Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-11-30
GO / HIS PAY
WITH LIVES
FOR VILLAGE
British Forces Win Foothold
In Fontaine, Only To Be
Dislodged BY Heavy Ger
man Reinforcements; 500
Enemies Captured.
BATTLE RACES ALL
DAY IN RUINED TOWN

London, Nov. 28.-"The German ar
tiliery was active last night in the
region OF Bourbon wood area west Of
Cambria" says today's official state
ment. ''No further fighting has taken
pace
ION the northern front east and
northeast OF Ypres hostile artillery
activity continues"
! FIERCE BATTLE IN FLANDERS.
Berlin, Nov 2S.-Artillery fighting
of the greatest violence is now II
progress on the Flanders front, in the
region OF Passchendaele, the scene o.
the recent heavy fighting, the war of
flee reports.
In the Cambrai area the G0fmans
lost Bourbon and .Fontaine Notre
Dame for a time, but subsequently
recaptured them. The statement says
more than 200 British prisoners and
q number of machine guns were taken
in the fighting there.
REINFoRcEMENTs TURN TIDE.
British Headquarters in France,
Ncv. 27-( Delayed d)-Desperate and
sanguinary fighting has been raging
II. and about Fontaine Notre Dame
since dawn today, when the British
again attacked the strongly held vii.
laSe. Shortly after 8 o'clock it ap.
peared that the assaulting infantry
had stormed It's way through the vii
lac IN the face Of tremendous ma
cYfHe gun fire both from the houses OF
the hamlet and from La Folie wood,
&c the southeast. Five hundred Ger
man prisoners were taken in the
early hours Of the fighting.
Late this afternoon the Germans
hurried up two new divisions and
threw them In for counter-attack
along the Fontaine-B Bourbon wood line.
The fighting which followed in Fon-
taine was even more bitter, II pos
sible, than that which occurred in the
first rush through the ruined hamlet.
At latest reports superior numbers of
enemy infantry had pushed the Britt
fish back through the village again to
the western and northwestern out
skirts, but the battle still continued
with unabated fury.
GERMANS BATTLE DESPERATELY.
In the meantime the British line
running around Bourbon wood to the
northwest was sustaining heavy as.
sault.
The enemy appeared to be deter.
mined to regain this important posi-.
tion If it were humanity possible. The
whole front from Fontaine to Bourbon
village was the scene OF fierce fight.
Ing. which at many places was at close
quarters. The British line about
Bourbon wood still is intact.
The attack on Fontaine Notre Dame
was begun with the assistance of a
very heavy artillery barrage and
throughout the morning the British
gunners maintained an intense fire
against the German positions there.
The onrushing infantry drove an en-
tering wedge into the northwestern
part Of the village in a short time but
they were held up here by a terrific
rifle and machine gun fire to which
they were subjected from every point
Of vantage.
ENEMY WELL ENTRENcHED.
Conditions were favorable to the
Germans for they were fighting on the
defensive in we'll prepared positions
which could only be taken by storm.
Every machine gun VISA equivalent to
several hundred rifles.
Despite the disadvantages the Brit
kh continued the onslaught. It was
o glorious exhibition Of bulldog cour.
Gre. They surged on and in less than
three hours had pushed the hard hit.
ting Germans back to the eastern side
Of the village, leaving enemy dead
stYewing the streets.
AS the British fought forward and
surrounded the various buildings con-
tanning enemy machine gunners many
Germans were compelled to surrender
or lose their lives.
500 TEUTONS CAPTURED.
BY the time the eastern side of the
village was reached 500 captives had
been collected and sent back to swell
the great total of prisoners taken
blow last Tuesday.
The arrival Of large body of Ger
man reinforcements put a different
complexion on the situation. These
fresh troops Immediately counteract-
Cd and the lighting through the
streets of Fontaine took on renewed
viEor. The weary British retired
somewhat in the face of this on
slaught, selling each foot Of ground to
the enemy at q cruel price. The
western outskirts of the village were
reached and here. according to latest
reports, the battle continues.
Some interesting facts were made
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