The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-11-24
100 GUNS TAKEN
BY THE BRITISH
IN Great drive
Continued From Page one.)

1ery. Moeuvres was strongly held, but
the Irish stormed the defenses with
bombs and forced their way half
through the village. Here they came
up against a heavy barricade which
they took with the bayonet and for
time drove the Germans out of the
village. In the afternoon the Ger
mans approached from the east side
of the canal for counter attack, but
this was smashed by machine gun and
rifle fire.
Later in the afternoon the German
artillery. opened up, and heavily
shelled the trenches held by the Brit
ish south Of Moeuvres.
Thursday morning the Irish were
holding most of ,,Moeuvres and the
eastern bank of the canal. In the
afternoon the Germans delivered a
sudden counter attack from the north,
and after hand TO hand fighting
through the streets and among the
houses they forced the British to with
draw to the southern outskirts. This
morning the Irish again surged for
ward against the town and at an early
hour they had worked their way
around toward the north.
In the Graincourt section, on the
was done by cavalry on the first day.
The horsemen had swept forward and
captured Anneux by Tuesday evening.
This represented an advance Of about
1000 yards, which is said to be a
record for one day.
Two squHdrons of horse accom-
pEshed the downfall Of Anneux and
captured 1t between and 5 o'clock
In the evening. This place was found
to have system of catacombs under
the church and they we're held by the
Germans who had an electric power
station for lighting. An elaborate bat
talon headquarters fell into British
hands.
During Tuesday night the Germans
counter attacked Anneux with troops
that had tust been brought from the
Russian front. A strong battle took
place and the British withdrew, On,
Wednesday morning the British again
attacked Anneux and recaptured it.
Proceeding northward. the British
drove the enemy from the trenches
near the edge of Burlon wood This
trench was 50 remarkably well cam
oufaged that no sign of 1t was visi-
BILE until the British saw German
faces apparently coming out of the
ground. "A hand to hand battle be-
gan. Later the British were forced
to withdraw slightly because of heavy
machine gun fire from Burlon vii
lage. Yesterday morning the British
again attacked the trench with the
assistance of tanks and established
their line around the southern face of
the, wood. -
The troops which captured FTes-
duferes and fsantaing encountered
strong resistance at the former place
the first day of the offensive. Tanks
led the infantry In the attack, but the
Germans. with the assistance Of
heavy guns. held out the whole Of
Tuesday In the face Of strong attacks
Wednesday morning the British again
attacked and this time forced the
Germans from the village after taking
their guns.
On Wednesday the advance was
rapid. Strong resistance was en-
countered at the sunken road be-
tween Marsoing and Graincourt and
very heavy machine gun fire from the
direction Of Cantaing and Burlon
wood The British, however, battled
their way forward with rifles and
bayonets and by noon had forced an
entrance to Cantaing. Wednesday
night the advance continued and an
assault was made on Fontaine Notrs
Dame. The Germans ,battled deter.
minedly here, and there was very
hard fighting at close quarters before
the British finally drove the enemy
out.
The British remained in possession
of Fontafne until shortly after noon
yesterday, when the Germans made a
heavy counter thrust and again occu-
pied the town. However, the British
were forced to withdraw only a short
distance and still hold the ground
from Cantaing to the south of Bour-
Ion wood. The story of the fighting
at Marcoing and Masnieres already
has been told, and this completes the
summary of the ASPIRATIONS before
Cahbrai since Tuesday morning.
There was, however, heavy fighting
to the north in the region of Bulle-
court. The main objective there was
the famous tunnel trench, an under
ground fertilization of great strength,
about 1000 yards long. The entire
trench was mined, as the British well
knew, and behind 1t the Germans had
dug 1000 yards of support trench
Many concrete pill boxes also reinforc-
ed the defenses.
For a month the British had been
keeping the Germans nervous by put
ting down smoke barrages and en-
ployfng gas. The enemy had become
so accustomed to this that when the
British started q, furry OF gunf1re at
dawn Tuesday the Germans thought
| it was more OF the same thing, and
| they were caught unawares. The
greatest danger which the attackers
faped ha nnGciHi1ifv soF jra 1,a