Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1917-11-23
IHaiu's Troops Advance 5 Miles
on 32-MiIe Front.
TANKS HIT HINDENBURG LINE
Huge Machines Smash Way Through
Teuton Defenses and Open Way
for Infantry-Enemy Taken
by Surprise-Victors At
tackled Without ArtiI-
terry Preparation.

Tile British advance in Flanders is
continuing, more villages being now be-
hind General Haig's lines. The cav
AIRY Is cooperating.
5000 Prisoners Captured.
London, Nov. 22-Andrew Bonar
Law announced this evening in the
house of commons that 5000 prisoners,
including $50 officers, have been taken
by the British in their present opera
lions.
AT one point the British penetrated
five miles behind the German lines,
and several villages in addition to
those already announced have been
taken.
Hindenburg Line Smashed.
The Hindenburg line has received
its hardest blow.
Attacking on front of 30 miles be-
tween st. Quentin and the Scarpe, the
third British army, under Lieut., Gen.
Sir Julian Byng, captured the whole
German line west of the Canal du
Nord to the Bapaume-Cambrai road,
and are still pressing forward.
General Pershing commander Of the
American forces in France, was pres
ent at the British headquarters as the
guest of Field Marshal Haig to witness
the offensive.
Tanks Charge Enemy.
Unlike most drives. the present at
tack, which was begun early Tuesday
morning, had no military preparation.
This fact served to surprise the Ger
mans, whose resistance was very fee
BILE, but the substitute for the usual
terrific barrage surprised them even
more
This was the unexpected advance
from the British lines of a large num-
her of tanks. Flowing ahead through
fields of barbed wire and over trenches,
the tanks opened up great gaps through
which rushed English, Scotch and Irish
troops, who fought with and van
quished the Germans in the open. At
one point the enemy was fighting on
his last line of defense.
important owns Taken.
Among the towns captured are Hav-
rincourt, Flesquieres, Marcoing and
Masnieres
Nearly twenty guns were captured.
ut has been raining hard since Tues
day morning and 1t is raining still, but
somewhere beyond the veil of the
storm our troops and tanks are still
pushing forward" Reuters CORE
spondent wires. "We get reports of
them even on the Marcoing- MasniereS
line and of patrols penetrating in the
direction of Novelties.
THE heavy blow dealt the Germans
has driven a wide wedge through the
Hindenburg line. in which there is
every evidence of the Germans fleeing
without making serious attempt to
hold the defenses, which were of enor-
nous strength"
Tanks Smash German Line.
The redoubtable Hindenburg line in
the Cambria sector was broken in many
places by the great force of the British
tanks. and the infantry, which followed
through the gaps, are still battling their
way forward.
The surprise attack was launched
at dawn over a wide front In the first
few hours its progress was marked
with evident success and up to the
latest reports had been moving along
regularly according to schedule.
Germans Dazed.
The resistance offered by the dazed
Germans was negligible, and by noon
British pioneers already were at work
laying roads across the old front line
trenches.
The casualties of the attacking
forces thus far have been light. Great
numbers of German dead lie before the
main Hindenburg trenches where the
bewildered enemy, taken unawares.
made a half-hearted attempt to stem
the onrushing Britons.
The battle was an innovation for the
western front, for it was begun with
out any preliminary artillery work.
Upon the army tanks rested the re-
sponsibility for victory or defeat and
they fulfilled all expectations.
Tear Through Wire.
The iron giants went through the
tremendous line of harbed wire entan
clements in front of the main linden
burg positions and on over the trenches
,as though they were on parade
The tanks started forward at 6 80
O'Clock and by II: 80 the British in
fantry, which had swarmed into the
holes made by the mighty engines. was
engaging the enemy in open fighting
along the Hindenburg support line
back of the main defenses at many
points.
The Germans surrendered freely in
numerous places and several hundred
were brought in during the first few
hours of fighting.
Smash counter-Attaeks.
Two attempted counter-attaoks were