The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1917-04-26
BRITISH DEAL
SMASHING BLOWS
TO GERMAN FORCES IN FRANCE.
TREMENDOUS LOSS OF MEN
AND MUNITIONS OF WAR.


London, April 29--The battle of
Arras, which had been smoulderlng
for a week past, burst into flaming
fury again today and is still 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 a moonlight paleness
over the battlefield and with vari-
colored rockets, which flash signals
to the opposing artillery.
The fighting today covered ap-
proximately an eight-miIe front.
from south of Vimy ridge to a point
we'll below Croisilles. At the north
end of the attack the British swept
over German fixed positions running
almost due south from Lens and
captured long sections of German
positions in front of the Hiadenburg
line and a great number of prisoners.
More than 1000 prisoners were
counted in this sector late today,
and others were still coming in. The
largest number of prisoners was
from the l41 Pomeraneans, who sur
rendered in hundreds aftervery brief
resistance. A battery of field guns
also was taken.
Between Gavrelle and Croisilles
the heaviest fighting occurred along
both banks of the Scarpe and around
Monchy-Le-Preux, where the British
Easter advance had projected sharp
salient into the German lines. Mon
chy was taken in the first phase of
the Arras battle. after three days
fighting. and has been held against
desperate countsr-attacks.
The Germans always managed to
cling to the slopes on either side of
the hill on which Monchy-le-Preux
is perched, this being the highest
point east of Arras and Vimy, over
looking the great. broad eastern
plains of Northern France. The
Germans today we're undoubtedly
throwing their full force into their
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.
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 was still dark enough
TO make fiery spectacle of the
barrage which crept ahead. Men
who have been over several times
under the protection of barrage
are apt to grow bit over-confident
in following the shell and occasion
ally get hit by bits flying back. A
modern barrage. as set up by the
British and French gunners, is a ter
rifying thing to face. and the Ger
mans Involuntary break before it.
Today in many parts of the battle
fronts there were no more dugouts
to serve as shelters and the Germans
had to stand a fight, with the result
that their casualties were higher
and the prisoners fewer in those Sec
tions of the line.
The British advanced in nearly
every instance from mere half
trenches, where they had been lying
for the past week awaiting the
bringing up of artillery and the
order to advance. The Germans op-
posite them had been digging at
every possible opportunity. but they,
too, were unable to construct more
than sections of an unconnected
trench. with machine guns conceal
ed in every possible nook and cor.
ner. In the villages which skirted
the battle front it seemed as if every
building contained machine gun
crews.
The artillery preparation for to-
days attacks did not cover the
ground and did not equal in inten-
sity that of Easter Monday. when
the first battle of Arras were launch