Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-08-01
ALLIES LAUNCH
TERRIFIC BLOW.
ON ENEMY LINES
French and British Sweep
Forward, Driving Teu-
tons Before Them.
TEN TOWNS CAPTURED,
WITH $500 PRISONERS
Wedges Two and One-Half Miles
Driven In, and Every OBJ.
jcctive Is Attained.
GERMAN LOSSES VERY HEAVY
Great Offensive. Under Preparation
for Three Weeks, Finally
Gets Under Way. .@ss
GERMAN LOSSES VERY HEAVY.
Lay Associated Press. ]

IBy Associated Press.l 49,
The great assault OF the entente AL
| lies, for which the big guns had been
preparing for three weeks in bompard-
begun in Flanders along a front OF
about twenty miles. from the region of
Dixmude to south of Ypres around
Warneton.
Starting with the first peep of day.
the attack. which was carried sout
Jointly by French and British troops-
! the Frenchmen holding the line north
| OF Boesinghe and the British between
that town and Warneton-the end of
the days fighting found that all the
entente plans had been carried out.
| The Frenchmen were holding two lines
of captured German trenches, and Field
Marshal Haig's men three lines. in adj
dition to ten or more towns and viii
| lagos and more than $500 German
| prisoners.
UNABLE TO HOLD BACK
FORESEEN ONSLAUGHT
Notwithstanding the fact that the
Teutons had mussed almost countless
numbers Of suns and numerous dtyf-S
Isions OF troops to hold back the tore
seen onslaught. and when the@baktlas
broke threw both men and guns into
the fray, the British and French carr
ried out their operations with dash and
determination. Indeed. at some points
SO determined were the attacking
forces that they passed the detectives
which had been assigned for their cap
ture, and pressed on and took terrain
that had not been figured on for at
tainment
The casualties 0f both the British
and French armies were relatively.
slight. considering the intensity of tho
hghting on various sectors, while the
Germans, in addition to their men made
prisoner. suffered heavily in killed or
wounded.
Although the latest reports are Ito
the effect that the Germans are launch
| ing heavy counterattack against the
allied line at the point where the Brit.
ish and French forces meet, statements
from the front say that the morale of
the allies is splendid. while that of tho
| Germans is far below their normal. A
| majority OF the positions taken by the
allies had been In the possession Of the
Teutons since they invaded Belgium.
The French attack which resulted in
the capture OF Steenstraete was pushed
| va cSJoho thdI lo"H ana penetrated
the German lines to depth OF nearly
two and a half miles. The British
drove their deepest wedge into tho
line to depth OF two miles.
Again the French troops operating
along the Aisne front have been en-
abled to put down strong attacks by
the army of the German Crown Prince
| at Hurtebise and Cerny and to assume
| the offensive themselves and advance
| their line along the entire front
| RUSSIANS CONTINUE
TO GIVE BATTLE
In East Galicia the Russians along
! the Sbrocz River continue to give bat-
tie to the Teutonic allies, who have.
crossed the stream and gained a FOOT
ing on Russian soil. At several points
enemy detachments haYe been forced
out OF captured positions. which have
been retaken by the Russians @
To the south the Russians have at.
tempted 10 make a stand also in Vest
ern Bukowina. but were compelled to
evacuate positions along the Cheremosh
River and retreat eastward.
The town OF Zale -Szizyky and several
other positions blocking the road to
Czernowitz. the capital of Bukowina
have been evacuated by the Russians
| On the Roumanian front and in the
wooded Carpathians the Germans have
gained further ground against the
| joint armies of the Russians and Roue
manians. except in the Casin and Putna
Valley regions, where the Russo -Rous
| manian forces still hold the upper
hand.
American torpedo-boat destroyers in
the European war zone have come upon
two German submarines which wero
attacking merchant vessels and forced
them to sea!: safety from American
shells in flight. without having ffteds
shot in return. ts
TERRIFIC OFFENSIVE sg
LAUNCHED BY ALLIES.
BRITISH FRONT IN FRANCE AND
BELGIUM. July 31.-A vast British
force. augmented by French troops. a.
dawn to-day launched against the army
OF Crown Prince Rupprecht CT Ba-
varia. between Dixmude. on the north.t
and Gapaard near warneto on ma ~