South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-06-08
All De viltries
Of War Used in
Ypres B a It'll e


DENT WITH THE BRITISH AR
MES IL FRANCE. June S. via
London, June S-The British
armies struck today on a new front
and won a victory which supple
ments the successes at Arras during
the last two months The Germans,
though apparently aware that the
blow was coming and seemingly pre-
/ pared 10 meet it, were driven from
their nearly three-year hold on Mes
sines ridge. opposite poor old Ypres.
the last remnant OF an important
Belgian town, which. with the help
Of the French and British in turn
has held out against all the massed
attacks the Germans could fling
against it, including the first great
surprise attack of poison gases. a
! means of supposed civilized war
fare.
Britons Wipe on Old scores.
Ypres, in a sense was avenged to-
day. for Messines ridge has been the
vantage point from which the Ger
mans have poured torrents of shells
! into the stricken city. The British
also wiped OF an old score against
the Germans. FOR they held the ridge
in October, 1914, and with very thin
forces and virtually no artillery,
fought bloodily but vainly TO hold
/ it when the Prussian troops massed
their modern and over powering
weapons of war against it.
TOday's attacks lacked many of
the elements OF surprise which &C
cOmpanied the battle of Arras and
the successful storming of Vimy
ridge There has been no doubt for
three weeks past as 10 the inten-
tiOns Of the British. The Germans
knew that a big push was 10 be made
against Messines, and they had
plenty of time to prepare for the
defense of that place. Prisoners
taken today. however. declared that
the bOmbardment of Nimy was
child's play compared witt the gun
fire turned upon Messines ridse.
Climax Reached at Dawn.
This fire reached its climax just
as dawn was graying the eastern
skies and while the full moon was
still suspended high in the heavens.
Today's successes, won along a 10
mile front from Observatory rfdge,
southeast of Ypres, 10 Ploegsteert
wood just north of Armentleres,
proved another triumph for British
artillery supremacy.
AS the fighting was wholly on Bel
gian soil however, the Belgian ar
/ tillery stationed some distance north
/ of the actual line of attack. lent aid
with a violent bombardment of the
/ German positions within range of
its varied calibred weapons
Ridge Looks insignificant.
I Messines ridge is a low lying
promontory extending along tho
greater part of today's lighting
front 1t is an insignificant bit Of
ground TO look at from below. At
J its greatest height it rises barely
20 metres above sea level. The sur
rounding country is so low and fiat,
/ however, that Messines had an OBJ
| servation value virtually incalcul-
able 1t was a position which dom
| mated the northern half of the
British line in the west and no
| operations of a large character
could be planned without its pos
! session.
Seventy metres is not a great
height, but when you have been sit
ting at 20 or so metres with the en-
envy looking down at YOU and pour
ing shot and shell necessarily about
Your ears. possession of the higher
ground means victory of supreme
importance.
All Arts of War Used.
TOday's attacks were accOmpa-
MED by all the arts and deviltries
OF latter-day war. The enemy guns
and gun crews had been bathed for
DAYS in gas shells sent over by the
Ions range British guns The night
was filled with red incendiary
flame Shells that spurted molten
metal in surging streams of golden
rain crashed i'm appalling numbers
about the heads of the defenders.
High explosive and shrapnel fire
was carried out with such rapidity