New Britain herald., 1917-08-22
FRESHMEN CHARGE
 IN RAIN 0F LEAD. Smash at Germans Although Every Step Nearer Means Death BRIGHT PAGE IN HISTORY
Men From the North and Men From
 the South Strike Out at Bavarians and Defy Sweeping Machine Guns.

British Front in France and Belgi- 1 um Aug. 22 (by the Associated Press) The story of the valiant fight waged by Irish battalions, both Ulstermen and South of Ireland men, in the lat est British offensive northeast of Ypres forms one of the most remark | able pages in the history of this san- guinary battle. As was the case with | the intrepid Londoners in Polygon wood to the south, they did not l achieve the success which they sought | but the struggle they made against overwhelming odds will make their ! names immortal in Irish annals.
 The ground over which the Irish , troops fought Thursday may roughly be placed as lying between Fortuin on the north and Frezenberg on the south. Before them lay strong Bavar- ian positions scattered over a terrain which. at first blush, made an advance seem impossible. Stretching out from t h @ Zonnebeke-Langemar road across the center of the battlefield was ridge which dominated all sur rounding ground and from a myriad of machine guns on the crest could be poured deluge of bullets into ad- vancing ranks.
 Through the southern portion of this section the swollen Zonnebeke river poured its muddy water, and scattered along both banks of the stream were many steel and concrete redoubts holding from 20 to 100 Germans, all we'll armed Immediately in front of the Irish was undulating ground. Every knoll was strong Bavarian po- sition and the whole section was filled with concrete redoubts and shell holes lined with machine guns. Depres- sions in the ground were mass of knee-deep mud caused by recent rains and the flood of the river.
 Face Torrent of Lead
 The Irish battalions were muddy and wet when they began the attack The Ulstermen were on the left of this battlefield and the men of the south on the right. Shoulder to shoulder they moved out among the heart breaking obstacles at the dawn of day begging at every step and all that hu- man beings could do under such cir cumstances they did. As they ad- vanced they first encountered the GUS tomary thinly held line of German outposts among the shell craters. These Bavarians fell back, and almost immediately the Irishmen found them selves facing fire from every machine gun before them, vicious rapid fire whipping out a steady stream of lead breast high across the whole battle field.
 Amidst this hail of bullets and crashing shells tho Irishmen pushed doggedly forward. The Ulstermen first struck a position called Pond Farm, below Fortuin. Here were many machine guns placed in concrete pits behind which were strong re- doubts and deep dugouts. The Ulster men plunged into the gun pits and 8 fierce struggle followed. The Bavar- ians would not surrender but fought until the last German lay crumpled beside his gun. A small garrison was left to hold this place, and the Irish men pushed on. There was bitter fighting at every step.
 Near Pond Farm they were held up by partly cut barbed wire elements and as they struggled through this they were swept with bullets. Nu- merous redoubts were encountered be- yond and in most cases 1t was hand to hand fighting to a finish with stubborn enemy. The Southern Irish at a given hour went forward with all the coolness which made them famous at Ginchy and other places. They surged on through the mire to some of their objectives but they had passed numerous unsilenced machine gun em- placements, and following waves of in- fantry were held up by these.
 Fight With Clubbed Rifles.
 North of Frzenberg was redoubt called Borry Farm, holding 60 to so Bavarians with machine guns. The position was too strong for the infan- try to take but the Irishmen battled on until these troops which had es saved an attack on the fertilization lay dead or wounded before it. But others pushed forward to hill 35 as this ridge which dominated the sur rounding ground, was known and for a time that emlnence was actually in British hands. But it was too import ant d position for the Germans to re- linquish They massed great num- beIs of men behind it and hurled them against the Irish. The latter met the onslaught with bayonet and clubbed rifles and fought as their forefathers fought, tiercely and determinedly.