Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-09-21
HGig Pierces Foes
Line in Great Drive

/
we were able to consolidate our positions
| undisturbed
West Of Havrincourt and west Of Lens
| small hostile attacks were driven on"
| Dispatches from the front declare that
| the British troops today are pushing still
farther into German positions along the
! Ypres- Menin road. Probably the greatest
| artillery duel OF the whole war ragged last
night over the eight miles on which Field
Marshal Haig's troops struck early yes
terday morning. The Germans poured a
| terrific barrage to cover their counter
! attacks and the British imposed wall OF
/ shells before the enemy's advances, or
ahead Of their own troops.
Shaken German prisoners examined to-
| day after the first sweep of the great offen-
| sve declared the British barrage fire her
| aiding the infantry assault was the most
deadly In the history of the war. The
| first push carried the British forward
nearly a mile
British forces have pressed ahead more
than a mile at some points, capturing the
villages Of Veldhoek and Zevenkot, respec-
lively south and north Of the strategic
Roulers road.
Not alone were terrific losses inflicted
upon the Germans but 5000 or more prs-
oners were captured
TEN SQUARE MILES TAKEN
Nearly ten square miles Of new Belgian
today as a result Of their victory.
The British were not content with sim
gle wall of bursting shells ahead of their
troops. Not even two or three or four
walls enough, but actually five dis
tnct lines of fire were thrown to pulverize
resistance. with almost superhuman in
genuty the five lines of fire were made to
merge in forward and backward and side
wise sweeps.
1t was a veritable loom Of death" weav-
ing its terrors further and further into the
enemy lines. Barrage passed through bar
rage until It seemed that the air was clogged
with shells.
The Germans everywhere put UP stub
born resistance. especially from dugouts
and machine gun emplacements of con-
crete which had survived the terrific bar
rage fire The enemY's guns retalated
heavily in spots, especially the Anzacs
to the right Of the attacking center.
English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish, African,
Australian, Canadian and New Zealand
troops took part in the big thrust. They
had a stern task to perform for the Ger
mans fought stubbornly, but they carried
it out with glory to themselves and the en-
pire.
Inverness Copse. Glencorse wood, Nome
Bosscher wood and Dumbarton lakes were
scenes of particularly fierce fighting. The
enemy was keenly alive to the Importance
Of holding the heights which formed the
center of the attack and they struggled
desperately against the British wave. I'm
like previous offensive blows struck re-
Gently, the British used very few tanks
The ground was not favorable for their
utilization. Also they were not needed as
the depth of the British artillery fire was
greater than has hitherto been seen any
where In the war.
The ground over which the advance was
made was muddy. Heavy showers during
the night made the going even heavier.
Throughout the morning the clouds hung
only 600 feet above the ground and a high
wind whipped singing mist in the faces
of the fighters.
aerial CAVALRY" IN ACTION
According to pre-arranged plan. great
numbers of British airmen participated in
the attack. They earned the right to be
called aerial cavalry hereaftc~.
At 500 feet altitude and less during the
thickest of the infantry fighting they
swooped above the German lines watch
ing for open bodies of troops, and, finding
them, ducked down sometimes so low that
their wheels seemed almost to touch the
helmets of the Teutons, their machine guns
spattering death.
1t was the first battle in which the air.
men were formally assigned to the task
IF machine cunning infantry.
Langemarck, mentioned for the first time
today in Haig's report of the new drive
lies about four miles above the Ypres- Menin
road, which Haig yesterday described as
the center of the British offensive. The
eight-mile front of the new blow would |
make it extend over the same sector in
which the British in their offensives of |
July 81 and August 16 gained ground The |
tower and hamlets northeast of LANCE |
marCk" would seem to put the new Brit
ish advanced positions close to the Hou- |
thulst forest