Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1917-05-16
''BLOODY ANGLE"
IS STORM CENTER
British Rstake Position That
Cost French 100000 Men.
FIGHT THERE IN SEPT, 1915

1
Troops In Their New Offensive Have
Driven Germans Back Over Long
| Front, With Tremendous Iossss.
Beginning Of New Offensive.
In their new offensive the British
have brought the storm center II the
western front hack TO the Bloody
Angle Of Artois," between Aras and
Lens, which was the scene Of the most
desperate and long continued struggles
OF the 1915 campaign. Neuville-St-
Vast. Theius, the Labyrinth. vimy
| Ridge and Telegraph HUI had since
been eclipsed by the newer sinister
celebrity Of Douaumont, vaux and
Dead Man Hill. around verdun. and
Poxieres, Butte de warlencourt. Com
bles and Bapaume. on the Somme.
But the fighting In that region Just
two years ago was probably a. costly
as any in 1915
At its inception the battle line was
| ON the heights Of Notre Dame de Lo-
rette. six miles west VI Lens. and the
j French. who then held this part Of the
line, had only precarious hold on
Arras. General Foch. who not long
ago was relieved Of his active COM
mand. In the spring Of 1918 made the
frst effort TO break the trench dead
| lock which had obtained on the west
ern front ever since the German fall
/ ure at Yprcs-
| He succeeded In pushing the Ger
mans. step BY step. IN two months
Of continuous fighting down Oh the
Notre Dame heights into the village
Of Souchez and farther south up 10
within mile Of yimy ridge. But here
he encountered the famous LADY
i rinth." an immense fertilization con-
structed by the Germans on the west
ern slope OF the ridge
| The French finally succeeded. after
terrific effort. IN carrying the iaby-
rinth. but 1t cost them so heavily they
were unable to advance any farther
and indeed subsequently lost the
ground on which the labyrinth, by that
time practically wiped out, had stood.
! vimy ridge was and y important be-
cause II Is the last high ground he
/ tween the rolling country of western
France and the open plain Of Arto:s
and Flanders. From Its crest Is q
clear view, with no natural obstacle.
/ not only to the important city OF Lens.
with Its surrounding coal mines. but
to Douai and open country as far as
Lille, Cambria and the low countrieA
General Foch tried again In Scptem-
Der. 1915. simultaneously with the
British attack north Of Lens and the
French blow In Champagne This time
! his men succeeded In carrying Souchcz.
yimy ridge. the village OF Thelus and
Telegraph Iiii. but at such terrific cost
lit has been reported they suffered
z: 10000 casualties here In 1015-that
they could not hold 1t. Successive Ger
man counter attacks drove them from
+. the ridge and back nearly. two miles to
Neuville-St. WAIST.
| 1t Is this same ridge. 40 feet high
at its highest point. that the British
have now stormed successfully. It
may be noted. however. that the ad-
vance in the allies power and skill in
attack In two years II exemplified BY
the far greater scale Of the British as
sault
In his 6rst Offensive, which drove
the Germans back from the Notre
Dame heights, General Foch never at
tackled at once on q front Of more than
a few hundred yards He had no ar
tillery for the concentration necessary
for larger effort. and the science Of
massed artillery and it, cooperation
with charging infantry was then In its
infancy.
In September. 1915, the French at
tackled on q front OF about Ave miles.
But In their present Offensive the Brit
ish advanced on 4 twelve mile front.
taking more territory IN . single day
than General Foch was able to secure
two years ago In two months.