Licking Valley courier., 1917-11-29
news REVIEW OF
The PAST week
General Byng Smasbes Through
Hindenburg Line Toward
City Of Cambria.
BOcHEs TAKEN BY SURPRISE
Tanks Play Big Part In the sensa-
tionaI Interpretations Brayeiy Re-
sistlng Powerful Attacks Of Austro-
Germans-Enemy Aliens in Amer
lea Under Surveillance. y.
BY EpwARo W. pIckARp.

~ - tHffta1 We .
Lieut.. Gen. Sir Julian Byng smashed
great hole. in the Hindenburg line
between st. Quentin and the Scarpe.
General Diaz and his heroic Italians
put stop for the. time being to the
Teuton attacks on nsliiost Of the Piave
river line. General .Allenby and the
British army in Palestine moved
steadily on TO ACKNOWLEDGMENT ofAler.
rusQlem: The French struck the
crown princes forces a hard blow In
the Aisne sector. President Wilson
placed the severest restrictions on en-
emy aliens In the United States. -
Altogether 1t was not pleasant
week for Kaiser Wilhelm.
General Byng's sensational advance,
which was begun Tuesday and con-
tlnued through the week, was hailed.
as the greatest British victory since
the Somme. its success was due large
ly to the element Of surprise, for the
British had been delivering their pre-
paratory artillery fire much farther
north and then suddenly attacked In
the Cambria sector, taking the Ger
mans quite unawares. General Byng,
who devised the plan and whose army
carried 1t out, first sent out great
number Of tanks, and as these cleared
away the barbed-wlre entanglements
and broke through two Of the strong
est lines In the German defense sys-
TEN in the west, the infantry and cav
airy followed with n rush that car
ried all before II. The Germans were
dem0rallzed, and for many hours Of
fered little resistance, surrenderlng
by the thousand, and the British
moved rapidly forward, taking village
after village, and quickly cOnsolidat-
ing the enemy positions, which had not
been badly demolished by shell fire.
Almost TO Cambria.
On Wednesday the resistance of the
enemy stlffened considerably, but ia
no avail, for the British pushed on ,un'
I'll they had put behind them the towns
of Mosnleres, Marcolng, Ribecourt
Hnvrincourt, Grnlncourt and Flies
uuleres. The tanks still were leading
the way, and cooperating with them
were the mounted forces, which have
had so little opportunity for real ac
ton. by Thursday noon Byng's troops
were but little more than two miles
from Cambraf, and his big guns hac
begun to Shell that most important
German base and railway center.
The British swiftly built roads ant
light railways across the captured sec
tlon up to their new lines and also he
gan to widen out their salient, whlcl
at first was dangerously sharp. Crow
Prince RuppreCht rushed up masse
/ of troops and took up strong position
In Bourbon wood just north of tn
British salient, dominating the lmme
dnte region. He also pushed the nd
vance posts Of the British out Of For
taine Notre Dame, but they held an
consolidated all the rest of the terri
tory they had gained.
4 The secrecy which enveloped IN
preparations for this great mNvemen
was astounding and speaks volume
for the skill OF the British command
ers and the efficiency Of the avlOtlo
corps which prevented the enemy nj
scouts from discovering the massln
OF troops and tanks The Cambrl
sector had been quiet for long tim,
and the Germans considered that pOl
OF their defense lines lmmcgn0bl
They also thought un attack In fore
on such defenses could not be mad
successfully without artillery prepl
ration. AT tremendous cost they ha,
learned they were mistaken in both II
stances.
Attack Ass Several objects.
= Aside from the capture Of Cnmbr
. and the possible forcing OF a gener
, retreat Of the Germans on the we
front, the immediate object OF III
British offensive probably was TO r
lIeve the pressure on the Italians M