Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-02-26
NDON, Feb. IS.

LONDON, Feb 2s.
The British have won the village or
Serre, an important link in the German de-
fenses west of Rapaume and several other
positions to the east, driving back the Ger
mans as much as three miles at some
points General Iiags account Of this
new success north Of the Ancre is pitched
in the same minor key as his report of the
British victory Saturday night in the same
sector
During the last twenty-four hours"
reads his statement. tho enemy continued
to yield ground along the Ancre. Meeting
with little opposition, small bodies OF our
troops pushed forward on n wide front
occupying Serre village and several other
important points further east"
The announcement and the developments
I'm the military situation on the western
front which it indicates are Of the highest
importance. With Scotch caution the Brit
sh leader makes light of these fresh vic
tories but more complete accounts put the
operations in vastly different light
The essential feature lies in the fact that
throughout these purely artillery actions
the British guns have absolutely dominated
| those of the Germans Meeting with little
| opposition" as stated by lIaig, means moth
| ing else than the overwhelming superiority
| Of the British artillery
| INFANTRY TAKES Up ATTACK
| ON Saturday the British infantry took up
| the attack along the Ancre after an artil-
| lery duel lasting several days. The British
gunners had concentrated their fire on the
| enemys positions south of Serre and south
| Of Miraumont, the two bastons in the Ger
man line Of defense.
| Both on Saturday and sunday when It
came time for the British troops to ad-
vance from the trenches. they occupied the
new ground almost without opposition. The
ts
| ness. The troops of Prince Rupprecht found
| il impossible to hold their lines and evaCu-
ated them before the British advanced. This
| is attested by General IIaigs statement that
! In the last attack on Serre only small
! bodies of our troops were required to
! carry out the operations.
| The two successes, in which the Germans
| have lost two important villages and nearly
| five miles of trenches, constitute triumph
| for Uaigs new tactics. The dominating
| artillery of the British is accomplishing
| now what the costly frontal attacks of the
| infantry accomplished before, and the oh
| jects of the British drive are being achieved
| with a minimum loss.
| Prince Rupprecht is known To have
pridcd himself on the mpregnability of the
| Notifications Of Serre and Miraumont, yet
| the British troops walked through them
! almost without casualties. certainly with
! out opposition worth the name. The Ger
| man explanation that Petit Miraumont was
| evacuated on account of the mud is re-
garded here ridiculous, because the
mud" lay between the British and the Ger
| man lines
MIRAUMONT'S FALL NEAR
| The capture of Serre. coupled with that
! Of Petit Miraumont and the powerful posi-
| tions between those two points seals the
| fate of Miraumont, now flanked on the east
| and the west. Miraumont was to stand
! against the British advance, as Thepval
did last year, but now its defenders must
! choose between retreat or development.
There is a strong feeling here that the
| fighting on the western front is on the
verge OF great developments. 1t is possible
that lIaig has determined to begin the
! grand drive now, rather than wait for
more favorable weather conditions. Since
| the artillery is bearing the brunt of all the
attacks. inclement weather will not affect
the continuation of the British operations
SO long as the infantry meets with but in,
significant resistance, the general attack
probably will go on without pause
on the remainder of the front less gen