Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-11-23

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.
Since the beginning of the attack the
gunfre had been extremely weak. No
Mans Land showed comparatively Few
shell craters today, and this morning
the British guns were doing virtually
all the firing along most or the front
involved This is a striking contrast TO
the Flanders region, which has been an
inferno of artillery fire for weeks.
The Germans have attempted very
few counter attacks thus FAR, and an
OF them have been smashed. Inc latest
counter thrust reported was made last
night near Demicourt, and this was
dealt with promptly.
The Germans. who at the hrst attack
yesterday retreated or surrendered IN
dismay. were fighting desperately tooaS
TO regain a hold on their rear positions.
particularly hard hand-to-hand en-
gagement occurred this morning at files
ouieres when the infantry. accompanied
by tanks, stoTmed this place and drove
the Germans from il.
The fighting about Flesquieres began
last night. but IL was not until about
o'clock today that the British made an
prcanized assault on the town. The
tanks went ahead and were engaged Inn
mediately by seven heavy German guns
which began to fire at them point blank
at short range 1t was a critical mo-
ment. for while the tanks will Withstand
heavy fire they cannot be expected 70
stand up long under big shells hurled
from guns only a short distance away.
Guns Taken, Crews Killed
The British infantry which 'swarmed
behind the tanks, saw the predicament
OF their iron friends and deliberately
charged the enemy artillery with rifle
fire and hand grenades. All the guns
were captured and their crews were
killed.
A similar incident occurred at Frenzy
CbappeIle. northwest of Marcoing, where
three guns were stormed and their crews
annihilated. Some of the most spectacu-
lar work of this nature fell to the cav
airy. The mounted troops got into
Narcoing and Masnieres last night and
in the latter town engaged in sanguniary
battle with German infantry. An en-
envy battery there was giving trouble
and a SQUAD of horsemen charged the
position. shooting or sabering the entire
crew. Another battery at Rumilly was
taken i'm similar fashion.
Graincourt was carried by storm. cav
airy. tanks and infantry working to-
gether. British forces at the latest re-
ports have carried their line in this sec
ton northward to the Bapaume-Cam-
brai road.
The Germans ran from Rubecourt
with the British close at their heels.
This town is a mass of ruins. partly on
account of shellfire and partly from
lack Of repairs. 4 The German dugouts
were left intact.
The occupation of Marcoing and Mas
nieres was a great stroke for the Brit
ish. as il gave them mucn needed cross
iues for the Escault river and canal
which formed, a natural barrier to the
advance from this direction. Cavalry
infantry and tanks were poured imme-
diately across these passages and pro
ceeded to work northward.
Military necessity precluded the men
ton of cavalry in the first dispatches
regarding the present offensive, but 1t
NAV now be said that the mounted men
went into action at 1850 o'clock yester-
dav morning after the tanks had opened
the way through the barbed wire This
was one of the features OF the battle
in which General Pershing appeared to
take deep interest while he was at the
front Yesterday. 1t has been Won
derful two days for the horsemen who
had been relegated to rear areas OF the
western front. with few exceptions, since
early IN the war. Thousands OF them
have been operating over wide area
beyond the Hindenburg line.