The Washington times., 1917-11-28
BRITISH PLANES
SKIM HEADS OF
FOE IN TRENCHES
BY WILLIAM PHILIP sIlIMs.

WITH THE BRITISH ARMIES IN
THE FIELD. Nov. 2s.-crown Prince
Rupprecht fed thousands OF his best
men to the reeking NAV of the Brit
ish lion in the Pourlon wood attack
yesterday.
The wood IS a mere bundle of sticks
now. Its great trees have literally
been splintered by high explosive,
smashed down by tanks. uprooted
by shells. What used to be a pleas
ant grove of grateful shade is now a
bare, scrawny hump. 1900 by $500
yards out OF the salient showed for
ward into the very vitals of the Ger
now be soaked with the blood OF
fighting that has ragged over its top.
This dispatch is written just after
my return from a sight of Cambria.
The buildings OF the prize city are
visible even in today's thick weather
from which the British line sticks its
steel menacingly forward.
Looks Like Prison Yard.
On the other side OF the Bourbon
ridge, toward Queant. the former
Hindenburg line looked like a prison
yard from the keepers tower, so
commanding is the ridge position.
1t is small wonder that Rupprecht
is now desperate as he sees this vital
dominating point in British hands. As
| stood south OF the wood the rattle
Of rifles came from the right. 1 have
seldom heard such terrific bursts of
noise from infantry hghting.
Then the machine guns on both
sides Joined their staccato rattles in
a feverish crescendo. A sally had
been tried. And over all came the
crash OF great explosives.
The Boches are taking no chances
OF letting British re-enforcements
come up. Minute by minute they are
busy crumpling every known road. or
every known track by which they
think fresh British troops may enter
the salient. High explosive shells
are used, great monsters that dig
great craters.
The British guns do not hesitate to
reply. Back on the German roads,
Byng's shells must be making life mis-
cradle for the Boches. As this great
artillery duel roared. there was a sud
den cyclone blast Of rattling hail. We
peered out over No Mans Land to see
six British planes sweeping. swerving.
and careening, IL seemed almost touch
ing, the heads OF the Germans just
across Their machine guns spat
venemously as they raked the lines.
They were far too low for the German
antI-aircraft guns to touch them-and
they moved too fast for the surprised
Germans to twist their machine guns
upward and fire at them. Down along
tn, line they zigzagged, like angry hor-
nets.
Then came more-three together,
a couple, half a dozen-one lone one.
Throughout the late afternoon they
kept IT up until darkness erased the
line OF the enemy trenches.
British Flyers Active.
l did not see a single Prussian air
man all day. The sky was filled with
British flyers.
As this is written Bourbon village
is the center OF the fighting-for the
moment The main street is in ruins
II practically marks the division line
between the two sides-a division
line that is constantly overrun by
Prussians or. British-that is swept
by hail of FIRE.
Byng's Tommies carried their way
into the village from the masses of
the enemy.
Machine gun nests in Lafoile wood
for a time interfered with the Brit
ish swing forward. but British artil-
lery got on the Job to attend to this
little matter and the Tommies con-
tinued onward.