Evening star., 1917-12-04
GERMANS TIGHTEN
HOLD ON CAMBRIA
Successful Thrusts at Byng
Restore Morale, Frank
Simonds Asserts.
BOTH LINES SURPRISED
BY FRANK H. sIMoNDs.


Perhaps the most interesting circum-
offensive before Cambria is the fact
that it is the only considerable German
on the British front
since April, 1915. Not since the cele-
brated gas attack" which was the
striking incident of the second battle
of Ypres, have the Germans gained as
much ground or taken rs many prison
ers as the result Of an engagement in
which British troops participated More
over. it is worth recalling 1t was due to
the collapse of the French colonials un-
der the gas attack. and not to any
weakening on the part of the British,
that the Ypres gain was made.
Turning now to what actually hap
pened, the situation seems to be this
In their first onset the British troops
advanced upward of five miles on a
front of nearly ten, pushing rectangu-
lar wedge into the German lines before
Cambrai. The northern corner of this
wedge rested on the Bourbon woods. the
southern on the great bend of the
Scheldt river and canal near Crevecoeur.
Hindenburg in Peril.
A novel feature of this wedge was
that instead OF narrowing as 1t pro-
gressed into the enemy's lines 1t re-
maired practically as wide at the ex
treme front as at the point of departure
This British wedge, because Of Its
width. constituted grave peril to the
whole Hindenburg line north and south
OF the points 1t had penetrated.
The obvious German strategy was to
break in the sides of this wedge or
salient. Thus we see that from the very
beginning the German counter attacks
No.
southern sides and not toward the east
ern or forward side facing Cambria.
On Friday and Saturday the Germans
pushed their great bodies of men for
front where the old trench lines met the
new lines created by the advance toward
Cambria. BY Saturday We were informed
that the Germans had broken through
the permanent British lines on con-
siderable front along the Peronne-Cam-
brai road. had taken the Bois I.atau. at
the point where the Peronne-Cambrai road
meets the St Quentin-C Cambria road. had
lieu and had driven the point of their
wedge through the village of GouZeau-
court.
British Were Surprised.
Such accounts as we have of the battle
indicate that the British troops were
surprised-that something like the same
situation that existed in the German
cred some ten days ago now existed with
in the British lines We have here the
novel instance of a successful surprise at
tack by each on the other.
occupied by very desperate British at
tempts to regain the ground lost and par
ticularly to regain that portion of the
ground lost which represented the British
front before the opening of Byngs offen-
sive- In this they were largely. but not
wholly. successful. At the present time
the Germans still hold the Bois Latau and
all of the Peronne- Cambria road between
Masnieres and Gonnelieu. which includes
a small portion OF the original British
front and all the high ground east of the
Peronne- -Cambrai railroad. Thus the wedge
which the British originally drove into the
German lines has been narrowed on its
front by three or four miles, and is now a
far less dangerous threat to Cambria than
II was week ago.
In sum. by the most determined and
successful counter offensive which they
have delivered against the British since
the battle of the Marine, the Germans
have taken 5000 prisoners. captured
100 guns. reduced the British gain of
ground of last week by approximately
a quarter, and materially diminished
the profits of the British victory.
The whole thing represents skillful
counter offensive. 1t Is a brilliant mlh-
fact that the German armies on the
western front are still capable of
dangerous attacks. Probably the Ger
mans will now be able to hold Cambria
until next spring at the earliest. when
the prospect Of a general retirement
seems good.
1t was impossible for the Germans to
permit this victory to stand, because
its effect upon their own armies and
their own public would have been dis
astrous. They have now very materi-
ally changed the character of the
whole operation by their own counter