Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1917-11-29
BY Associated Press.

"nile tanuln OH German counter
attacks British forces have CONSOLE
dated their gains and are prepared for
another plunge toward Cambria. Gem
eral Byng's men are just west of Fon-
tame Notre Dame, less than three miles
west of Cambria, and nave nearly COM
pleted the occupation of Burton wood,
just north of Fontaine, and which.dom-
mates the entire region.
tontalne Notre Dame was the scene
of the heaviest fighting yesterday.
Wednesday night the village was cap
tured by the British, but a strong Ger
man counter attack Thursday drove
the British to the western outskirts.
h village is the apex of the wedge
which the British I'VE driven toward
Cambria and which includes approNi-
mately so qua miles of territory for
merly within the German lines. The
are reported to he rushing up
reserves for counter attacks
Cambria probably has lost it's useful
ness as the German supply base in the
immediate region, as the city and the
three railroads entering it from north,
east and south are dominated by the
British artillery.
New Menace to Queant.
The new wedge also is a direct men
ace to Queant. the southern end of the
Queant-Drocourt switch line, (which
held up the British advance east of Ar
ras last spring. Queant is now within
a sharp salient which has been height
ened by the British advances from Bull
lecourt in the present drive.
That the surprise of General Byng's
strike was complete is shown by the
fact that the British casualties We're
considerably less than the number of
Germans captured-more h a 5000.
Berlin. Nov. 24.-A new battle is IN
progress in the Cambria area, army
headquarters today. The
fighting broke out anew his morning
in the direction of Moeuvres.
Yesterday, the statement adds, the
Germans forced the British from the
village of Fontaine and from La Folie
wood. English attacks against Rumilly,
BanteuX and N~endhuile, the war office
reports. collapsed with heavy losses.
OPEN DRIVE AT BULLEcoURT.
BY Associated Press.
British Army Headquarters in France,
Thursday, Nov. 22.-The success of the
British arms in the Cambria sector has
continued to grow steadily and Field
Marshal Haig's troops, in a little more
than two days fighting. rave overrun
an area equal in size to that won by the
Germans during the first IS days OF
their spectacular drive on Nerdun.
British cavalry. ank and infantry to-
day were battling their way forward
along a line which. at nan points west
and southwest of Cambria. was less
thar three miles from that important
town. The advance also was spreading
northward in the region of Bullecourt,
and the salient toward Cambrai was
being widened. The total Of prisoners
captured must approach the 5000 mark.
AT last the British and Germans are
at grips on comparatively open ground
and some of the fiercest hand fighting
of the war has been going on. The
or, ~, ~ trnnT,c J1rara 1,nnyannr rod fnJ- flo
attack. but they have been putting
every ounce of their strength into an
attempt to stem the rising tide,
Troops Rushed to Cambria.
Troops base been pulled away from
other points. and rushed to the Cam
brai sector by the desperate Germans,
and so hard pressed We're they for
men that two companies of cripples
and convelscents We're recruited hastily
at n camp and thrown into the line
in the region of Masnieres. Some of
these pitiful objects are in British
hands and are receiving medical treat
ment. One prisoner was in the last
stages of tuberculosis and he had to
be moved to prevent the disease from
spreading to the others who were in
state of cruel exhaustion and virtually
helpless from their valient attempts to
fight under the lash of their unrelent-
ing officers.
The great battle field has aiken on
the aspect of scenes in wars gone by.
1t is no longer a conflict of trenches
and shell holes. but of men struggling
bitterly with rifles n bayonets over
a virgin battle ground, while the long
neglected cavalry sweeps in picturesque
charges against the enemy positions
over the wide territory involved.
London. Nov. 24.-Field Marshal
Haig switched his battering ram to the
Ypres sector last night. Today he re-
ported his troops had advanced their
lines slightly last night southeast Of
Ypres.