The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-09-04
BRITISH ACCOUNT
OF SUCCESS IN
VICINITY OF yPRES
Wytschaete -Messines Ridge
Attack, Third Big Battle
In This Region


London, England-The collapse of |
the British offensive as announced by
the Kaiser has meen fittingly replied
to by the attack on the Wytschaete-
Messines ridge, heralded by the sinful
taneous explosion at $40 "a. m. on
June of 10 mines, with an estima-
ted aggregate of about 600 tons of
high explosives, the shock Of which |
was felt in London.
This new offensive is unique in that
the massing Of guns and troops, and !
the laying Of rails, had to be done
under the observation of the enemy,
who therefore knew it was coming.
but apparently was again taken by
surprise when it actually came off.
Prisoners say that the attack was ex-
pected on the Kings birthday, and
that they were ready for it then;
others say that supplies had not been
brought up to them for five days, ow-
ing to the intensity of the lombard
ment, heavier than any previous one,
and the probability is that the de-
tenders were dazed after SO many
days Smelling, eliminating with these
tremendous explosions, and so were
taken by surprise in the end.
The German ommuniques refer to
the preliminary bombardment more
than the British. From the I'd to the
9Th of June there is daily reference by
the German staff to the t'strong ar
tillery duels," in the Wytschaete SAL
lent. On June 5, for instance, it was
reported that "for days in the Wyts-
chaete salient and neighboring sectors
the artillery battle has increased to
extreme violence during the course of
the afternoon, and has continued far
into the night
The scene Of the battle lies between
Ypres and Armentieres, or Wipers
and ARM entears,> as the British soldier
prefers to call them, and was fought
| over a front of about nine miles. "The
operations" according to the brief
British communique, ewere continued
| methodically throughout the day
| (June y, and were attended with
complete success. The Messines-wyt-
/ schaete ridge, which for over two and
a half years has dominated our posi-
tons in the Ypres salient, was storm
/ ed by our troops this morning."
This is the third great battle of this
war that has been fought in the vicin-
lily Of Ypres, besides almost continu-
| Gus local fighting, the first being in
October and November, 1914, and the
, second in April and May, 1915, both
against heavy odds in men and arma-
i
ijutting into the German line, whence
the, German line. in it's turn, forms a
lsalient round the Wytschaete-M Mes
sines ridge, the northern end Of which
lies about three and q. half miles
south Of Ypres. The village Of wyt-
schaete is towards the northern end
4 of the ridge, with Oosteverne village
about three-quarters of a mile to the
east of it, while Messines is situated at
the southern end. The possession of
this high ground, running. up to about
800 feet, gave the Germans command
Of view and fire over the ground be-
tween 1t and Ypres, taking the Ypres
4 salient in flank and rendering the
holding of it by General P1umer's
army a most difficult and worrying
business for over two years.
i The recent successful attack has
nearly Strengthened the salient out
and has given the British, in turn at
last, the command of. view and fire
into the plain Of Flanders. Sir Doug
Has Haig's second te1egraphic dis
i tpatch. published in London on June
j 9, shows how complete the British
success was. So hammered were the
Germans that they made no attempt
. to recover the lost positions during
the night Of the 7th and Sth, and the
| first counter attack was not made till
: some time during the afternoon by
) artillery or repulsed by infantry. 9th
. or counter-attacks made on Sunday
, June 10, were similarly broken up
The number of prisoners taken was
given In an early report as 6400, and
more than 20 guns had been reported
as collected.
Sir Douglas Haig points out in his
dispatch the immense strength Of the
IGarrpan rnSifion which fr,-y,aa %
] fensive belt of over a mile in depth
I fortified and prepared with every
care. 'In short, no precaution- was
omitted that could be provided by the
4 incessant labor of years. guided By
the experience gained by the enemy
in previous defeats on the, Somme, a,
Arras, and on the Viny ridge" Ii
addition to this system Of defense tbs
enemy had the advantage Of over.
/ looking the British lines and coul6
see all the preparations for the at
tack, including the laying Of the net
work of rails for the bringing up o1
Il munitions.
The German comnaunique of the
9Th admits that the British succeeded
i as the result of numerous explosion.
in penetrating their lines and in ad
1 vancing via Wytschaete and Messines
and then, after claiming to have driv
en- the British back into the direction
4 Of or to, Messines, finally admit,
4 withdrawing from the salient pro
\ truding towards the west into a pre-
+ viously prepared position between thu
bend Of the canal (Ypres-Comins
1 CanaD to the north of Hollebeke, ant
\ the Douve basin two kilometerss (1N1-.
miles) to the west of Warneton, tina
/ is an admission of having lost prac
\ tically all the high ground on lin.
\ which forms the chord of the ar,
4 roughly formed by the salient.
Sir Douglas Haig ascribes the com
I plete success due chiefly to the des
truction caused by the mines, the VIC
4 lence and accuracy of the lombard
ment, the very fine work of the Roya
Flying Corps, and the incomparab1
dash and courage of the infantry
YESTERDAYS ANNIVERSARIES.
md