The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1917-08-09
Fair Weather to Bring
New Intense Assaults
on Lines in Flanders

Germans against Hollebeke and heavy
artillery commandments on both sides,
represent the main activity along the
battle line in Flanders during the last
"a hours, but the cessation of the rain
and the reappearing of the sun, which
is rapidly drying out the water-logged
roads in the fighting area is the most
important event.
In addition to the assault on Hole,
beke, the Germans also delivered a
counter attack against section Of the
left wing of the British army above
Ypres during the night after heavy ar
tillery preparation, but here also they
were thrown back.
British Firmly Entrenched
The clearing of the weather to a
point where infantry fighting on a
much larger scale is possible, finds the
British firmly entrenched throughout
the entire length of the advanced posi-
lions wrested from the Germans.
The accounts of men engaged in the
capture of HODGE indicate that the Sec
ond days battle in this section was
made extremely severe and doubly try
ing by the heavy rain that began the
night before HODGE itself was occu-
pied with little trouble soon after the
attack began because the place had
been so knocked to pieces by the Brit.
ish guns as to make it untenable.
The British attack began astride the
Menin road and the advancing troops
had to make their way around Belle
waarde lake, just north of Hooge, in or
der to reach the strong line of Ger
man defenses along the Bellewaarde
ridge which dominated this section
This ridge was taken in hand to hand
fighting one hour after the offensive
began. The British inflicted severe
casualties and captured a number of
prisoners.
Charge Through Swamp
From here the British pushed on in
to the swampy ground between the
Bellewaarde ridge and the West Hook
ridge, still further east, and along,
which runs the Freezenburg road.
These latter positions were captured
without much fighting and the British
began to consolidate themselves along
this line. No counter attacking of i'm
portance occurred on Tuesday. That
night the rail fell in torrents and We'd
nesday morning the troops were wal
lowing in two feet of water and mud
and in some cases the water was
waist high.
Under these trying conditions for
the defenders, the Germans counter
attacked with large body of troops
but the British poured heavy ma
chine gun fire into the advancing lines
and repulsed the attack. The Germans
then turned heavy gun fire on the
Westhoek position and after fierce
preliminary bombardment, again coun-
ter attacked, but were unable to stand
up under, the heavy machine gun fire
from the British positions.
British Headquarters in France and
Belgium, Aug. 5.-The Germans at 5
O'Clock this morning launched vic
ious attack Just north of Confines in
an attempt to regain this important
point, which they lost in the opening
day of the battle in Flanders. The lat
est reports concerning the fighting in
dictate that the British are holding out
strongly. .l. ~ e.,
This attack, with the advance of the
Canadians along thousand yard
front before Lens, took them into the
environs of the town, are the outstand-
ing features of the most recent activ-
ity along the British front. -.
Tremendous Artillery Duel r.
The deluge of rain which had lasted
since Tuesday evening ceased during
the night and by noon the sun was
shining brightly and the roads and
marshy battle ground began to dry out
rapidly. ~
The attack on Hollebeke and vicin-
ity was preceded by a tremendous ar
tillery fire from the enemy batteries.
The Germans began to shell Battle
wood at the canal zone just north Of
Hollebeke last night and continued
fire, throughout the night. The British
guns replied vigorously. The duel
shook the country for miles about and
sent waves of deafening thunder roll
ing far back of the British lines.
The German artillery was active
along most of the front last night,
Smelling the forward areas newly oc-
cupied by the allied troops. There
also was considerable Smelling of the
back areas with has shells, Wytschaete
and the section south of Messines
especially being selected for this work
of hate. e.. .&
British Continue Progress
The British continued to make prog
ress on the left flank and pushed their
posts forward to the east side of the
Steenbeek river along a front of an.
proximately a mile, beginning in the
neighborhood of Saint Julien and
running northwest The ground in this
section has been among the most hot.
ly contested places in the zone of the
new offensive. -.. ~.
North of Bixschoote the French too,
made further progress under heavy
fire from the enemy guns, which have
been pounding the French positions
steadily since the first day of the push.
The lifting of the clouds brought out
large numbers of German airplanes.
which were very active last night at
low attitudes over the British lines.
Special religious services on the oc.
casion of the beginning of the fourth
year of the war, were held today
throughout, the British army camp.
Wherever possible large bodies of
troops and officers gathered to give
thanks and recOnsecrate themselves to
the task thew have ,,ndortoEon T., IN,