Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-29
Berlin Reports Counter Attack.
Germans Fighting at Ypres
Without Great Advantages
Before Held Against Allies
BY f. PERCY NOEL.
Especial Cablegram to The Star and
Chicago Daily News.D


Chicago Daily News.D
Copyright 1917 by the Chicago Daily News
Company
WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN
FLANDERS. August 2s tdelayedr.-In
the region of Ypres there is a hilltop
from which all of this battlefield is
often visible. l have spent many hours
there studying the physical geography
of the fighting ground from Armen
there's to Dixmude and in German-held
territory to Roulers and beyond. To-
day the atmosphere was very clear.
and the glass revealed the work of the
guns in such detail that it was with
something of a shock that I realized
the change in the appearance of this
region wrought in the past three
weeks.
Less than half of this time has been
occupied by great artillery and infan-
try attacks from either side because of
the unfavorable weather. but the bonn
bardments that have taken place have
been so violent that the entire face of
the country has been changed The
woods and villages are mere skeletons
of their former selves. The villages.
which we knew by the red tiles over
the shells of the houses. are now level
ed fiat 1t is difficult to discover the
dense wood. for which our allies and
enemies have been fighting during the
past week. The British took it behind
a creeping" barrage, and the enemy
evacuated 1t and then repeated the
process When the fighting began. not
many days ago. the wood was thick
with foliage. but now all that can be
seen are few splintered trunks and
short scraggly branches
Field Is Seen No More.
Just beyond the British outposts
north of the Ypres- -Menin road there
was a pleasant green field with small
Now, after less than week. one can
only guess where that green field was
The terrain for acres about are all the
same tumbled clay bored with round
burst there and send big and little
clouds high into the air.
From this hill L have seen empty
villages leveled day after day. The
peaceful homes when seen from afar
have crumbled and fallen and become
mere masses of material, These piles
have stood up awhile against the hori |
not quite leveled then. This dust of
dwellings has been pulverized and
scattered until the ground is as fiat as |
today's battlefields ever are.
What does it mean? Why do 1 sit /
for hours by day and sometimes all |
night on this hill? These crumbling |
disappearing fields and rivu- |
lets, mocking woods and all the blood |
soaked ground mutely epllOm1Ze Tor |
me the almost overwhelming power for |
evil and the slightly stronger power |
for good. Attila's anger has broken /
forth again and again in the Ypres /
sector but never before SO violently as |
now. Twice before the enemy ordered |
Ypres scourged like an unruly Helles-
pont British peers, London conckneys
Canadian miners. Toronto bankers. In
dian tribesmen and their beloved Brit
ish officers have sanctif1ed this region 1
with their lives
Despite the exposed position of the
salient of the little bit Of Belgium that
remains, 1t has been held. Attila RACES
In vain now. Over the most unfayor-
able terrain and in the face of the
greatest power the enemy could sum-
mon to prevent 1t. the men Of Britain
have advanced and held their ground.
The many counter attacks which I have
witnessed from this hill, despite their
unimaginable violence. have failed COM
lContinped on Toprtsepth fagsl !