The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-08-04
ADVANCE BRINGS ALLIES
NEARER CITY OF LILLE
Ground Over Which Tommies and
PoiIus Advance Covered With
Enemy Dead and Thousands Of
Prisoners Who Gladly Surren-
der Are Captured and Sent To
Rear AZ,
ASSOCIATED Press BY U. 8. Naval Com.
munication Service)

NEW YORK, August FOLLOWING
an artillery preparation for the past
week, which increased to it's maximum
yesterday morning along a twenty five.
mile front, the British and French in
Flanders struck a heavy blow against
the welhprepared German front from
La Basse, ten miles south of Armch.
tierres, in northern France, north for
fifteen miles into Belgium, as far as
Steenstraete. The Allies advanced
their lines generally along this whole
front, gaining two miles on the en-
tfeme left as the extreme depth pcne.
trated. ,"li
Two important positions are included
in the gains, one of these being the VIII
lage of La Basse itself, around which
thousands of lives have been lost since
the early weeks of the war. The nd
vance brings the British still closer 10
the important city of Lille and also
opens a way to flank the Germans along
their Dixmude front, which has hereto.
fore been protected by the flooded coun-
try along the Ypres River and the User
canal. The advance at Steenstracte
gives the British foothold to the east
OF the lower edge of this great marsh.
we German losses are reported 10
have been very heavy, the ground over
which the Tommies and poilus advanc.
60 being covered with the German
dead, while three thousand five hun.
dred prisoners have been taken. Tie
Allies, on the other hand, lost surpris
ingly few, according to the reports
from British headquarters and from
Paris. az. -" ri 49, 800.
German Counters Fail s{Fs
The reports from the British head
quarters late last night were that the
Germans were launching series Of
heavy counter attacks, which had been
beaten back by the British artillery
and the machine guns of the infantry
holding the consolidated positions TAX.
ems. Practically every one of the posi-.
lions now in British and French hands
has been held up until yesterday by
the Germans since their first occupa-
ton of Belgium. a us aI@.ag "
Berlin minimizes the affair, stating
that the first attempt of the British
to advance was defeated and that the
final fruits of the day for the attackers
was solitary crater, while the Bri.
tlsh and French losses were heavy.
Teutons Glad to Surrender III .l,Ns
The principal casualties suffered by
the Germans, according to the Entente
dispatches, came during the prelimin.
airy bOmbardment Of the trenches and
the supporting positions. The British
6arrage swept these defenses away and
was so intense that when the British
and French infantry advanced there
was nothing to stop them until the first
and second lines were passed. Those Ger.
mans who had survived the artillery
barrage eagerly surrendered, their
nerve having completely forsaken
them. These prisoners were passed on
to the rear, while the Allies infantry
stormed the third line trenches and
took them. Every objective aimed Mt
by the commanders was reached and in
some places the rush of the Allies car,
ried them past their detectives and
gave them ground not anticipated.
The Germans IN the third line
trenches fell back as the Allies ad.
Vaneed, in many places, being pursued
by the exultant Tommies, who, at one
point charged through their own bar.
rage to cut the Germans of. A force
consisting of six divisions of shock
troops, made up Of Bavarian veterans.
was hurried 10 the rescue of the Ger.
mans along the weakest sector of the
front attacked, but these failed to stem
the tide and were beaten back with the
remnants of the trench defenders. 3.
The morale of the Teutons seemed TO
have weakened, and in cases positions
fell to the advancing infantry TINT
might easily have offered bloody re,
Sistance, g.. '.sN' d.
The Berlin dispatches last night make
only passing reference TO the great
battle on both sides of the Franco, Bel
gian line, but emphasize claimed Ges
man successes along the Aisne. clam.
which the Paris dispatches emphatieaI
" contradict. Paris claims that Tho
: French won important gains on ID,
very fronts where Berlin claims A,
have won signal successes. Both capi
tails agree that the fighting was heavy
particularly along the Chenins de!
Danes ridge. -. . ...gs
| Here, according to the German wa,
office, the Germans captured positions
on some of the important heights an.
beat back the thrusts made by IN,
French to regain these positions an,
to force the Germans from groun,
,raVinu.ly hall -,