Omaha daily bee., 1918-08-31
GERMANS SUFFER
TERRIBLE LOSSES
UNDER HARD BLOWS


ish have reached point only a few
hundred yards from the Drocourt-
Oueant switch line, which apparently
is garrisoned with every man the
German high command has been able
TO lay hands on.
Fodder for Cannon.
They are being harassed by heavy
FIRE from the British cannon, which
throughout this zone of the battle
are laundering away as hard as their
gunners can force them.
From here northward across the
Arras- Cambria road and along the
river Scarpe the British are pushing
forward, gaining more ground,
Strengthening their line and drawing
generally closer to the Drocourt-
Queant defenses of the enemy.
Counter attacks have been launch
ed on various parts of the battle
front but none of them seems to
have gained anything for the enemy.
A majority of them have been COM
pletely broken up by the hail OF bull
lets from machine guns and rifles
before the enemy reached the British
positions.
In the north there apparently is
lively activity at several places. The
British are reported to have made
considerable advances. A report has
just been received that Bailleul,
southwest OF Ypres, is being sheled
by the enemy. If this is correct, it
indicates that the Germans have with
drawn altogether from that important
town and that the British either are
entering Bailleul or will do so later.
Victories Due to Artillery.
It is time something was said of
the wonderful work in the Scarpe-
Somme battle OF the British artillery
which made possible the victories
gained. The Germz~s themselves
testify to the terrible efficiency OF the
massed British cannon which in many
cases stood virtually wheel to wheel
while pouring death Ind destruction
into the enemy, knocking the will
to fight out OF him and blasting a
path for the infantr,.
The prisoners all mention the ter
rifle barrage they have withstood
and comment bitterly upon the thin
ness OF their own counter-barrage, be-
cause the German heavies are always
being dragged rearward to save them
from capture. The German artillery
apparently had little faith in the
ability of the infantry to hold off the
British attacks today.
The British barrages have fallen
all along the front, ever moving for
ward, and they have come down on
masses of the enemy lying in what
ever shelter they could find, such as
she'll craters, old and new, and old
fallen-in trenches which cross and
recross this grI and made barren even
of grass by years of war. Rarely
have the Germans ha. the protection
of dugouts. Even when they have,
going in them often meant capture,
for the British infantry and tanks at
nea..y al times have been upon them
so closely after the barrages lifted
they have not had much time to
offer fight, even il they really de-
sired to.
4 Rationing System Disorganized.
The casualties inflicted &ave beer
largely because the gunners advanc.
ing closely behind the infantry, have
had many opportunities on this ter.
rain Which alternately is slightly roll.
ing and flat to lay on then weapons
with open sights and pour rapid
fire of steel into the boches. The
artillery has helped to increase pris.
|, oners by throwing out of gear all the
German rationing. The emptier a
German stomach is the more docile
its owner. Still more has the artil
lery helped to catch prisoners b,
dropping barrages behind large
: groups, cutting off their retreat. Ant
5 all this fire has had its effect in ever
: more ways.
c Prisoners who recently had beer
in Peronne said they saw a grea
A many men whose nerves had beer
on,pletely shattered. Peronne at tn
time was being bombed from tn
air almost continuously. One air
plane after another was flying owe
in rapid succession, literally raining
J bombs on the Germans.
nodnn Co,n*,, Cfor}e nr;S,a