Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-10-07
artillery, Of course. maintained its
ceaselsss firing at various points.

artillery, Of course. maintained its
ceaseless firing at various points.
A cold. drissling rain was falling
morning, adding still more 70 tne ~
comforts of the men lying out IN M
mud and water IN TINS s,o rnno ne line
the Germans found themselves IN sueh
exposed positions, as result OF !hu .
DAYS drive that they are reported 70
have pulled their defenses PACE srouns-
british patrols, which pushed out iIl.o
enemy territory. found the forward
sheIl-hole defenses IN one section ADAM
doned.
More Than 1000 Prisoners.
The prisoners already counted mum,
Der more than 1000; ,s Many 9g, os con-
dItion and range between twenty-five
and thirty years OF age r.--
Many OF the enemy's losses were suner-
ed when at least five divisions OF troops
which had been massed for preten-
tious attack were caught In tne Sriei 81
artillery barrage and crushed IN us
overwhelming sweep. These troops III
Guided a division Of the suaros anu e.
flower of the German army MOI ohiy
were Thousands of men wiped out. put
the we'll defined plan OF the German
high command for an attack WAS W
teriy disrupted.
The collapse of this scheme. the ex-
tensive defeat inflicted by the bri.lsh
and the heavy death toll IN ,he Ge ,f
man ranks are things which II is all-
hcuIt to explain to an army wnicn mas
already shown marked signs or de-
ferioration in morale since the Brit
ian began their series of drives at the
opening of the battle of Flanders.
Fighting Spirit Diminished.
The dininution In the fighting Sni-''
of the German troops along the pres
prisoners and has been evidenced IN
the tactics employed recently. one
German officer said that the worst et-
feet on the morale of the Germans was
which he characterized as too terrific
for words.
The enemy has been continually
harassed from the back areas up to the
front lines with a deluge OF high eX-
plosives Even the concrete b1ockhouses
have become very unpopular. because
they are either blown in or rendered
untenable by concussion. All the prison.
ers captured Thursday speak of the
terrible effect of the British barrage
before and after the time set for be-
ginning the advance. All or them
showed signs of decreased morale al
thougn so Tar as phy sicai equipiheH.
went many Of them were all that could
be desired.
Lack Of Cohesion Shown.
The manner In which the German
command conducted the defense Thurs
day is significant. In accordance witt
their custom they threw in various
units promiscuously along the whole
battle front In an attempt to stem the
advance, but a striking feature was the
mixture Of units, the lack of cohesion
between them and the confusion arising
as a consequence. This tends to lndl-
cate lack of organization.
The artillery work of the Germans
also gave evidence Of imperfectly laid
plans. The German FIRE was compare
lively weak and scattered throughout the
day.
The British morale and organization,
on the other hand. have never been at
. higher pitch than at present The
success Of the recent ofensives is proof
Of the perfection achieved by the
British higher command. The British
troops are in high fettle over their
latest victory. On every side one hears
the comment:
when spring comes and the Ameri-
cans are in the line with the allies.
nothing can hold US back
German Plans Made Chaotic.
When the British wrenched away the
largest part of the enemy's vital sys-
tenn of defenses along the Passchen-
daele-Gheluvelt ridge the German plans
for this section Of the western front
during the oncoming winter months
were thrown into chaos. This loss had
been unexpected. for. according to the
statement Of prisoners. It was believed
that climatic conditions would come to
the rescue Of the hard-pushed Germans
and prevent any extensive British op-
erations along this front.