Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-04-12
CONTINUE BATTLE
IN SNOW STORM
General Haig's Men Greatly I'M
peded by Weather.
ALL COMMENTATORS FAIL
London Declares Germans Made Two
Unsuccessful Assaults Against
Positions Near Monchy-
Le-Preux.
ALL cOUNTER-ATTACKS FAIL

London, April 12-The operations
along the Arras-Lens line were great
~ impeded by snowstorms. Accord
ing to the official report from British
Headquarters the Germans delivered
two counter-attacks against the Brit
ish positions In the neighborhOod of
Monchy-le-Preux, but these failed.
Further south the British troops
penetrated a German position near
Bullecourt and secured a number of
prisoners.
Airplanes again gave important
help in the British operations.
The captures are growing hourly
and the prisoners in British hands are
now estimated at not less than $4,000,
including about 255 German officers.
The booty includes about 175 ma.
chine guns and more than 40 can
non.
British forces are now less than ten
miles from the railroad center of
Douai, which the Germans have forth
fed to the strength of an inland Gibral-
tar. 1t will soon be under the fire Of
British guns.
Wars Greatest Victory.
Correspondents at the front state
that already the British have won
their greatest victory of the war. The
capture of Vimy ridge-a feat Of the
Canadians-ranks as one Of the big
gest exploits of the British army and
opens up great military possibilities.
The Germans, angered at the ease
with which this powerful fortress was
taken from them, launched cOunter-as-
saults, but official dispatches from the
front today say all were repulsed.
The speed and power of the British
assault, in what will probably be
known in history as the battle of Ar
ras, seem to have thoroughly sur
prised the Germans. So much so in
fact that their usual retaliatOry artil-
lery fire has been absolutely negligible
In the last two days. This is partly
due to the number of guns captured,
to which must be added those knocked
out by the British artillery. 1t also
Is due TO the fact that the Germans
have been too busy trying to get their
remaining guns away from immedi-
ate danger to bother firing them at
the enemy. In German artillery pO-
sition east of Arras, known as Bat
terry Valley, could he seen the remains
of "a field pieces.
So successful was the artillery bar
rter set up by the British back of the
German lines that some of the German
prisoners reported they had been with
out food supplies for four days.
A trip over the newly taken lines
revealed a condition of trenches close
ty approximately those recently evacu-
ated by the Germans In the valley of
the Somme. Many dugouts remained
with only damaged portals, but the
trenches, including all communication
lines, have been numerically battered
about.
The thOroughness with which wire
cutting was carried out by the artil-
lery was a big factor in aecelerating
the speed of the infantry in the at.
tack,
The Zest of offensive warfare could
be felt in all parts of the British front
today. Troops were swinging forward
with bands playing gay tunes. The
Scotch troops, behind their pipers,
were particularly picturesque, for not
even the vicissitudes of nearly three
years of war have caused them TO dis
card their kits. Out oyer the newly