The sun., 1917-04-24
BRITISH DRIVE
AT W0TAN LINE
Force Germans Back to Last
Position Of the Hin
dcnburg System.
TWO VILLAGES CAPTURED
Frequent Counter .fttacks of
the Tcuton Forces Fail to
stop Advance.


pswed to-day their offensive at Arras
and Lens, pushing ahead on a wide front
despite the most desperate resistance the
Germans have yet offered. The ex.
pected British thrust was not on so large
. scale as preceding attacks. but 1t took
from the Germans important and strong
positions. including two villages and
over 1000 prisoners.
A result Of the main British attack
On front Of some Ave miles astride the
ecarpe. the British have driven the Ger
MANS to their last remaining line of the
| Hindenburg system. the Wotan line.
from Queant to Drocourt The outer
line protecting the Wotan line was
stormed almost in its entirety.
Two villages. Gavrelle and Guemappe,
were stormed by the British in the main
attack. In two separate attacks on either
flank the British pushed still further
ahead in the suburbs and outskirts Of
Lens. on the Souchez River southwest OF
| the city. and stormed Trescau,t. SOUTH
west Of Cambrai. Most Of the large
Havrincourt wood, near rrescault, was
stormed.
Battle Lasts All Day.
=
and unceasing from dawn to dark diff
fered from previous phases Of the Arras
battle mainly because OF the frequent
and violent counter attacks of the Ger
mans. Every inch the British won they
had Immediately to hold against a stub
born effort to get it back The Germans
lost heavily in this fierce fighting. but
Won Hindenburg paid the price rather
than permit the British to reach his
main lines. which are reported from all
quarters to be incomplete
Infantry and artillery were fighting
In new conditions and against a series
Of small German positions. rather than
against the old trench lines I'VE are
dealing with innumerable defence
patches in the shape of machine gun
forts. little redoubts and short traverses
and saps running in various directions"
Reuters correspondent telegraphs. No
where Is there any regular tracing Of
trench works for the artillery to bar.
rage.
For the present 1t must be a business
Of clearing out the widely burrowed
enemy, which is being done with the
least costly tactics by pounding every
acre Of the honeycombed ground rather
than by attempting to rush positions in
direct infantry attacks. While We got
or we'll in places we have not done quite
% we'll in other places. That is all that
can be said for the moment
Failed, Asserts Berlin.
The German War Office goes mucl,
further than this. however. saying that
the British We're completely defeated.
"On the battlefield OF Arras to-day the
new English assault broke down without
success under very heavy enemy losses
says the bulletin tonight.
To-day's British attack began at
dawn. The main front of attack was
roughly two miles and a half on either
side Of the Scarpe, the advance being in
the general direction OF Douai. from
which important city and German base
Gavrelle is distant seven miles. Its
more immediate objective was, however.
the Wotan line.
North OF the Scarpe the northernmost
limit Of the British advance Is marked
BY the village of Gavrelle. the last vii
lage in advance Of the Wotan line. and
part Of the protecting line from Oppy
south. From Gavrele south all the way
10 the Scarpe AT Roeux, a mile beyond
rampouX. the British carried the whole
German defence system as far as Roeux
cemetery. RoeuX itself held out,
South Of Scarpe the British advanced
Tar beyond Monchy lie -Preux. the srene
Of desperate fighting because Of its COM
manding position on ridge, thereby
wtpng out the salient It had formed. To
the south they took Guemappe.
Germans Fighting Desperately.
Correspondents at British hea dQuar-
ters in France concur in statements that
the battle which has been resumed at
Arras is much fiercer than when it be-
he hay oy.r f,,1i
prepared for it's renewal and are being
stimulated to extreme resistance by their
officers. One OF the correspondents as
serts that il is one OF the most difhcut
, battles of the whole war. The Germans.
by frantic work. the correspondent adds.
have constructed numerous trenches
and machine gun pits. not in definite
line. hut strewn everywhere in apparent
disorder, as though each position had
been selected by virtue Of some rise In
the ground.
Another correspondent writes: THE
battle is extremely hard for our men
il is battle to the death. So far all
s vague. Fighting is in progress al
a points attained by our troops, and
there is an ebb and flow in the battle
Our men are beaten back for a while by
the intensity of the hre, but they are
attacking again and again and getting
Almost all the fighting ii seems il being
donc by English and Scottish troops. II
Is said that the German ca sualties have
t"-u very severe and that those os the
british are moderate.
As expected, the part OF the French in
f"-daN'S fighting was one Of preparat ion
rather than attack. The settling down
INTO nc" positions was continued. and
N" French pushed a little closer on tho
heels Of the retiring Germans south OF
I'aon In Champagne the Germans made
sutlle counter attacks at Moronviliers
.end Mont Haut. and all along the front
We artillery was most active.
French Marines Win.
German troops on the Belgian front
near the coast were active again to-day,
ehn attacked several times this morning
She French marines holding the trenches
ch IA" North Sea coast. They were
4 ohNrn hack. leaving prisoners. The otii-
thI statements follow:
hr'lsh might statement There was
'"a tnd continuous fighting through
or N" day on both banks OF the
S'6'p" and important enemy positions
were gained by our troops 4 ma rked
''.n'' "r the DAYS operations was
u" ''cIp'm ,inlenI enemy counter
"i'""', ~ which he suffered heavy
10
We captured the village Of Ga,reile
! q Continued on ThGd Pege
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