The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-05-26
BRITISH WIN ALL
OF BUuECOURT
Germans Driven From Village
After Days. of Most Inten-
siVe Fighting
MANY POINTS ARE THREATENED
General Haig's Forces May Now At.
tack Southern End OF Drocourt-
0ueant Line With Success.

Washington, May 1S.-After days of
most intensive fighting, in which the
position several times changed hands
and men fell in hundreds in attacks
and counter attacks, the British forces
have at last driven the Germans out
of the village of Bullecourt and once
more are threatening the southern
end of the Drocourt- Queant line which
Field Marshal Won Hindenburg con-
structed to defend Ambrai from the
eastward advance of Field Marshal
Haig's army, according to dispatches
from the war front
Unable to Hold British.
Thousands of fresh German troops
recently have been thrown into the
fray around Bullecourt, but their e.
forts, according to official communica-
lions, have gone for naught in endeaY-
oring to drive out the British from the
entire village. Although several times
the line has been bent by the prepon-
derance of weight of the German for
nations, at no time have the British
been forced to eVacuate, holding here
and there fringes on the outskirts and
elements were reformed with suffi-
cient strength to make effective coun-
ter-attacks and regain their lost terri
tory.
Likewise to the east OF Arras around
the village of Roeux the battle has
been waged with a viciousness scarce
/ ~ ever before seen, and here also the
British have been successful against
the Germans. In Wednesday nights
| fighting the Germans were forced to
give ground before counter-attacks in
side the village of Roeux and lose their
hold on the positions they previously
had taken.
| Crown Prince RepuIsed.
Although the forces of the German
crown prince have renewed with ex-
| treme violence their attacks against
the French northeast of scissors in
the sectors Of the MISUNDERSTANDING
and British Aye-en-Laonnois-th of
them against each position-they were
again repuIsed by the French artiI-
lery and infantry, suffering enormous
casualties. To the east, the French
troops near Craonne delivered a sue
cessful attack, capturing German
trench elements.
The Berlin war office reports that
for the first sixteen days of May the
Germans made prisoner 5000 British
and French soldiers on the French
front, 1900 of them British and 200
French.
British Shatter Germans.
London, May 1.-THE Germans re-
Ceived a heavy check north of the
Scarpe river today, where in massed
formations they stormed positions re-
Gently won by the British. After a
terrific bombardment lasting consid-
cradle time, the German infantry
came down the slopes Of Greenland
hill from the direction of PIouvain.
The British artillery made the hill
side look like a mushroom farm, shell
smoke sprouting up thickly over the
entire field. Machine guns streamed
nickeled missiles into the enemy ranks
on the front and in the flanks.
Sheer weight and momentum car
ried the Germans beyond the British
outposts and even into the chemical
works themselves, but like rubber
ball the rebound was instantaneous
|
ter short and hard fight the enemy
was thrown out with heavy losses.
The fighting continued about Bulle-
court and German partial success
recently won there was wiped out. In
the meantime the British strength
ened their positions eastward toward
Rouex and drew a mite closer to
Lens.
An official statement issued by the
war office today says:
"Our troops made progress during
the day in the Hindenburg line north
east of Bullecourt One German air
plane was driven down out of control
yesterday. One of our machines is
missing
| French Repulse Germans.
North OF Steenstraete on the Bel.
gian front a short but violent struggle
, with bombs took place on the after
noon of May is, May Is, west of Lake
Dorian, in the region of KrastaH and
, | Dautli, the British troops captured the
: enemy's first line to depth of zoe
! meters on front OF five kilometers
(about three miles).
Big Oklahoma OiIer Burning.