Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-04-24
Some o. %eayiest Fighting
of the War Is in ProgreSSi
Sky Is AIight for Miles With
Flashes of Guns,
HINDENBURG'S LINE IS
PIERCED BY BRITISH
Many Teuto0ic Prisoners Are
Taken; Members Of the
14lSt PomeranianS Sur
0der in Hundreds.

Fu a staff Correspondent of the
Associated Press With the British
Armies in France, April 23 (via Lon
don 1850 p, O.-The battle of Ar
ras, which had been smOldering for
a week past, burst into flaming fury
IaEain today and still is raging tonight
with some of the heaviest fighting OF
the war in progress.
The sky Is alight for miles with the
flashes Of guns, with star shells that
spread moonlight paleness over the
battlefield and with Vari-colored rock
cts which flash signals to the oppos-
ing artillery. The cold east wind
carries the echoes of the reverberat-
ing cannonade far back of the British
lines.
The fighting today covered approx
lmately an eight-mile front from
south of Vimy ridge to a point well
below Croisilles. At the north end
Of the attack, the British swept over
German fixed positions running al
most due south from Less and cap
tured long sections of German posi-
tions In front of the Hindenburg line
and a great number of prisoners.
1900 Prisoners Counted.
More thar 1900 prisoners we're
counted in this sector late today and
others were still coming in. The
largest number of prisoners was from
the 141st Pcmeranians, who surren-
dered in hundreds after brief resist
ance. A battery of field guns also
was taken.
Between Gavrelle and Croisslles the
heaviest fighting occurred aleng both
banks of the Scarpe and around
I uFha hn
Easter advance had projected n sharp
salient into the German lines. Monchy
was taken in the first phase OF the
Arras battle after three days fighting
and has been held against desperate
counter assaults
The Germans always managed to
cling to the slopes on either side of
the hill on which Monchy-Les PreuX
is perched, this being the highest point
east Of Arras and Vimy. overlooking
the great broad eastern plains of
northern France. The Germans to-
day were undoubtedly throwing their
full force into the right resistance
along the Scarpe. They had brought
up strong reserves to oppose a further
British advance and had thrown in
scores Of new batteries of artillery.
Fighting Extremely Bitter.
The fighting about Guemappe, due
south of Monchy, was extremely bit
ter, The attacking British waves
went over" in the half-gray light of
dawn. 1t still was dark enough to
make fiery spectacle of the barrage
which crept ahead of them--a vert
table wall OF exploding shells. Men
who have been over several times un-
der the protection OF a. barrage are
apt to grow confident in following the
shells and occasionally get hit by bits
thrown back, although virtually ev-
cry shell clearing the way for the
infantry bursts with a great spray OF
shrapnel bullets. A modern barrage
Is a terrifying thing to face, and the
Germans involuntarily break before
it.
Today in many parts of the battle
fronts there were no more dugouts
to use as shelters, and the Germans
had to stand and fight, with the re-
suit that their casualties were higher
and the prisoners fewer in those sec
TONS Of the line.
Advance From Half Trenches.
the British advanced, in nearly ev-
'' stance, from mere half trenches
a.Hn hey had been lying for the last
week The Germans opposite them
lHd been digging at every possible
opportunity, but they, too, were un-
abb. to construct more than sections
of an unconnected trench with ma
chine guns concealed in every possible
nook and corner. In the villages
which skirted the battle front 1t
seemed as if every building contained
machlue gun crews. Many machine
guns were fired on the opposite bank
of the river Scarpe and it was some-
what difficult to deal with them.
The artillery preparation for to-
days attacks did not cover the ground
and did not equal in intensity that Of
Faster Monday, when the first battles
Of Arras were launched.