Norwich bulletin., 1917-05-10
STORIES OF THE WAR
Most Marvellous Spectacle of Night
 Firing. s>

| Ftrfnas
 The laconic statement in Tuesday l mornings British official communities ton that the enemy's artillery was active at intervals throughout the night at a number of places along the battle front. particularly in the 1 sector between F'resnoy and Loos. l and that "our artillery replied" dis
 misses in cofdIy official language one l of the most marvellous spectacles of
 night firing the world has ever seen. It was a night made for terror. Great angry clouds scudded across the | sky successfully masking all attempts of the full May moon to break through l the cumulus barrage. Eventually the heavens opened and poured forth torrent of rain upon the hot cannon and the flames raging along the blocd-Fed line of battle.
 A thunder storm in it's greatest fury could have broken above this appaii- ing artillery duel, however, and been completely swallowed up-its electric flashes lost in the binding corusca- tion of the guns; its thunder peals drowned in the reverberating waves of the crashing fulr51inattOn which
 came from believing cannon and
 bursting shells with almost equal vio lence. ature withstood the terrific
 bonn bardnlent until nearly dawn. then
 the rain failing to bring it to an end, a heavy fog shtN down and put a stop to the clangorous uproar suddenly as if some word of supreme command had been shouted aloud above the din of battle.
 There were a few parting shots through the envelopir., mist from either side and then absolute silence reiSned.
 It was fascinating spectacle to watch through the night. holding one in a spell of speeches. awe. From one of the high ridges recently oc- cupied by the British miles and miles of the great sweep of battle could be seen Always above the roar of the big guns could be heard the crack of the bursting shrapnel and the petulant whine of leaden bullets sent in show CTS from the shells.
 It had been a I<autiful day, but mona cling clouds had hidden the set ting sun. Tn the twilight scores of British airpIanes were winging their homeward way from far over the German lines. coming to cover from the gathering storm and bri-Tsing with them the wonderful stories that make up each days history in the titanic struggle for mastery of the air.
 Tn the valleys about Loos, Liv;n. lens, Acheviue and Fresnoy the freshening wind was stirring up great clouds of dust. Each high explosive shell breaking on the dry ground also sent up towering columns of chalk over all the lower levels of the inn mediate battle zone. In Lens and several other villages behind the Ger man levels smouldering fires could be marked by the British, smoke vapors which hung above tlem-
 The artillery duel was in full swing long before night set in but it. was not until after the gathering gloom of darkness reflected each separate flaming cannon mouth that the full intensity of the long range fighting could be grasped. The cloak of night also brought into action many great batteries lying concealed during the te1l-ta1e hours of daylight and ever and anon as the night wore on, new guns would burst into action from al together unsuspected places.
 Some of these were the famous old grandmother l1owitzers and the ground, ever vibrant with the drum ming rhythm of the guns, shivered and shook anew from the shock of these mammoth weapons. The heavy overhanging clouds had the effect of ing degree the -shatAnrfng noises of the battle. When battery fire" would send four. five. six or more mas sive shells simultaneously toward the German lines. the onrushing roar was for all the world like that experienced in an express train as 1t dashes into tunnel.
 After what seemed an interminable length of time the swish of those far reaching shells ended with a great dull red flare on the horizon. One of these flares was a hit heme in an enemy ammunition dump and there was an explosion which lighted the whole resulting in a fire that burned for an hour or more behind a big clump of trees which stood like gaunt black skeletons against the glow.
 The coming of darkness had brought out also one of the most ghastly of | all battle sounds-the incessant rat | tie of the machine guns. Their Sac- l cato ripple came all along the fighting line, the windings of which always could be traced by giaring rockets and 1