Evening star., 1917-05-04
r:es Of posts astride the Germans east
of this place.
Cross Hinden5arg Line.

Cross Hinden5Hrg Line.
East Of Bul.ecourt ihe Reuter- corie-
spopdent adds, the British in s.reng u
are right across the Hindenburg lire. u
sector of which they hold running IN
the direction cf Oueant. Thence their
line forms n sort of disjointed salient
an around. bat the northern entrance
TO Bullecourt. which is reported 10 os G
full of Germans. The enemy thus is
an an en,.laye which seems to be dan
rerous 10 his possibilities OF retire-
Inent. ra
The British gains in and aroMna
Fresnoy have been consoiidatea,a ia has
,,.ruSg;e for Oppy continues ana nas
produced striking situation 70 tns
nortn of the village. Il consiae. ,,ne
length Of the line being at presens .,a
teRable for either side. OWNS "
mutual concentration of machine guns
German Attacks Fail.
BRITISH HEApQt QttRTEks y
FRANCE. via London, Ma! 4.---TEe ''e' :
rnaas made desperate counter at.achs
throughout the entire night against
the positions won by the British yes
s~,dsx hut were everywhere repulsed
Fresnoy Is Captured.
Ar,er four DAYS Of calm. fighting on
a large scale was resumed along a wide
front Yesterday and more important
strategic points fell into British hands'
Including the village of Fresnoy. sew
eral miles north of the Scarpe river.
and the ground about Cherisy some
distance south OF that soHeWha1 mss
fificant stream.
Between Fontaipe-Lez- Croisilles and
Bullecourt about 6n0 yards more OF tne
original iiindenburS line. whlch ran
frori Queant ii northwesteriy dlrec-
tion toward Arras. was penetrated ana
rolled up THIS lighting was close TO
The Cueant- -Hindenhurg line new emer-
gency trench system. extending north
lront there to Drocourt. Work on TINS
new system is proceeding with fever1sh
haste according to prisoners, and the
stubborn resistance the Germans now
are offering is to prevent the necessity
OF their occupying the new line before
it is ready for prolonged defensive &C
tion.
Operations Over Eighteen Miles
Yesterdays range of operations COW
cred virtually eighteen miles, although
the pressure was not exerted over this
entire front There was artillery activ-
ity at all points, however. and stronger
.ierman positions were fairly deluged
With shells.
The lighting began just before dawn
and continued throughout a day of
sslorious sunshine. The troops moving
up in support of those actually in the
nring line passed along roads whose
overhanging trees were tipped with the
first fresh green leaves of the renewed
life of spring. The fields back of the
battle front were yellow with cowslips
and dandelions: birds were singing joy
-tNF fr.II
Nast wind stirred up great clouds of
dust and the men were white with hne
chalk powder blown from the roads
Then Scene Changes.
AS the marching columns reached
the battle zone. however. all was
changed. The trees became only
aunt. black skeletons; the once fair
cid had been pitted and SCARED and
'.ithered under the shell IRE until the
.,rth itself was killed by the poison
as.s blasts. and no living thing could
row thereon, even under this FIRST
arm impulse Of the new season. The
..iy melodies were the deep-throated
Jars Of cannon. the whine of shells
the whistle Of bullets
Under the soft light of q May moon
..e British guns roared the artillery
.eparation at intervals during the
...gnt. but 1t was not until the lunar
.ys had disappeared behind the west
IN hori1on that the real bombardment
.negan- In its intensified form It was
u short duration Then the guns sets
atole out from their forward trenches
or shallow shelters hastily dug in the
s.round during the more recent ad-
1t was still half an hour before dawn,
and the morning mists gave a deeper
aensity to the darkness.
Hard Fighting From First.
There was sti6 fighting from the
very drst. and everywhere along the
line the Germans offered desperate re-
sistance. Since the battle of Arras
began, ON Easter Monday, the Germans
have concentrated great numbers Of
guns opposite the British. and lately
they have been firing with almost reck-
less extrayaEance. Much of the shoot
ing has been absolutely blind. since the
Germans being unable to get more than
mcmentary observation with airplanes
AID balloons.
IN the morning the British creeping
trellis work Of exploding shells in
front Of the attacking troops. was met
by a furious defensive curtain of FIRE.
and for half an hour or more the artil-
lcTy uIbpidJ WA8 one OI inc IuOSl WOH-
derful seen during the war. At the
north of the line the Canadian troops.
who occupied Arleux several days ago,
pushed forward and took Fresnoy.
Fierce Fight at Fresnoy.
Arleux and Fresnoy had been swathed
about with great defensive works and
:iumberiess loops of barbed wire. The
Fresnoy garrison fought with great
bitterness and II was not until the
Canadians had virtually surrounded the
village that the survivors. cut off
within. surrendered. The number of
prisoners taken here was 200 men and
seven officers. One Of the officers spoke
excellent English. and as a Canadian
ofiicer was conducting him to the rear
he asked to see the positions from
which the Germans were driven during
the storming Of Vimy ridge on April g.
He marveled at the situation and asked
what Canadian division took the par
ticular position he saw. When told il
was the same division which captured
him at Fresnoy today he laughed and
not believe that any divisions in the
and shook his head incredulously when
their battle strength.
Better German Feeling.
This same officer asserted that the
,o-,ta of he troops opnosita the Rr;+