The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-12-03
British Successfully Hold Van
tagc Points Against Persist.
ent Attacks
HUNS CONCENTRATE BIG
FORCE Fer FIGHT
Military Value of Infantry AT
tacks Without Artillery Pre-
paration Becomes Subject of
Sharp Debate

London. Dec. This. the twelve
hundred and twentieth dag of the
war was ono Of constant hit-and hit
back fighting on the Cambria front.
The Germans didn't get any further
in yesterdays inCesSant attacks, so,
after an all nights artillery drum
ming. they tried again at dawn today
and kept at II unt.l dusk.
Latest word from British headquar-
ters this evening was tha; all their
assaults broke down They did make
some slight inroad5 into the British
lines around Masnieres. which Was the
center of the carnage, but they were
cacn time thrown back by the Tom
mics in well-organized counter
thrusts, As the battle stands. ths
Germans have to content themselves
with the com paratNely small area
they recaptured in Friday furious
offensive.
Strategicaly. the outstanding fact
IS that the British lines held firm on
The northern s,de of the salient. tina.
Bourbon wood, with its dominating
spur. ,in l04 is completely IN their
hands. To drive the British frcn
This position-four miles from Cam
brai and dominating that town--@was
The ultimate object OF the Teuton
counter drive and in that they failed,
They didn't tackle this position in "a
frontal Assault -4-,e~-rt fierce III
automatic British retirement ny
crushing in the TANKS OF Rings
wedge. On the southern side they
did succeed in denting the british
lines not inconsiderahiy. hut in tie
north they hit granite.
| Thus the menace to Cambria is as
ominous today as II was at the end
OF the british third army's great tank
Idrive, military experts pointed out to-
might, and. II this menace ia nef re-
moved. the Germans will be compelled
sooner or later to draw back between
Cambria and Arras and leave one OF
their main communication bases. with
its great "city beneath the CITY," to the
British.
/ But the end Of the Cambria lighting
! Ia not yet. Todays persistent Teuton
charges showed they are determined
10 throw the British hack cut ~ sh9
whole area, six miles deep and eleven
miles wide. invaded by Byng's troops.
Concentration of German reserves
and guns on the Camhrai front 81 n
tinues. There were increasing signs
late today OF massed frontal assault
against the Moeuvres- Rourlon-F on-
taine line, the vital sector. How
strong the British are here, however.
Is shown by the fact that they not
only beat off the Teutons but took
some goo prisoners in the heat OF
Fridays battle.
! Meanwhile the British pf ess and
public were rejoicing today over the
fact that the Teuton gain was so small
! In proportion to what they set out
| to do.
| In this connection 1t is not divulg-
ing a secret to state that a cons der
| able impetus has been put behind the
| controversy between two schools 9t
military doctrines In the allied camps
revolving around the question; rs IT
wise to start a largs-scale infantry
attack without artillery preparation p
Those who argue the negative side
| have admittedly gained by the last
| few days developments before CAM
| brai.
| The controversy began with Nj
veile's great drive on the Aisne last
spring Though he was summarfly
disrn Used as result OF the heavy
losses incurred in that offensive. there
were many experts of note who as
serted the casualties were fully paid
for bv the strategic results and by the
equally heavy losses inflicted on the
foe. General Byng's tank drive was
the second surprise offensive Of that
sort but Infinitely more successful be-
cause Of the massed use of the iron
monsters.
| There was this setback. however,
one expert pointed out tonight: that
the lack OF thorough prelim nary arr
tillerv hombardment left the battle
ground in comparatively favorab!a
state for a counter offensive, Had ths
ground been raked and torn by the
lbig guns, converted into a maze of
shell craters, as on the Somme and
! In Flanders, II is argued. the Teutons
would have been unable to do what
they did Friday.