New-York tribune., 1917-12-03
Waves of German In.
fantry Plunge Into
the Raking British
Machine Gunfre
Allies Salient
Strengthened Out
Town of Masnieres Is
Evacuated Without
Molestation From
the Foe


LONDON, Dec. 2-The Battle OF
Cambrai is developing as the bloodicst
| and most stubborn Of the war. To.
night it is still in full swing, with
General Byng's salient holding under
terrific German pressure. In the swirl
of battle yesterday American Engineers
1 were caught between the advancing
Germans and the British and bravely
joinly Byng's men. Several of them
were hit.
So great is the concentration Of
Prince Rupprechts artillery that the
British have been forced 20 cvacuats
the village Of Masnieres, though
without molestation from the
enemy" as General Hsig's lAtes.
communique expresses It. This par
tial retreat, however. came only after
ten massed counter attacks had been
beaten back by the hard pressed men
in khaki. Even then it proved impos.
sible TO hold the village in the face OF
, the continuous tornado ~ Germar
shrspnel and explosives, which did no,
cease until hours after the last Brit.
ish trooper had been Withdrawn.
Germans Claim Captures
The Germans announce tat the town
was retaken by assault and that a mum
Der of the defenders were captured.
Ths day repert ffam Berlin asserts
that several hundred additional Brit
ish prisoners have been sent 70 the
rear. and that 40 less tnsn, sixty Brit.
sh guns and more than 100 mAchsut
guns have been counted since RUp'
precht's turning movement began.
IL is clear that the British are being
severely handled, but thus far the new
German gains have been unimDortant
Accounts of the valiant fight put up b.
the American engineers caught in the
thick Of the battle at Bouzaucourt have
thrilled the public here. In an effort
TO relieve the enemy pressure Field
Marshal Haig launched local attacks IA
the Passchendaele area, in Flanders.
to-day, which gained the British some
ground.
But the Battle OF Cambrai is still in
a fluid state, where anything may hap
pen. Thus far the British have tough,
with "dogged does il" spirit, clinginf
tensciously to their gsins. but the
Germans, despite their frigltful losses,
appear TO have an inexhsrstible reser-
voir Of reserves.
British Beat on Attacks
At other points than Masnieres, ac-
cording 10 the British headquarJers
statement, the German counter attack
has failed to make much headway
Heavy assaults in the neighborhood OF
La Vacouerie and Bourbon were broken
up, and in the vicinity of Noeuvres
the British artillery dispersed con
centrations Of German infantry. AZ
La Vacouerie the struggle was par
ticularly severe, and the losses Of the
Germans were unusually heavy.
The Reuter- correspondent at British
headquarters declares:
During Saturday the Germans de-
livered no less than fifteen attacks
against our positions in La Vacqusrie.
Those in q position to know say that
we killed more Germans opposite La
Vacquerie in twelve hours than in any
other spot in the same time during the
whole course of the war.
by far the greater proportion OF
guns abandoned in the first German on
set on Friday have been recaptured
the others were disabled. The amount
of territory the enemy has gained a;
the sacrifice Of thousapds Of lives is so
trihing that practically the situation
remains unaffected.
Advices from the front to-day indi-
cate that the German claim 10 captured
guns rests principally on pieces blown
up and disabled before the British re-
linquished them.
British Attack in Flanders
While the battle wsged unabated on
the Cambria sector. the British opened
q new attack in Flanders. IN what Gen.
eral Haig describes as "minor opera
tions." The report chronicles the capt
ure of some fortified buildings and
strong points on the main ridge north
of Passchendaele. The Berlin report
refers TO the Flanders lighting as Of
the greatest violence" continuing all
day and all night. Goeberg was also
attacked, and, on the whole. the assault
was successful. The British advanced
;heir lines from 300 70 400 yards Al
some points. Evidently the blow was
delivered TO relieve the pressure on
Byng's salient before Cambria.
The withdrawal from Mssnieres. and
the ability of the German commander
70 throw waves Of troops repeatedly
against the British positions, in add.
tion to his desperate assaults at other
points Of the salient. indicate General
Byng has a mans job ON his hands.
The town adjoining Masnierss. Les
Rues Vertes, was at last reports IN
the hands Of the British. after the
Germans had wrested it from them.
and then been forced again 70 surren-
der Il.
The Berlin statement describes lirt-
ly artillery action from Inchy as Tar
as Bourbon.
West Of Meuvres infantry attacks By
the British were beaten back, Berlin
claims. and another attack east OF
Meuvres. like attempt, collapsed be-
fore the Teuton lines. Nearer Cam.
brai, on the western bank Of the
Scheldt Canal, the German report spys
that Byng's men tried and failed In
several attacks, and records that Indian