Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-12-04

the German artillery, and, while the
gunf1re was weak, some fire was di-
rected on the tanks as they advanced.
1t was interesting to follow the trail
Of the tanks and to see where shells
had struck all about, apparently with
ont doing any damage, for in this
whole section the correspondent did
not see one tank which had been
knocked out The condition. of the
German trenches showed plainly that
the occupants had abandoned them in
a hurry. All sorts of equipment and
personal belongings strewed the
ground
Graincourt Taken by Storm.
GraincOurt was carried by storm,
cavalry, tanks and infantry working
together.
The Germans ran from Ribecourt
with the British close at their heels.
This town is a mass of ruins, partly
on account of shell fire and partly
from lack of repairs. The German
dugOuts were left intact.
The occupation of MarcOing and
Masnieres was a great stroke for the
British, as it gave them much-needed
crossings for the Escault river and
canal, which formed a natural barrier
to the advance in this direction. Cav
airy, infantry and tanks were poured
Immediately across these passages and
proceeded to work northward.
Berlin Denies Big Loss.
Berlin. Nov. 24.-The battle south
west of Cambria is continuing, army
headquarters announced on Thurs
day. The enemy, the statement de-
clared, did not succeed in breaking
through, though he gained a little
ground beyond the German front line.
Referring to the British attack on
the Somme front, the communication
SAYS that before and behind the Ger
man line lies the wreckage of tanks
which have been shot to pieces.
The statement says that on the
western bank of the Scheldt the Ger
mans drove back the British to An
neux and Fontaine, and that On the
east bank of the river the British were
forced back into their former positions
south of Rumilly.
HindenbUrg Line Smashed.
The Hindenburg line has received
its hardest blow.
Attacking on a front of 80 miles be-
tween st. Quentin and the Scarpe, the
third British army, under Lieut.. Gen.
Sir Julian Byng, captured the whole
German line west of the Canal du
Nord to the Bapaume-Cambrai road,
and are still pressing forward.
General Pershing. commander of the
American forces in France, was pres
ent at the British headquarters as the
guest of Field Marshal Haig to witness
the offensive.
Tanks Charge Enemy.
Unlike most drives, the present at
tack. which was begun early Tuesday
morning, had no artillery preparation.
This fact served to surprise the Ger
mans, whose resistance was very
feeble. but the substitute for the usual
terrific barrage surprised them even
more
This was the unexpected advance
from the British lines of large num-
Der of tanks. Flowing ahead through
fields of barbed wire and over trenches
the tanks opened up great gaps through
which rushed English, Scotch and Irish
troops, who fought with and van
ouished the Germans in the open. AT
one point the enemy was fighting on
his last line of defense.
Important Towns Taken.
Among the towns captured are Hav.
rincourt, Flesquieres, Marcoing and
Masnieres.
Nearly twenty guns were captured.
Germans Dazed.
The resistance offered by the dazet
Germans was negligible, and by moor
British pioneers already were at work
LAYING roads across the old front line
| trenches.
LulI Precedes Storm.
Up to the actual hour of the British
attack there were moments when great
stiffness reigned over the battle front
end ii seemed impossible that within
a short time the line would be a seeth
ing caldron. At 6 20 o'clock long lin,
of tanks, distributed over wide front
! started forward at the same time tn,
/ British infantry OF either side of tn,
land monitors made threats at tn,
| German line