The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-10-13
Second Drive Within Space
of Week Causes Conster-
nation With Enemy.
GERMAN ARMY
MORALE is WEAK
Teutons Sensed Impending
Battle and Sent Hail of
Deadly Gas Bombs.

Inc BflC1Sh steam roller "gOeS up
hill very slowly, but is is now going
down hill and battles are following
each other more rapidly" said Major
General Maurice, director of opera
tions at the British war office yester-
day.
The truth of this assertion was
1riven home less than "a hours after
it was made by the beginning this
morning of another British attack in
Flanders. Only three days had
elapsed since the last attack made on
Tuesday. Tuesdays push was launch
ed after a four days pause, the last
previous drive having been carried
out the preceding Thursday. Pre-
viously intervals of a week or more
had elapsed between the British at
tacks.
Good progress was reported early
by Field Marshal Haig along the six
mile front northeast of Ypres on
which today's assault is being deliv-
cred. Apparently the objective is the
remainder of the ridge commanding
the Flanders plain over the dominant
points of which the British have al
ready passed and are driving down
ward,
As2ass44r A4otablc fact in connection
with the present series of drives is
that each is now apparently being
made regardless of weather condi-
tions. One good day for airplane OBJ
servation was enough for the British
launch their drumfire, drop their bar
rage and push to the attack through
the mud and renewed rainfall.
Milifarxr ohSarxyaT-S in, fbis cnnnap-
ton credit the British high command
with the belief that it is probably of
little use to wait for good weather at
this time of the year in Flanders. An
other consideration pointed to is the
reported weakening state of the Ger
man army morale, an opportunity to
be seized with all possible prompti-
tude if the utmost advantage is to be
taken of it.
There is no indication that the
French forces on the British left
which pushed forward approximately
a mile to the edge of Houtholst wood
in Tuesdays attack are participating
in todays advance. Their task for
the moment seems to have been COM
pleted by the bringing up of their
lines to a point where efficient protec-
ton would be given the British left
IldTk IN InS IeHSNdl VI LiiC "OuSS
driving process being carried out be-
tween Passchendaele and Cheluvelt.
Official dispatches from British
Headquarters reported that the
British at an early hour had pushed
several hundred yards into the Ger
man lines, the advance along one
wide sector averaging nearly half a
mile.
On Paschshendaele ridge Haig's
troops had fought their way within
about 1000 yards of the center of
Passchendaele village.
The Germans seem to havee sensed
the approaching battle. although they
probably would be ignorant as to just
where the blow would fall. as today's
statement reported that the British
drumfire was directed on the front
from the river Lys to the Ypres-Men-
in road.
This aera is south of the front ac-
tually attacked precautionary
measure the German guns dropped
gas shells on the British front nearly
two hours before the attack was
launched
Numbers of prisoners already had
been taken by the British when the
correspondents filed their morning
dispatches.