The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-10-05
Advance More Than a Mile,
Capturing Strong Key Posi-
tons and Many Prisoners
NINE-MILE FRONT is
COVERED IN ATTACK
British Attain Position Which
Will Enable Them to Start
Spring Offensive to Better
Advantage

London. Oct. 4-Over the top OF
five miles of the rugged ridge north
east OF Ypres, Sir Douglas Haig's in
fantry iegions surged early today In
the final drive of this years battle of
Flanders.
To depth Of mile and more At
points they stormed on and made
themselves masters of many and
manifold works OF defense represent
| ing all the skill and cunning that
twentieth century science could build
In the three years that this ground
| had been held by the Teutons.
| The end of days bitter battle saw
| the British indisputable, though still
disputed, possessors of all but a small
| portion of the ground they lost TO the
| Germans in the two first battles of
| Ypres, October and November. 1914,
and April and May. 1915.
That long, low ridge stretching from
| Messdnes, south of Ypres, northeast
almost entirely cleared of Teutcns.
| With Ii nossession the British DOM
| mate the plains of Flanders partic-
uiarly between the Menin and RouI-
ers roads.
| A German retreat of a wide front
either in the remaining four weeks
| OF fighting weather this year or with
the inception OF next springs cam
patgn, is looked for as the inevitable
| result of todays new British drive.
| Haig's "Somme strategy has been
| repeated In every detail in Flanders,
and today was crowned with success
| and glory
| Thousands of prisoners have been
counted already. But prisoners In to-
days battle were secondary to the
large strategic consequences of this
new British advance. 49,.
The attack was made on front app
proximating nine miles. roughly he-
tween the Rou1ers road at PaSchen-
daele and the Mein road and Ghelu-
welt. the latter village that has prob
ably seen more blood flowing In this
war than any other spot In the war
zone. except those north OF yerdun.
The mile advance was made on
the sector south OF this attacking
/ front between eHeluvelt and Brood
| setnde villages. The latter place In
among those ca ptured by the victors.
The ground attacked, and, too. the
| greater part taken. constitutes the
third system of German trenches be-
tween the two great lines of COM
| munication leading eastward into Bel
GUM. Before the British whiriwind
drive was ushered In, at s o'clock this
morning. the German line ran from
6FooCEelnue. along the eastern slope
of the ridge. through Ruetei west Of
! Beceiaere and through New Krui-
seecke, which lies Just east OF Ghelu-
welt. on the Menin road
The two ''pivots" of the front were
Zonnebeke, west of Rroodseinde. and
Gheluvelt. The third chief obstacle
on the road to a clear smash-through
by the British was the eastern por-
ton OF Pulyron wood. Precisely
what happened to these three has-
tons in today's drive was not clear
! from Sir Douglas day communion
tons. Indications however pointed
| strongly to a complete crumbling of
the whole Teuton defense system.
though front dispatches testify to
| stubborn resistance.
AT best. q month possibly Ave
| weeks. remain for large scale opera
tons in the west. A concerted Ger
| man counter offensive. military critics
| point out. cannot be thought Of The
| British. on the other hand, have Just
time enough to clear the rest Of the
Paschendaele ridge OF the foe and
thus put themselves in possession Of
the strategic "overlay' all the why
through on the Flanders front.
| The Teutons are expected to yield,
slowly but steadily. and go into w1n-
ter quarters minus important ground
| they won three years ago. facing the
necessity of retreat exactly like that
on the Sonme last spring. Mean
while the Teuton diplomats are en-
gagged in feverish efforts to solve.
| the whole Flanders Belgian northern
| France problem before spring a. .
| preliminary to peace parleys-