New-York tribune., 1918-04-20

60 make any IufCncf CnredLS at LnlS
line and they were rushing the re-
organization of their badly ham,
mered forces.
Each successive report gives
further confirmation of the terrific
losses sustained by the assaulting
infantry during yesterdays san
culinary struggle. Between Givenchy
and Festubert the ground this morn
ing was strewn with German dead
and at many other points on the
long front of action excessive casu-
alties were inflicted by the British
artillery and machine gun fire,
which moved down the unhappy
storm troops in countless numbers.
The British machine gunners
worked their weapons in many cases
until the enemy was but fifty yards
away.
There was no chance of missing
these pointblank targets. Time and
again the enemy line wavered
and fell back, unable to withstand the
deluge of bullets, and where they
succeeded in getting to close quarters
they left a heavy trail of dead and
dying behind.
In the neighborhood Of Robecq
many Germans threw away their
rifles and swan the canal to the Brit
ish side to surrender when they could
no longer bear up under the stream
Of machine gun bullets which was
sweeping through them.
The British trench mortars also
did great execution, throwing their
high explosives into dense enemy
ranks at close range. The German
artillery bombardment about Civ
enchy and from La Bassee nortl1ward
along the canal yesterday morning
perhaps set new high water mark
for intensity. Veterans of many bat
ties declare they had never seen any,
thing like it, although many records
have been broken since the offensive
began on March Fl.
1t was the German intention to
wipe Givenchy off the map, and, in
order to accomplish this they in
creased threefold their already great
concentration of artillery. Guns of
all calibres, up to 11-inch monsters,
took part in the preliminary bonn
bardment, and continued throughout
the day to hurl thousands of shells
into the back areas. Undoubtedly
this bombardment did much damage,
but this morning all the Germans
had to show for their expenditure Of
ammunition, and subsequently their
sacrifice of life, was one bit of a for
ward trench at Givenchy and one
little outpost at Festubert, where a
small company of British fought to
the last man before the enemy was
able to get in. =.
The German infantry kept surg
ing forward in waves all day about
Givenchy and northwestward to
Festubert, and the fighting was most
desperate. At Givenchy the oppos-
ing troops battled at close quarters
much of the day.
Attack Is Failure
This sort of fighting continued un-
til after $50 o'clock last night, when
the enemy finally desisted.
After having gained a footing in
bit of a forward trench at one time
a body of Germans pushed through
until they got to battalion headquar-
ters, and there the servants, orderlics
and clerks armed themselves and
fought side by side with the in.
fantry until the Germans were
beaten back.
One body Of Welshmen who be-
came surrounded in melee held out
and inflicted heavy casualties on the
enemy until assistance arrived ane
they were able to fight their way ou1
again.
The British wounded from Given
chy were in the highest spirits to-
day, despite their hurts, because Of
the casualties that had been inflicted
on the Germans.
Northward of the canal and south
west Of Robecq the fighting begar
about daylight.
A little after o'clock large bodie.
of Germans rushed out of the
Pacaut Wood with machine gun.
and made for the canal. The Brit
ish rapid fire guns were turned or
them and smashed them badly, ane
u they were forced to retire.
4 Pontoons Shattered
A few minutes later, however, ths
enemy, despite the terrible punish
mcnt to which they were subjected
again advanced on the run with sec
tions of pontoon bridge whicl
were equipped with gas bags to kcel