New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-12
British Advance Greatest of War
By FRANK II. SIMONDS

penetrated through the whole system
of defences, which extended back Tor
four miles. and are practically in the
! open country, notably due east Of Ar
ras. along the Scarpe Valley. On the
| other hand, they have not made more
than a mile at the extreme north near
Givenchy.
Hitherto the most successful British
attack was at Beaumont Hamel last
/ fall, when they advanced some two
miles in sudden push and took nearly
5000 prisoners.
Army Branches COordinated
The fact that stands out before all
others in the new offensive is the sue
cess OF the British in coordinating
their artillery and infantry branches.
In the first days of the battle OF the
Somme the British lost many Of their
men by their own guns and many more
| thousands because their artillery prep
araton was insufficient. | remember
one case that was told me in the Brit
ish army of a British brigade, 1000
strong, which in an attack during the
! battle of the Somme lost 900 killed,
| 800 in wounded and came out 300
strong % "A consequence OF insufficient
1 artillery preparation.
The French attack at Nerdun last
year was landmark in successful CO.
ordination of guns and men-probably
the finest feat of trench war up TO that
time-but the new British achievement
represents a greater gain in territory
and larger success, with losses which
probably will be vastly less than the
expense Of relatively minor attacks
during the battle of the S0mme.
l.
vious breakdown in German morale.
Not until the last attack of the French
at Nerdun had there been disclosed
any such readiness on the Germans
part TO surrender When | was at Ver-
dun ! was told by officers who had par
ticipated in this battle that for the
/ first time German machine gunners,
who are picked men. surrendered be-
! fore the wave of attack reached their
guns. In fact, the French were taken
by surprise when the Germans began
TO surrender in masses.
One-third of Force Surrenders
The same thing has happened in the
battle of Arras. The Germans say that
they had only two divisions on the
front attacked. Accepting this. they
! had a little more than 10000 men in
! Uncertainty not over 35,00O-and
more than II 900 surrendered full
third. As the casualties could not have
/ been less. il is clear that the two d.
visions were practically destroyed.
1t has been the British theory that
under constant pounding the German
morale was breaking down. and ! was
many times told at the British front
of the growing readiness Of Germans
| to surrender. Because OF the consid-
cradle number Of Germans coming IN
night by night the British soldiers and
officers felt that the Germans were
beginning 10 weaken, and the present
battle is far and away the most i'm.
pressive evidence Of the correctness OF
/ their estimates.
Looking to the consequences OF the
| battle of Arras, it is possible to say
/ now only this: Exactly east of Arras
| the British have advanced between five
and six miles. and have passed all the
German trenches and trench systems
which were in existence last January
and are shown on British staff maps
which ! have of that date. To the
north. facing the Vimy Range, they
have been held up by the rearward de-
fences, including the town of vimy,
which is at the foot Of the ridge. Back
of this there is a trench system COM
ing south out of Lens and stretching
toward Douai. This may have been
extended since January, and il il has
been. the British will shortly come in
contact with it, and, perhaps, be
held up.
Will Approach Douai
On the other hand, it is now highly
probable that the British advance will
70 nnuai 4ar ttualva
miles east of Arras. Presumably it
will then come in contact with an
other system Of German intrenchments,
extending from Cambria 10 Lille before
Douai This is the site of the so-called
Hindenburg line, as it is supposed to
exist-that it does exist has not yet
been established.
The dispatches in the last twenty
four hours have talked about the turn
ing" of the Hindenburg line, and this
discussion has ben based upon the as
sumption that the Hindenburg line ran
south from Cambria TO Arras and thence
northward along the old line on the
Vimv Ridge. If it did, and there are no
systems OF defenses beyond Douai, then
the Germans are in deadly peril and
retirement all the way to the French
frontier is imminent.
The probability is that we shall now
see more or less rapid retirement on
the part of the Germans to the Lille
Douai- Cambria line, and that we shall
discover there q new defensive system,
the northern end OF the Hindenburg
line. Until this point has been reached.
however, 1t will be impossible to meas
ure the extent of the British victory or
conclude safely that the main German
boa haap tra O nj turned
. II is also necessary to consider the
possibility of very considerable Ger
man counter attack in the next few
days. If the Hindenburg line has actu-
ally been penetrated, then it is practi-
cally certain that we shall have large
concentration Of German troops gath
cred from behind the front and flung
into the present gap, as French troops
were flung in at Verdun, TO hold until a
new line could be established.
Have Time for Reinforcing
The obvious slowing down Of the
British advance would indicate that the
Germans are going TO have time TO
bring up these reserves. Conceivsbly
we shall see something approximating
the old-fashioned battle in the open
during next week, the Germans attack
ing on a front from Lens to Cambria,
while a new line is being constructed
behind them.
But nothing can detract from the
splendid achievement of the British
army in the battle of Arras. 1t is final
demonstration of the fact that the Brit
ish army has arrived; that the British
soldier is a match for the German con-
script; and the machine that Britain
has created is a menace TO the German