The Oskaloosa herald., 1917-04-26
GREATEST BATTLE
/ Of WAR CONTINUES
British Capture Two Villages Dur
ing the Day.
1900 PRISONERS ARE TAKEN
Germans Are Resisting More Stub
bornly-HeaVy Losses on Both
Sides-FieId Covered With
Dead.

London, April 25.-The British
gained ground on wide front south
of the Bapaume-Cambrai road. They
reached the st. Quentin canal Mt one
point. Farther north the villages of
Beaucamp and Villiers-PlOuieh were
captured.
The positions gained on the French
front, says the official statement, were
maintained and further progress was
made east of Monchy and near RoeuN.
More than 1900 prisoners We're taken
in the operations and many more are
coming in.
Battle Is Terrific.
AS terrific n battle ms ever was
fought on the western front in France
is raging with increasing fury In front
of Arras.
Dispatches from headquarters in the
field say the British are charging for
ward over ground torn up by big shells
and carpeted with corpses.
The new battle was begun yesterday
morning between Lens and Trescauit,
and already terrible loss of life has
been inflicted upon the Germans,
British Also Lose Heavily.
There has been no time for burials
The bodies lie as they fell. Dead and
wounded are mingled. @
The British did not escape so light.
~ as In the first weeks fighting east
of Arras. The Germans Ind received
strong re-enforcements Of machine
guns.
German resistance Is more stub
born now than ever before, say head
quarters adyices.
The bitter struggle continued all
| night under the pale glare OF star
bombs, fires and colored rockets, with
the British ever advancing.
Under the weird light the field of
dead and wounded, with the swiftly.
moving figures of the fighters above,
presented a CHASTITY sight.
Advance on 2o-MiIe Line.
Over this scene of frightful carnage
hangs Il pail of white and yellow
| smoke.
During the night the British i'm
proved their new positions all along
| the 20-mile front, although this work
had TO be carried out under heavy fire
from the German guns. German cOun-
ter-attacks were repealed.
| Not only are the English nearer
| DOuai and Cambria than ever before,
hut excellent progress has been made
in the "pocketing" movement at Lens
Correspondents at the front declare
that the British can enter Lens at any
time they choose, but they are cOntin-
uing the pressure east and west OF the
! town in order to compel its evacuation
| by the Germans, and thus save lives.
Artillery Is Active Near craonne.
Paris, April 25.-The artillery was
very active last night in the vicinity
! of Hurtefise. in the FOuIOn valley, and
near Craonne, says the official an
nouncement. French patrols took pris
| Oners.
Two German attacks during the
night were repulsed. In the Cham
pagne there was grenade fighting.
German Line Stiffens in Places.
London, April 2J.--1he resistance OF
the German armies appears to increase
in accordance with the aearness OF tho
British approach to the Hindenbura
positions This is true participant,
along the present front, where the
threat is against the DrOcOurt-Queant
switch line, which is depended upon
by the Germans as the connecting linb
between their lines north of st. Quen
tin and south of Lille. This is the
switch toward which the Germans are
falling back slowly but surely as re
suit o. the turning Of the top of the
original Hindenburg line running from
a point just southeast of Arras toward