The Devils Lake world and inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1915-1920, 1918-09-04
WORST ] !! ! r FIGHTING
!. 4. Of war 1878.
British Successes Of 1917 Pale
in Comparison to Latest
Battles.
Big EVENTS Of FOURTH YEAR

Battles Of, Cambria, Third Battle Of
Ypres, Battle Of Menin Road, Of
e%roodseinde and Passehendaele
Loom Up Importantly.
London.-The heroic battles Of the
| British army during the last half Of
1917, including the battles Of Cam.
brai. the third battle Of Ypres. the bat.
! tie of Menin road, of Br%oodseinde and
| Of Passchendaele, would loom up i'm.
portantly in any survey of the past
years fighting on the western front but
for one reason: They do not com.
pare ir ny sense with the fighting
since March 81, 1918.
The spring Of 1917 saw the begin.
ming Of the allied offensive against
| Germany, but the third miscarried al
most from the start, and, after it was
seer that there was nothing more to
be expected from Russia, the "great
offensive" Of the allies found itself
diverted into q number Of smaller bat
ties, where occasionally some 100000
men were employed on either side.
Some $4,000 prisoners were taken by
the British In eight of these thrusts
against the German line between
August 7, 1917, and the close of the
year, and important positions were
wen, but the successes were only tao
teal.
The third battle Of Ypres began
July 81, 1917, and continued until Au-
gust TO-, again breaking out August
18, the British crossed the User
canal, taking nine villages and 6,122
prisoners. When the battle was re-
newed, August 16, Langemarck was
taken besides 2,114 more prisoners.
Meanwhile, the Canadians on the Lens
sector attacked and captured Hill No.
20, took 900 prisoners and maintained
their positions against five counter.
attacks. This was on August Is.
smash Foe at verdun.
The French on August 20, attacking
on an 11-mile front at Verdun. recap
tured about two-thirds of the ground
which the crown princes army had
won in months of slaughter.
The chief action in September, 1917,
was in the battle Of Menin road.
which began September 20. the object
being to loosen the German grip on
the coast. Following an eight hours
bombardment the British. advanced
on an eight.mile> front from HOLE
beke to L~angemarck, capturing a
half-dozen important positions. and
taking 3,243 prisoners.
During October, 1917, when disaster
overlook the Italians, both the French
and the British scored noteworthy
successes On October IA great strug-
gle began on a front Of eight miles
on the Passchendaele ridge, called
the battle Of B~roodseinde, perhaps
the most important during the year
on the British front. The GerrnanA3'
had planned an attack. for 6 q. M,
but the British launched their often
sive an hour earlier, shattered three
enemy divisions, broke up four. others
and took 4,448 prisoners, while Cana.
dams took 1000 prisoners. The
French, on October, q. attacked
northeast Of scissors on a six-mile
front on the Aisne. from vauxillon to
La Royere, piercing the enemy's line
four miles and taking 1000 prison
ers. On October 8 the British took
P%oelcappelle and 2.028 prisoners and
. made some slight gains with heavy
attacks in the Ypres sector October
q, 26 and 80.
On November 6 the Canadians won
their great victory, capturing Pass
chendaele Ridge, for which the British
had been battling for months. The
Canadians held the ridge until the re.
cent hammer blows. November also
4 saw the British success, which was
Z partially diminished by a surprise
I. commensurate. at Cambrai. The, Third
British army, under Sir Julian Byng,
on November 20 launched its, drive
without artillery preparation on IN
eight-mile front, smashing the linden
burg line, almost reaching the out.
q skirts of the important railway center
U Of Cambria and taking 5000 prisoners
the first day.
2 Huns Resaln Ground.
! The battle continued ten days, pris
oners being increased to 1861, while
= 1888 guns were taken. The deepest
= advance was seven miles. But OF
November 80 the Germans delivered
: tremendous attack against Byngi
army, aiming to cut It of from the res
Of the British forces. The German
succeeded in recovering about half o
the ground Byng's army had won.
50 During the past year the British
have made considerable progress II
Mesopotamia and Palestine, capturin
Jerusalem December 8. 1917, while tn
IA allied armies from the Adriatic to til
80 Egean have prevented the Germani
DO allies from gaining control Of the Me-
iterranean.
SO far the British have won MOI
than q third Of Palestine from th
oo Turks. In MesopotanQa the BIRTHS
have advanced about 100 miles up d
N~-Ss onA N,,r1n~o<oo osnn~ -~x.-a.