The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-10-14
WEATHER STILL CHECKS
OPERATION IN FLANDERS
British Hold in Iron Grip
Terrain Recently Taken
From Germans.

British Front in France and Bel
gillm, Oct. l3.--tBy Th. Associated
Press, British troops southwest Of
Passchendaelc village during the night
pushed forward slightly in advance OF
the line that they reached In yester-
days offensive, but over the major
portion of the siN-mile battle front
there has been little change In the sit
uatien Morasscs that in places were
;mpassable and at all parts almost i'm
possible to push through We're holding
operations in an iron grip. over Il
large part Of the front the British this
morning were holding a line that rep
resented apprcciable gains in terri
tory. At "a few points, n check be
cause of the weather had to be
acknowledged and the attacking troops
fell back to positions which they had
left
Two countcr-attaCks were attempted
by the Germans yesterday and both
were dealt with quickly by the artil-
lory one was in the ncighborhood of
the Brooseindc- -PasSchcndaelc highway
and the other started from positions
east and southwest Of the village of
Passchendaclc Neither counter at
| taclxing force appears even To have
| reached It's objective before 1t was
smashed.
The night was fairly quiet as far rs
infantry action was concerned. ON the
northern section in the advance be
| tween poelcapclic and Houtholst for
est fewer difficulties We're encountered
| In Yesterdays attack than on the
| southern portion. Along the southern
| edge of the forest the British pushed
| their lines 200 yards northwafd along Il
! 1900 yard front. thereby considerably
| improving their previous positions.
1t rained hard again last night ant
| this morning until shortly before noon
when the sun broke through the clouds
| In some cases the British infantry
men were unable to keep up with the
| artillery barragc and as a result came
| under the rifles or machine guns of tn,
| hidden enemy marksmcn who haC
| escaped death in the barrage. Stretch
! er- bearers encountered untold diff.
culties. not only from the deep mud
but from German snipers.
| The correspondent today talked viii
several wounded stretcher-hearers who
them heard of rcma rkahe inciden
| during yesterdays battle. They sal,
| they operated continually in mud ant
| i'm addition were constantly harrasset
| by enemy snipers concealed in shel
holes and even in shattered trees
During the morning, German
| Stretcher- bearers had advanced numer
Gus times almost to the British line
to get their own wounded and had no
| been molestcd because of their Re,
| Cross flags. Notwithstanding this
+; the Germans continued firing on tn
British until the climax was reache
! when the strctchcr- bearers working
together were shot dead by. sniper
hidden nearby. Infuriated by this out
rage q British officer seized a Re
icross flag and waving it over his hea
rushed toward the snipers. When h
arrived within speaking distance c
them, he bitterly denounced thei
treacherous action, employing as hi
! medium the German speech. which /
: speaks fluently. He called the cue
mics attention forcib,y to their viola
ton of the laws of war and humanit
and pointed out that the Germa
= stretcher- bearers had been operatil
81 without molestation. The officer, aft
e having expressed himself full
4 marched back to his own lines and
X was not fired upon. From then {
= the stretcher- bearers said the Germa
ceased sniping at them.