Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-11-27
by Associated Press Stan

must approach the 5000 mark.
FIGHT ON OPEN GROUND.
At last the British and Germans are
at grips on comparatively open
ground and some of the fiercest hand
fighting of the war has been going
on. The enemy troops were UMPIRE
pared for the attack, but they have
been putting every ounce Of their
strength into an attempt to stem the
rising tide.
Troops have been pulled away from
other points and rushed to the Cam
brai sector by the desperate Germans,
and so hard pressed were they for
men that two companies of cripples
and convalescen were received has
tily at one camp and thrown into the
line in the region of Masnieres. Some
Of these pitiful objects are in British
hands and are receiving medical
treatment. One prisoner was in the
last stages Of tuberculosis and he had
to be moved to prevent the disease
from spreading to the others, who
were in q state Of cruel exhaustion
and virtually helpless from their vail
ant attempts to fight under the lash
Of their unrelenting officers.
LIKE PRIMITIVE WARS.
The great battlefield has taken on
the aspect Of scenes in wars gone by.
It is no longer conflict Of trenches
and shell holes, but of men struggling
bitterly with rifles and bayonets over
a virgin battle ground, while the long
neglected cavalry sweeps in pictur-
esque charges against the enemy posi-.
%;ane oxyoy. Tho wiAo forritorx, inuo1vod
The roads everywhere for two
days have been swarmed with ad-
vancing troops and with prisoners
and civilians coming back from the
front. Many rejoicing non-combat-
ants, men, women and children, have
been pouring out of the captured
towns under the guidance Of their
deliverers from German bondage.
LIBERATED THOUSANDS HAPPY.
This has been battle of strange
sights, but no more striking spec
tacle has been witnessed than that of
these people marching toward homes
and comfort back of the British
front Through the very gaps which
the tanks had torn in the famous
Hindenburg line, mothers yesterday
and today were pushing baby car
riages containing infants or tramping
happily along with their babies
clutched to their breasts. Beside
them toddled other youngsters, many
Of them carrying their treasured
dolls and not few clinging deter
minedly to sQuirming puppies which
they dared not trust to run on the
ground. Old men and women were
bringing away all the household eff
fects they could pack on push carts
or carry on their backs.
For three years they had been in
captivity and some Of. them in slavery.
They had been subsisting on the
bounty Of the American relief commit
tee, which furnished them virtually
the only food they obtained.
GUN CREWS AkNIhlLATED.
Hard fighting has taken place today
at Crevecoeur, southeast of Masnieres.
The British were holding a high
ridge in front Of this place and some
troops had forced an entrance into
the western part Of the town. The
Germans were still holding the east.
ern section. A German battery here
which had been giving trouble was
charged and captured by dismounted
cavalrymen. The battery was sur.
tanglement, precluding the use Of
horses. so the soldiers stormed the
position on foot and annihilated the
gun crews.
In the region of Rumilly heavy ma
chine gun and rife fighting was pro-
ceeding last night and this morning.
West of Cambria tanks, cavalry and
infantry were pressing the attack
vigorously about Fontaine Notre Dame
and the strong position of Bourbon
wood Fontaine Notre Dame has not
been officially reported captured but
the story goes that tank crews were
served with hot soup by the people of
Fontaine Notre Dame. Field Mar
shall Haig's official report for last
night said the Germans had retaken
Fontaine Notre Dame.
Further north, near BullecOurt, the
British were in possession Of the I'm.
derground fertilization known as the
tunnel trench which had been famed
for it's supposed impregnability. At
least five determined counter-attacks
have been smashed in this region.
Southeast of Bullecourt hard fighting
occurred at Moeuvres last night and
a strong attack was repulsed.
The last line Of trench defenses in
the region Of Cantaing have been
broken and the British today were
firmly established at many points in
the Masnieres-Beaureis line south Of
Cambria
1t is possible now to give more de-
tails Of Tuesdays battle. In the ad-
vance south of Cambria the first hard
fighting occurred at Lateau wood
which lies on the Cambria highway
south of Masnieres. This wood final
ly was cleared OF Germans and the
advance continued toward Masnieres.
Some opposition was encountered in
suburb, but by ] o'clock this had
been. overcome and the British had
crossed the L'escaut canal at lock.
The small German garrison fought
bitterly to retain Masnieres. The