The Little River news. (Ashdown, Little River County, Ark.) 1897-current, 1917-09-26
G.::PNAi. SOLDIERS HAVE LOST
THEIR PEP; LONG FOR PEACE
TIC Punch Was Lacking III Recent
Counter attacks III the Flanders
Battle British Spirits Rally
or .,rriya. o Americans.

en- ..rriya! O. Americans.
British Front in France and Bel
GUM, Sept. 23-Phascs OF the battle
Of Flanders that took place last Thurs
day and which has been characterized
as the battle of Men II road, are to-
DAY largely a matter of history Hard
local fighting was still in progress at
> point west of Gheluvet lino&n "a
Tower Hamlets, but Notwithstanding
the determined efforts OF the Germans
to regain the ground they lost here.
they were unable to dislodge the Brit
Ssh troops.
The enemy still chung to a few iso-
lated posts on an elevation near
Tower Hamlets, but their possession In
no way affected the general situation
as they were not vital points.
No Thought tO- LcSscs.
The German mii,tary headquarters
las taken little account o. losses OF
men if results are achieved. II tin
H.csant instance tbe Gar#5a counter
Il achs have not only ben costly, bat
useless. fOr the British artillery has
IL q me jority Of cases, torn the ad-
yanc.ng columns to bits and driven
the survivors back in hasty retreat.
How great the German losses have
been. it is said Of course is impossible
to estimate, but it can be stated that
they were exceedingly severe.
The prisoners say that their casual
ties during the last few days of the
British bombardment prior to the at
tack. were very heavy and especially
on the night of Septembe: 10. During
that night ration parties were SO bad
~ smashed that they were unable to
reach the front line troops with food
Fighting Spirit Missing.
The battle of Menin road has fur
nished further evidence of that detc-
r.orat,on in the fighting qualities
which he's been going on in the Ger
be assumed from this statement that
the Germans are in a demoralized
state. During the last few days the.
have fought with great dcterm nation
and skill, but they ere not as good as
they were.
1t is significant, perhaps, that the
countor-Gttacks delivered by the enc
my on the first day were lacking the
intensity Of previous counter-at.acks
although the Germans had known that
the offensive was pend ng aild had
time to prepare for eventualities.
abandon Hope 0, Victory.
In this connection change has been
noted in the attitude of captured
German officers. Apparently they no
longer have faith in the future an
have abandoned hope of success in
the western theater. The thing they
are most interested in now is peace.
On the other hand, the morale of the
British troops has never been at SO
high a pitch as at present.
The arrival of the American troops
n France has done much to make
even stronger this confidence. Every
where the old-timers at the front are
talking about their new allies from
the United States, and it is agreed
that the Americans will make mag
nificent add ton to the fighting
COVER of the allies in the west and
that the new combination will be
made invincible.
Now "Flaming Bullets
1t is reported that the British bat
talons' that captured Shrewsbury for
est and Bulgar wood to the east of the
former place in thursdays drive, eX-
perienced a new kind of German
frightfulness
The advancing troops are said to
have been fired on with flaming
bullets These bullets set the mems
clothing on fire, and in several in
stances, according to the account re-
ceived here, wounded men had to be
rolled in the mud by their comrades
to eXtinguish the flames.