Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1917-08-08
British and French Make Joint
Attack on Germans.
TEN TOWNS ARE CAPTURED
More Than 5000 Prisoners Taken in
Gigantic Assault on TWenty-Mile
Front-Teutons Suffer Heavy
Losses.

Germans by heavy cOunter-attacKs sue
ceRded in recapturing the village OF st.
Julien and part of the village of West
hook.
According to the official report from
British headquarters the number OF
Germans made prisoner exceeds 5000.
Allies Halt Counter-Attacks.
German counter-attacks against the
New British positions at La Bassee
Willie and north of the Ypres-Comines
canal, in Belgium, were successfully
repulsed, says the official statement is
sued by the British army office.
Another German counter-attack
further north in the neighborhood of
the Ypres-Roulers railway was crushed
by the British artillery. Heavy rain
has been falling since early in the aft
ernOon, the statement adds, and the
weather Continues unfavorable for OPP
eratiOns.
According to reports from special
correspondents the great majority Of
British troops engaged in the latest as
sault are English, although there are
some Scotch, Welsh and Australians.
Foe Again Attacks at Verdun.
Paris, Aug. 2-After several days of
artillery preparation, the Germans at
tackled the positions on the left bank
of the Mouse river in the Verdun re-
gion, which the French had captured
from them on July II. The French Of
fetal statement says the Germans were
only able to reach certain advance ele-
iments of the French first line, where
they were stopped.
After the magnificent success of the
French and English in Belgium, says
the statement, the entente troops, in
torrential rainstorm, consolidated the
positions which they had captured.
Win Terrific Battle.
With the French Armies in Flanders,
Aug. 2.-An infantry battle in mists
has followed upon the most sustained
and most intense bombardment yet de-
ivered during the war, stretching from
the coast of the North sea to beyond
Ypres. French foot soldiers went
over" along a front Of about 5000
yards and succeeded in taking and
holding German positions from point
near the famous Ferryman's house,
which acquired bloody renOwn at the
end of 1914, almost to Boesinghe, to a
depth ranging from 1000 to $500
yards.
News brought back from advanced
infantry units, however told of vic
tory despite obstinate resistance. All
the detectives set for attainment of the
French troops were gained rapidly.
The Germans had occupied for three
years the eastern bank of the User
canal, the western bank of which was
in the hands of the allied troops At
the northern flank of the French line
the country was inundated as far as
Dixmude, making operations virtually
impossible in that vicinity.
Ten Towns Captured.
British Front in France and Bel
GUM, Aug. with few exceptions
the entente allies accomplished all
they had planned for the first day of
this battle in Flanders. Three lines of
trenches were captured on Monday.
The casualties of the French and Brit
.ish were surprisingly light. The Ger
man front line about the Ypres salient
which had been held unquestionably by
the enemy since the early days of the
war offered little resistance to the
British advance, but beyond these
trenches the Germans made a firm
stand in an endeavor TO stem the on
slaught.
British and French troops attacked
on a 20-mile front, following the most
terrific artillery fire ever reported, and
captured the first three lines of Ger
man trenches between the River Lys
and Boesinghe. Ten villages and more
than $500 prisoners were taken. Losses
on the allied side were reported to be
very light, while the German losses
were described as extremely heavy.
Late reports said the Germans had be-
lgun a counter-attack at the point
where the French and British forces
join.
The Germans made a heavy counter
attack at La Bassee, recaptured by the
British in an attempt to regain the
position, but the British flung them off
and began consolidating the ground
won. Many prisoners already are find
ing their way back Of the allied lines.
These men report that the unprece-
dented artillery preparations which
prefaced the entente allied attack
worked havoc in the German lines and
undoubtedly caused heavy loss of
life. The German front line trenches
were entirely smashed to pieces and
the wire entanglements before them
were torn away.
tween Boesinghe and Waneon. The