The Oskaloosa herald., 1917-05-10
BRITISH FIGHT
IN BULLEC0URT
Battle Now Raging in Town, Says
Dispatch.
.HAIG's MEN RETAIN LINE
Germans Make Three Unsuccessful
counter-AttacIts Against New Po-
sitions Held by Foe-French
3' Hold Ground. ~

London, May S.--The third counter
attack against the new British posi-
tons south of the SOlShez river was
launched by the Germans, says the Of
fetal statement issued by the war Of
flee. .......
The first wave of assault to reach
the slope in front of our trenches"
says the report, was then destroyed
by our rifle and machine gun fire. The
supporting waves, caught by our ar
tillery barrage, were broken up. No
Germans reached our trenches"
A strong body of the enemy was
caught in the open near BullecOurt by
British artillery and machine gun fire,
suffering heavy casualties.
Prisoners are being taken by the
British at Bullecourt, Reuters CORE
spondent at the front telegraphs in his
account Of the heavy fighting in prog
ress in and around Bullecourt. Already
20 Germans have been sent back to
the cages. ..s.. l....
ELSEWHERE" the correspondent
wires, "our guns through daylight and
darkness continue to pound the Ger
man positions. These positions being
only improvlsed and very different in
defensive qualities from the old per-
manent front out of which we have
driven the Germans, their losses are
steadily mounting to an appalling total.
1T is satisfactory to know, further.
more, that these losses are being in
tlicted upon the best troops now left
to the enemy, for he is throwing in
his most warworthy divisions in his
desperate effort to arrest our often
sive.
Among the prisoners taken from
the two divisions in the earlier stages
Of the present fighting 80 per cent
were boys of nineteen. Their morale
was very poor, which is attributed to
the fact that they have a clearer con,
ceptiOn of conditions in Germany than
their older comrades and realize the
hopeleaSness of the struggle"
Fight Within BulIecourt.
The British have pushed their way
well within the town of BullecOurt
Hand-to-hand fighting has developed
there.
Renewed fighting broke out about
EullecOurt. The British, who had
been holding positions south and east
of the village, where they had been
violently attacked during the last feul
11vS nnpyn6 fpry.urJ i,st kof,ru damn
in Il general attack upon the village
itself.
There has been patrol fighting in
BullecOurt before this, but this attack
was CT an envelOping nature. 1t met
with stubborn resistance but steady
progress was being made as this dis.
patch was written, and khaki-claG
troops have passed we'll within the
lSvn, which lies absolutely astride the
Hindenburg line, the front trench and
two systems of support trenches all be,
ing within the village limits.
Prisoners began coming back soon
after the battle started.
French Stop Attacks.
IdIlS, May o. lie II IenCn nave Dul
stop to the German attacks north OF
Moulin de LaffauX and on the Chemin
des Damis, the war Office statement
says, but violent artillery fighting is in
progress near Hurtibise and in the
sector of Craonne. 3, In this sector the
Preach have consolidated their new
positions on the California plateau.
South of Sopigueue in an isolated
operation the French enlarged thell
positions.
Twenty-Five thousand German sol.
diers have been captured by French
forces since General Nivelle's great
drive started April 10, the statement
announced.
Battle Still Raging.
Berlin, May S.-Fighting is continu-
ing at Bullecourt, says an official war
Office communication.