The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-08-21
LIKE ANDERSEN'S
DRAGONS THEY co
TO DESTROY FOES
Spectacular Fighting Marks
Recent Advance Along
Ypres Front.
ATTACK BY FRENCH
MARKED WITH GLORY
Proof That They Have Not
Been "Rled White" Given
by PoiIus.
Bv the Associated Press.

ev the Associated Press.
l'rltiSh Front III France and Belgium.
Aug. 20 British tanks scored another
triumph In tn" capture of important
German positions Yesterday morning In
the neshborhood OF the Sprcs rpoel.
Captli.a road, north of ST. Julien. II
Was q tank show almost from ntart TO
finish and the infantry IN this case
played tn" part OF supcrnnmer;,ries in
support of the leading actors. while
large numbers Of the enemy troops
added {, final mcloaramatir touch hy
surrcndcrinE abjcctly or fleeing In tor
ror as the heavy leads numbered on
TO the stage and reached for their
shooting irons"
AS recorded In the official communi-
cation the British captured German
def"nSes along n mile front to n depth
OF 500 yards. Among the strongholds
occupied were the famous triangle.
lIihau and Cockcroft farms, the sites
of exceedingly strong concrete ana
steel machine gun rcdouhts that men
accd the infantry advance.
Go Out like Dragons.
up and waited for the signal to Ego
over the tor Tho British artillery.
observing no less Of chivalry to the
tanks than to the infantry In the past
poured a preliminary stream Of shells
into the German lines, then dropped a
barrapc ahead of the iron monitors.
which started forward looking for All
the world like great dragons that had
rolled out from one Of Hans Anderser's
conceptions into the gray morning
liGh, that shroudcd this battlefield in
the "cocliuit of Europe"
Whole Area Cleared.
Behind them came the infantry.
ready to do the cleaning up of the re-
| manning enemy after tho tanks had
| finished their part. But there was lit.
| tie for the infan'"'' 70 do r~cept as
| scmblc and care for the prisoners as
| the tanks progressed. There WIS hard
| fighting at several positions such as
| the three rcdonbts mentioned, but IL
| was always brief. ~
| Tho tanks cleared the whole terri
| tory desired and then trundcd back
home. They suffered no damage and
the casualties for the operation totalled
| Is. This has been the most striking
| incident of tho ln,"st% fighting along
! this front
| The examination of German prison.
crs taken by the British continues and
out OF $40 questioned. only 25 per
cent were found to belong to the 1910
class. Non commissioned German Of
ficcrs relate how they are hampercd
by tn" dcmoralization of the younger
recruits with whom they are supplied.
French Not "Bied White"
Grand Headquarters of the French
Armies in France. Aug. o0.-Ry the
Associated Press. - When prisoners
came back in hundreds shortly after
dawn this morning the observers knew
that tn" sharp blow decided on by the
French higher command in order to
civ" more breathing space at Nerlun
had been successful. After the ar :
till"ry had pounded the German posi- :
,ions stretching along II front OF IL
miles from south OF Bethincourt 10
RezOnvaux until they must have been
lik" pulp, the infantry advanced at the
FIRST streak of dawn and occupied all
tn" positions they had set out to con-
uu"r. at the same time sweeping into
lHtlI net many DIlSoneTS VI StNcTIl
divisions OF the German crown princes
army. ., .g-
Tn. French soldiers showed once
more than they were not yet 'blet
white" When the order was giver
for them to go over the top In tn.
fac" of hundred of heavy and lisht
artillcry and many kinds OF machin,
4 guns they advanced singing. and moth,
4 ing could stay their dash They wsr,
handled in such way by their OF,
fic"rs that they escaped through tn
most dangerous part of the grount
they had to negotiate with nlmOs
4 negligible losses, reaching the German
j, positions before the German barrag'
=, fire.
The night preceding this battle wa
fairy-lik in beauty. There was n,
y moon, but the stars were brilliant ant
< the natural effects were enhanced b.
s the constant succession OF flashes from
" bursting shells. while all along botl
= French and German positions flare
IS almost necessarily arose. making tn
n surrounding area brighter than day.
n The only disturbing sounds were tn
terrifying screeches and the whistlin
N Of smaller shells and the traAn-liN
Ut roar of larger projectilesi as TREY t6l
\. through the abr while the dun thut
be of trench torpedoes reverberated alol
the ground.