is no
doubt that there has been a very
considerable deterioration in the
morale of many of the German troops
in this region. But the German fight
ing machine is recognized as .stiH
being a powerful one.
officers Losing Grip.
One commissioned officer be-
longing to the Tenth Bavarian divis-
ion, who was captured about the
middle Of October, asserted, as had
other prisoners before, that the off,
GERS were losing their grip on the
men. He said that desertions in the
rear were very frequent and cited
the case of thirteen men Of his own
company who had deserted a fort
night before, declaring that they
were going home. Some Of them
were arrested on the way. but others
actually reached their homes.
Four of these men were brought
back to their company as prisoners,
but the officer did not know whether
any of them had been punished. He
added that this was not an excep-
tional case.
An equally interesting statement
was made by a captured officer Of
the guard reserve division who had
Joined his regiment in the middle Of
October. He declared that the NOR
ale in Germany was very bad and
that the civilians were raising an
outcry as to why the war was being
Throughout the country.
he said, there was talk of an end TO
the HohenzolIern and the establish
ment of a republic. The morale in
his own division he characterized as
bad, although formerly it had been
good.
CONTINUED on page s.)