The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-07-31
FLANDERS BATTLE
Is STARTED
fcontinued from page I'D

ed the British attack had begun a.
8: so a. m. today
His assault-the second concerted
Offensive In this Missines ridge sector
followed the greatest artillery due
In the whole war to date. For seven
days now British ana German guns
have been roaring along all this Bel
gian front. The Germans apparently
started the concentrated fire, presum'
able fearing another stroke in this
sector and the British quickly replied
with redoubred activity.
Mention by the British commander
in chief of 1.-THE allies" capturing their
first detectives would seem to indicate
that the British were assisted either
by Belgian or French troops.
The river Lys flows northward
above Armentieres, joining with the
lLylle-Ypres canal at Confines. me
canal and the river form an optuse
angle in which is included the Mes
sines-Wytchaete ridge. Messines, hol-
lIebeke and Warneton. 1t was In this
section that Haig struck his big DloW
a few weeks ago, the Canadians sweep
ing over the dominating ridge posi-
tons. Since that time 1t has been fire.
uuently apparent that the British were
preparing to make full use OF their
height positions by sweeping the Ger
mans back against the conyerg1nS
waterways over the low lands.]
Joint offensive.
IBy Ed I. Keen, United Press Staff
| Correspondent
| LONDON, July 31.-ngland ano
France signalled the beginning OF the
| fourth year if the war today with
Joint offensive on two fronts thai
swept forward in full success to first
detectives.
In Flanders, beyond Messines-Wyts-
chaete ridge, the British. assisted by
French troops on their left, brought
to a climax the vast artillery prep
aration Of the past week by con-
certed mass attack.
On the Chemin Des Danes. Parls
reported a sudden offensive In the
Chevregny sector which smashed
ahead to German positions on
front of more than mile. !
Field Marshal Haig did not men
ton the exact extent OF the BRUSH
French offensive front in Belgium.
but gave It's lower most point as
north Of the river Lys."
Front dispatches indicated lighting
was continuing fiercely today. Inc
first men went over the top at 800
q. M
Trench troops ito the left of the
british. means they are somewhere !
between Armentieres and the Belgian .
coast-a section heretofore almost ex-
clusively manned by British and
Belgian forces. Either French forces
have been diverted to aid General
Haig in this particular effort, or else,
a small force of French troops. held
to aid in the Belgian defense for
purely sentimental reasons, partici-
pated in the fighting. There has been
a small force of French manning the /
trenches In Flanders since early In
the war.l
Today's War Map.
NEW YORK. July 31.-Ffeld Mar
shall Haig with tommies and 7oilus
struck successfully today in the sec
tor where for a week the greatest
concentration of artillery the war
has vet witnessed, has roared out its
thunderous preparation. 1t was in
the famous Observation-Disclosures sec
tor that the greatest gains were ap-
parently registered The full extent
Of the attacking front was not re-
vealed in the official statements Oh !;
either side. Both German and Brit
ish war offices mentioned a wide
front"
At the same time and with but lit
tie less vigor, General Petain's
troops were victorious in bolt
launched against the Germans be
yond the Chemin Des Danes around
Cheregny and Filain. The assault
here was on a limited front-a little
over a mile-but it tore into the Ger
man lines and this afternoon the
gains were being successfully main
tanned.
On the northeastern front, German
troops finally succeeded in crossing
the frontier and are now on Russian
soil. in the section southeast of Tarn-
opol.
Bitter resistance" was reported
by the German war office, indicating
the Russian breakdown has been re-
paired in measure at least.
German Official Report.
BERLIN, (via London) July 81
ARTILLERY fire in Flanders increased
toward evening to drum fire inten- (
sity," today's official Statement said,
land in the morning strong enemy /
attacks commenced on a wide front /
from the User to the river Lys.
along the Chemin Des Danes, a |
French attack southeast OF Filain !
broke down, except at two points
where the enemy retained his posi- ,
ton" the statement said.
English Casualties.
LONDON, July 31.-England lost !
II. SSe in killed, wounded and missing