Norwich bulletin., 1917-06-08
ALL THE ARTS AND
 DEVILTRIES OF WAR USED
By the British in Their Successful At
 tack for Messines Ridge.

From a Staff Correspondent of The Associated Prass, With the British Armies in France, June ', via London, June 8, 12.10 a. m-The British armies victory which supplements the sue cesses at Arras during the past two months. The Germans. though appar- ently aware that the bow was coming, and seemingly prepared to meet 1t, were driven from their nearly three years hold on Messines Ridge, oppo- site Ypres, the last remnant of an inn portant Belgian town which, with the help of the French and British in turn, has held out against all the ma assed attacks the Germans could fling against 'it including the first great surprise of poison gas as a means of supposed civilized warfare.
 Ypres in a sense was avenged to- day, for Messines Ridge has been the vantage point from which the Ger mans have poured torrents of shells into the stricken city. The British also wiped out an old score against the Germans, for they held the ridge in October, 1914, and with very thin forces, and practically no artillery, fought bloodily but vainly to hold it when the Prussian troops massed their modern and overpowering weapons of J war against it.
 Lacked. Elements of Surprise. Today's attack lacked many of the elements of surprise which accompa- nied the battle of Arras and the suc- cessful storning of Vimy Ridge. There has been no doubt for three weeks past as to the intentions of the British. The Germans knew that a big push was to be made against Messines, and they had plenty of time to prepare for the defense of the place. Prisoners taken today however, declared that the bonbardment of Vimy was child's play compared with the gunf1re turned upon Messines Ridge.
 Fire Reached Climax at Dawn.
 This fire reached it's climax just as dawn was graying the eastern skies and while the full moon was still sus- pended high in the heavens. Today's successes, won along about ten mile front from Observatory Ridge, south east of YpreS, to Ploegstert wood, just north of Armentieres, proved another triumph for British artillery suprema cy. As the fighting was wholly on Belgian soil, however, the Belgian ara tillery stationed some distance north of the actual line of attack lent aid with a violent bombardment of the German positions within range. of its varied calibred weapons.
 AIessines Ridge is a .ow-lying pro- montory extending along the greater part of today's fighting front It is an insignificant bit of ground to look at from below At it's greatest height it rises barely 70 metres above sea level. The surrounding country is so low and fiat, however, that Messines had an observation value practically incalculable. It was a position which dominated the northern half of the British line in the west and no opera tions of a large character could be planned without it's possession: Seventy metres is not a great height but when you have been sitting at twenty or thirty metres with the enc my looking down at you and pouring shot and she.l incessaLtly about you, ,Nf aicyI.k a victory of supreme importance.
 All the Arts and Deviltries of War
 Used.
 Today's attack was accompanied by all the arts and deviltries of latter-day war The enemy gun and gun crews had been bathed for days in Sgas shells sent over by the long range with red incendiary flame. Shells that spurted molten metal in surging streams of golden rail fell in appall- ing numbers about the heads of the and shrapnel fire was carried out with such rapidity that the very earth writhed under the force of the at tack.
 Took Two Years to Prepare.
 Mines that had taken two years to dig and fill with an overwhelming ex- plosive broke into an avalanche of flaming destruction in the half light of dawn This was indeed an Ypres day of retaliation and victory for the vicious sufferings of two years and eight months.
 Hill 60 Blown Up.
 Hill 50, of evil renown. always the nearest menace to Ypras, went up with other strong points under the impulse of hundreds and hundreds of tons of secret explosive compound.
 The mining plans had been so great and carefully made that the British knew that even if they did not affect the strategy of the situation they would at least materially change ge- ography. However, both strategically and geographically the assaults were