Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-09-19
Gun and Artillery OPP
position to Advance is
Heavier Than Has Been
Seen in Several Weeks.
THROW BARRAGE OVER
ALLIES BACK AREAS
Battle IS Fought in Rain and
Thick Haze Makes AirpIane
Observation Almost an In
possibility on Both Sides.
fsy 4oHmno lousaA, srsel.l lsasso wls1l

| nv HoRHIEO IouRaAL sPEcIAL LEasEo wtRR1
With the British Army in France.
Sept lS (by the Associated Press).-
/ The British troops made a powerful
Iattack against the German lines to
1 the west and northwest OF St Quentin
today and most important results
We're achieved deep advance into
the enemy territory strengthens the
already powerful grip the British
have on st. Quentin. one OF the most
strongly fortified parts of the Hin
ldenburg line.
! To the south the French co-operat-
| ed i'm what is likely to prove an OPP
GRAFTON of vast portent with respect
to the Hindenburg defensive position.
The zone involved in the British
movement lay, roughly, between
| Holnon, on the south. and Gouzeau-
court, Within, few hours Peiziere.
! iTempleuX-Le-Gnerard, Epehy. Rons-
soy and Villeret were behind the ad4
vaneed British forces. and bitter
1 fighting was in progress at many
other points in the forward zone.
More than 5000 prisoners have al
ready been sent back to the cages.
The advance thus far recorded--ia
| some places more than two miles,
means that the British at numerous
points gained the crest of the ridge
along which their old front line ran
prior to the German offensive In
| March and from their new positions
were looking down on the Hindenburg
line in the valley to the east.
Enemy Fought Stubbornly.
That hard fighting would be en-
coiintered Ia this sector Ras "A FORE
gone conclusion. The main enemy
| Opposition came from machine guns
and artillery. Tile counter barrage
which the Germans sent over In re-
ply to the British bombardment was
much more severe than the enemy
had been able to provide In the re-
cent fighting, and. as an additional
new feature. the Germans maintained 4
q heavy barrage over the back areas
with high velocity guns. which they
lhad concentrated for the purpose.
The shelling of the back areas dur
ing an attack Is to be expected but
| n barrage has seldom before been at
tempted, and then without great sue
cess
The German infantry surrendered
quite frequently In places. In fact,
in the center OF the attack. where the
Australians were working. consid-
erable number OF graycoats dehper-
ately charged through the barrage 10
give themselves up
Today's operation can not be con-
sfdered as a major operation as COM
pared with recent battles. The oo-
liectlves sought. however. were i'm.
uortant both from the defensive ana
offensive standpoints.
The assault began at dawn. Uh-
fortunately rain began TO ran auout
. o'clock and when the British Went
over the top the ground was aireany
lslimv and hard to negotiate, espec-
liotIv when the ridges were reacneo
land the men had TO charge up theuH
franks accompanied the troops anu
rendered invaluable service IN tho
Iearly stages of the conthct' WHO"
waxed warm from the start.
Tbn British preliminary bompara-
nont was brief and was followed by
tha customary barrage for the pro-
lection of the advancing infantry.
The Germans Immediately repheo
with a vicious fire from large num-
hers of guns concentrated behinu
the St. Quentin canal. :.
Air Observation Difficult.
Airplane observation was virtually
imnosslble during the first hours OF
me fighting from either side, so that
the gunners were shooting by map
. and were therefore greatly handi-
} capped.
On the north Peiziere and
strongly fortified sugar factory 10
} the northeast were taken by storm
after hard fighting. Epehy proved
tough nut to crack. Here the "a
J nous Alpine corps had been brought
UP and the German army boasts no
better troops than these.
1t was futile to attempt q 'front.'
! al attack against this place, which
: was fairly bristling with machine
guns. The British accordingly work.
ed about It to the north and south
and squeezed it out. Ronssoy was
carried by storm and O hundred
Z prisoners were cleaned from the
surviving garrison
In the center the Australians had
; % fight for every inch OF ground
; 'ev took but they pushed steadily
forward until they reached the crest
the ridge. BY $3.50 o'clock the
"stralians had already taken a total
of 500 prisoners. Most of these were
J Bavarians and men of the First
German reserve division and they
appeared to he of a poor class Of
men as they came struggling back
: disconsolately throgh the drizzling
rain.
, One of the hottest engagements
I took place just south of Levergueir,
, where the Germans had fortified
themselves in a mill This strong
hold was surrounded and $50 of the
garrison were forced to surrender.
: On the right flank there was
equally hard fighting. Holnon had
: been taken yesterday as prelim-
mary to today's attack and from this
I point the British went forward. No
seat advance was expected in this
lCvnllnued vu rage Tvu,l :.