The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-08-22
BRITISH THRUST
Continued from Page onc.)

to keep the British from coming fur
Their, but while they were doing II they
Themselves must have suffered &C.
vcrely, not only from the flood Of di-
rect and Indirect machine sns fire, but
from shells which wore sent crashing
about their cars from directly In front
OF them, for the 2rttiEh field guno
moved up closely In tho rear Of tho
infEntry,nen, and 1rcm theic flank,
where tho big British guns hurled In
al avalanche OF steel from the north.
AS IL inevitable when o battle RACES
with such t7tsns!ty az elonG this en-
3ankment, tho exact situation Is OBJ
sou.e, but reports have been received
that the British have broken down tho
German defense at various places ond
have passed through to the eastern
Stde. Behind the elnSanklnent thoce
may not have boon great force OF
German reserved when the battle be-
gan, but by this time the harasssd
enemy certainly IS running mon to tho
scone as fast ns no can, for another DIS
nstcr thfestens him.
Tho battle opcsed with a sudden crash
Of guns of I'LL caltbers Just as day was
breaking. Greet pillows. Of thick Fog
such as a-e scen only on this side Of the
Atlantic, hung over the scene. Tho IN
santry1nen md tank crews could
scarcely see hundred Feet nhoad Of
them. and tho <1are Of countless hlaE-
ing cannon wae snlothered, while OK
blossoms from their mouths rolled up
into a continuous dendened ronr.
The fog was most favorable 30 tho
attacking formations. for It effectively
shielded them from tho eyes Of the
enemy, nnd at the same ttnie caused
the Germans opposite to believe that
the attack was not directly against
them.
"rhe guns sounded a Long way OFF,"
satd ono OF the early prisoners, $50
we congratulated ourselves TINT wo
were not TO be attacked. Just then
tank, followed by infantry, rolled
right over our position. and sur
rendered"
AS tanks and man followed behind
the sweeping barrage, the atmosphere
became even moro thick, for mixed Win
the fog were great banks OF smoke from
Inru1nerable sholls Ared for Just that
purpose Of increasing the protecting
screen.
The German guns reta1ated only feeb-
II, but there Was sharp lighting at
various points where Isolated posts
filed with machine guns sad gunners
put MP q stiff battle. At the little shell
ruined village Of Courcelles, about tho
osntor Of the battle front, the German
garrison made desperate fght, and
for . time the advance Of the infantry
was held up at this place.
Then the tanks ARRIVED on the scene
and charged into tho enemy positions.
Frs of o.
holds to shambles. The tanks repeated
this performance at other places in the
line where tho stubborn Boches held
out coura geously. But their courage
awaited them nothing in the face Of the
groat tanks. dipping in and out Of shell
holes and across old trenches that have
seen some Of the wars hercest fighting.
and tho smaller whippct tanks and
armored cars which sped over the
ground at great rate on. their MISS
ion Of clearing tho way for the infantry
sweeping In at the .rcar Of the positions
from which the enemy was working his
guns.
In comparison with the harder night
ing It Is worthy OF mention that at
some places no resistance of any prac-
teal Importance developed. For In
stance the village Of Eraucourt was
taken with only tnree casualties. One
wounded man returning from the fight
ing said he went IN three kilometers
through the enemy limos before he en-
countered n single Boohe. But this Is
explained by the fact that the German
positions were thinly held at some
points. Loseast wood was one Of the
most strongly held positions in the fore
ground and this was reached carly In
tho day.
AS to prisoners, there Is no definite
information but more than one thousand
have reached tho cages and they have
come in from n considerable distance.
most OF them having been captured dur
Ing the early fighting. Some Of the first
prisoners arrived at the cages with hand
bags and long curved porcelaInn pipes.
They seemed clean and wero as pleased
with themselves az IL going on leave.
Ono OF them. on being questioned. said
he WINS very happy to be taken.
wounded British soldier told Of be-
Ing separated from his platoon in the
fog. but he pressed on nevertheless and
Joined other groups. One said that
plungng blindly through the foe. he ran
directly into German machine gun.
which opened fire on him. IT managed
to get n enc shot. taking off O finger
before ne and his comrades finished off
the Germans with their rifles.
In the early forenoon the Cog cleared
militia was mobIllzcd In Huntington for
service on the Mexican border in 1915.