The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-04-24

army III rance, Wa I4onuon, Aprll
23.-ThS battle of Arras, which had
been smoulderng for Il week, burst
into flames again tSday and is stilI
raging tonight with some of the hcavi-
est fighting of the war in progress.
The sky is aight for miles with the
flashes of guns, with star shells that
spread moonlight paleness over the
battlefield and with Nati- colored |
rockets which flash signals to the op-
posing artillery. The cold east wind
carries the echoes Of the reverberating
cannonade far back of the British |
lines.
The fighting today covered approx !
mately an eight mile front from south !
of the Vimy ridge to a point well be- |
low Croisiles. At the north end of
the attack the British swept over Ger |
man fixed positions running almost
due south from Lens and captured
long sections of German positions in
front of the HindenburE line and "a
great number Of prisoners.
1900 Prisoners.
More than 1900 prisoners were
| counted in this sector late today and
| others We're stll coming in. The larg-
est number of prisoners was from the
| l41st Pomeranians. who surrendered in
| hundreds after brief resistance. A
battery of field guns also was taken.
7 Between Gavrelle and Croisilles the
heaviest fighting occurred along both
| banks of the Scarpc and around
Monchy lc- PreuN. where the British
| eastern advance has projected a sharp
salient into the German lines. Monchy
was taken in the first phase of the
| Arras battle after three days fighting
and has been hslh against desperate
counter assaults.
| The Germans always managed TO
cling to the slopes on either side Of
the hill on which Monchy lie prcuX is
pcrched, this being the highest point
east Of Arras and Nimy. overlooking
the great broad eastern plains Of
northern France. The Germans today
were undoubtedly throwing their full
force into their resistance along the
Scarpr. They had brought up strong
reserves to oppose u further British
advance and had thrown in scores Of
new batteries of artillery.
The fighting about Gucmappr, due
south of Monchy. was extremely bit r.
ter The attacking British waves
event over" in the half gray light Of
dawn. 1t was still dark enough to
make IA fiery spectacle of tn" barfago.
which crcpt ahead of thrm-n vrrit -
able wall of exploding shells. Men
who have been over several times un
} der the protection of "A barragc az"
apt to grow a bit over confident in
following the shells, and occasionally
get hit by bits flying back, although
virtually every shell clearing the way
for the in fantry bursts forward with Il
great spray of shrapncl bullets. 4
} modern barraee as set up by the Brit =
lsh and French gunners is "A terrifying
. thing to face and the Germans invol
unfairly break before it, many of them
seeking any dugout available.
Today in many parts of the battle
1 fronts there We're no more dugouts tC
serve as shelters and the Germans had
| to stand and fight. with the result
that their casualties were higher anc
2 the prisoners fewer in those sections
; of the line.
The British advanced in nearly every
instance from mere half trenches
where they had been lying for the pas
week awaiting the bringing up of ar
tllery and the order to advance. Th
Germans opposite them had been dig
ging at every possible opportunity
but they. too, We're unable To ConstruC
more than sections of an unConncCte,
u trench with machine guns Concealc,
in every possible nook and corner.
In the villages which skirtcd tn
battle front 1t seemed as IL ever
, building contained machine gun crews
, Many machine guns were fired on tn
"a opposite bank of the river Scarpc an