Omaha daily bee., 1917-06-10
BRITISH GUN FIRE
BURNS BARRIERS
Germans at Messines Ridge
Are Bewildered by Bonn
bardment from Many
Angles.

e0AJt JuiiS - SohHPoieti'N
Via London), June 8.-Comparative
quiet reigned today along the front
of the latest British attack. which
wrested the Messines ridge from the
Germans Thursday.
Tonight the British have thorough
ly consolidated their gains and are
able to defend them against any coun-
ter attack the temporarily bewildered
Germans may start.
Prisoners kept coming in in in
creasing hundreds. Dazed by nearly
a week OF most terrifying gunfre, and
half famished as a result of the
starvation barrage" the British had
kept on their lines of communication
and supply, these men upon reaching
the cool, grassy spots within the Brit
ish barbed wire stockades erected for
their anticipated arrival, stripped
themselves to the waist, tore off their
heavy trench boots and flung them
selves to the ground, where they soon
were lost in the heavy sleep of COM
plete exhaustion.
For them the war is over, and their
relief at being out of it was only too
apparent. The men who had seen the
greater part of their military service
on the Russian front were the most
demoralized o. all.
1--WE had heard much of the condi-
tions on the western 'front.'" said one
of the captured German officers to
The Associated Press, but we always
thought there was much exaggeration
about them. We had no realization
what war was.
Division Wiped Out.
when we came from Russia a few
weeks ago we were told we were 60
ing against the British. but that we
need not worry, as the English were
not in a position to accomplish any,
thing serious against us i'll view of
their offensive at Arras. The artillery
fire we experienced when we first
came to the Messines ridge was more
terrible than anything we had seen or
heard on the eastern front.
Then a week ago the English
started their intensive bombardment.
1t was terrible to endure. Few of us
ever thought we would get out of it
alive. There was a distinct sense of
relief when the mine was exploded
yesterday morning. We knew then
that an attack was under way and that
we soon should be dead or in a posi-
ton to surrender. Most of US can
frankly say that we preferred the
latter.
This experience of ours should
end the war. We have no possible
chance to win. Two days ago my di-
vision was made up of three splendid
German regiments. We saw these
men shrivel up in hurricane Of fire,
with which we could not possibly
compete. Now my division exists no
more"
This officer had no complaints to
make against the German higher COM
mand and no apparent desire to win
favor from his British captors. He
was so shaken by the ordeal he had
undergone that he seemed to find at
least momentary relief in expressing
in excellent English the thoughts
which were uppermost in his mind.
Great Artillery Triumph.
The experience of his division ap-
parently is evidence that Germany is
not finding solution here of its mill
tary difficulties in the transferring of
its eastern units to the western front
The battle of the Messines ridge
rta fSsl
for the British artillery. The
deepest significance in the striking
victory lies in the fact that the Ger
mans seemed to know the attack was
coming and had endeavored in every
possible way to defend themselves
against it.
But as fast as they brought up new
batteries, the British guns were upon
them. British airplanes always were
over the German lines, watching every |
move, demonstrating very plainly |
with whom rests supremacy in the air !
on this front.
All the prisoners say they had been
warned within the last few days that
the English might attempt an often
sive and that the main attack might
come in the Messines sector. with the
hope of nipping off the Wytschaete
sector-all of which, it may be stated,
has been accomplished. British raids
just prior to the attack showed that
the German sentries always sought |
cover from the British bombardments |
as they had every good reason to do.
Prisoners say they were ordered to
hold the front line at all costs, al |
though their commanders verbally ad- |
mitted that this line would be taken
by the first assaulting waves. 1t was
hoped, however, Immediately to eject |
the British with the much talked of |
German storming troops and "Stoss-
truppen," which had been especially |
formed to knock" the British out of |
any trench element they might enter. |
Barriers Burned Away.
German troops who but recently |
came into the line said they had seen
many guns moving toward the front.
This worried them considerably, for |
ordinarily German gun transfers are
maui al llSIt dliu Ill SuIH d SOlICdlSu |
manner that even the German infantry
seldom sees them. The German pris-
oners admit that they were complete
y bewildered by the British tactics.
SO many practice barrages and feint
oombardments had been directed
against them that they had no idea
vhen-to expect an actual attack. Their
irst line and communication trenches
like had been terribly knocked about.
The British had to level many bits
If wood and then they sprayed these
woods with drums of boiling, blazing
oil, which burned them away and
made attacking across what would be
impregnable natural de-
enses quite an easy matter. The COM
trenches were so damaged
hat it was impossible for the Ger
mans to make their way along them
Io,,1,rht Iii |