The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-04-27
HELD The FORT
Single British Post Fought 1t
Out and Won.
Every German Killed-TOO
Busy to Bury Dead.
BY WILLIAM PHILIP SIMMS.

With the British Armies Afield,
April 27.-One single British post. de-
Tending just a part of Guillemont
farm, emerged victorious today from
one of the fiercest fought of the
countless scattered actions marking
day replete with bitter fighting-by
killing off every man of their Ger
man assailants.
1t was over a field carpeted with
German dead around GCillemont. Here
during the night the British had bat
tered forward to take the farm and
stretch of front two thousand yards
east of Lempire. Hill 40, to the
north, had fallen into British hands.
after a swaying, desperate battle.
Machine Guns Spit Quick Death.
Hardly had the Tommies started to
dig themselves in on this hard Won
ground when the Teutonic counter-at-
emy's guns dug great burial holes for
the thousands of their dead-but it
likewise by sheer intensity gave the
advancing Germans brief foot hold
All over the farm the battle ragged.
The enemy managed at terrible cost
to regain part of it.
But to the west, the one British
post stood adamant. On it beat wave
after wave of the attack The last
and most violent caught full in the
face the tremendous fire of the de-
tenders machine guns, halted, waver-
ed and literally melted into heaps of
dead ana twisted shapes. The Brit
ish held the line.
The same sort of fighting was in
progress at a score of places on the
British front today. but it had abat-
ed just q trifle from the ferocity of
the night attacks. There has been no
time for the most part to bury the
dead. Tho Germans, particularly.
have been too occupied in reinforcing
their bleeding divisions and in try
take care of their now useless frag-
ments.
Dead Litter the Fields.
Everywhere they Uttered the fields
today.
Despite these tremendous counter
attacks which the enemy. prodigal of
its men. is hurting all along the line,
the British are holding their most i'm
portant gains
The fighting today for the most part
is along the Scarpe. The enemy is
losing not only in thousands by coun-
accuracy of the British artillery is add
ing to the toll.
Cold winter weather, with lowering
clouds, lessened the air fighting from
the tremendous scale on which the
warfare of the skies has been waged
during the past weeks of clear, sun
shiny weather.
French Regiment Wins.
French Headquarters-The CORE
spondent heard stirring narrative of
the French attack at Vile AUX Bots.
Its capture forms one of the most bril-
liant episodes of the recent fighting
A regiment commanded by Colonel
- was the formation to which
fell the task of capturing two woods
the Bots des Buttes and the Bots
de BOches-between which lies the
village of Vile AUX Bots
This regiment did so well that the
first day it took hundreds of pris-
The prisoners alone numbered more
than the French who made the at
tack while the French casualties
were almost incredibly light. The
prisoners included every living officer
except the colonel and all the remain
ing men of an entire Bavarian regi-
ment- The colonel escaped because
his post of command was more than
four miles behind the fighting line.
Gunners Die at Their Posts.
The Germans fought with the ut
most determination. All their machine
gun operators, mostly non-commis-
stoned officers especially appointed.
died at their guns A Prussian regi-
ment was brought up later to face
the French and has resisted stubborn
ly. 1t has been unable, however to
prevent the French from advancing
still further until they are now before
JuvincOurt, which for the moment is
protected by German cannon at
Craonne.
Vile AUX Bots itself and Pontavert.
a few thousand yards southwark on
the Aisne, have been reduced to ruins.
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