The sun., 1918-08-22
MIST BARRAGE
HELPS BRITISH
R0UTGERMANS
Surprised Enemy Flees to
BeaucOurt After Paltry
Resistance.
MANY PRISONERS TAKEN
English Casualties Extremely
Light as Drive Wins
Several Villages.
MANY PRISONERS TAKEN
ny PERRY ROBINSON.
SpeSdl cable Despatch 10 THE suS from the
london Times SerCice.

london Times SerCice.
Copyright. 1918: an rights reserred
WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN FRANCE.
Aug. 81 q Z. M.).-We really are
keeping the Germans busy. This
morning at Il time which should have
been lawn "a heavy mist prevailed at
the timo) We attacked him again,
choosing this time for the chief blow
the sector Of the front which was
created by the recent German retire
meht at Puissieux.
Speaking of that retirement I said
intended to hold Boucquoy. We
thought he had better not So from
Boucquoy northward, by Ablainzeville
and Moyenville, we struck eastward
and below here we hustled him and his
line of retirement all the way to Beau
court.
The face of the front attacked was
first about 10000 yards. II is too
early yet to speak definitely of the
measure of success, but it certainly
is satisfactory. / left the sector, from
which, through the mist, l had trieu
70 see the battle at noon. Then l
heard that We had gone through
| Ablainzeville, Moyenville. Courcelles,
| Boucquoy, Achiet-le-ptit and Beau
! court,
Enemy Artillery Weak.
Prisoners ore streaming hack Our
casualties were extremely light, and in
/ the early stages OF the advance the
enemy resistance was paltry. The Ger
mans knew we were extremely likely to
attack here. for we had learned from
prisoners that the troops were warned
| to expect it, but had no idea when 1t
/ was coming. When the blow did fall
| it took them entirely by surprise. The
German infantry on mSst parts Of the
| front made no pretence~of lighting and
I the artillery was singularly weak and
! ineffective.
! The meteorological forecasts had prom
| ised a misty morning until o'clock, but
! it was the thickest morning fog we had
| had since last winter, and II clung until
! almost noon. SO except the noise of
our Guns behind and the chatter of the
machine guns there was no evidence that
a battle was in progress.
| Through This thick and milky curtain
only the vague outline of the nearest
laGe objects were visible and the pris-
oners and wounded coming back hove in
! sight AT a distance of only fifty yards.
The whole area OF the battle was
strangely familiar for our positions OF
the last few days Appropriated our
/ positions of 1916. Since the late Ger
man retirement We have been able TO
Bury our dead side by side of their
comrades WHO fell that winter in the
cemeteries we then made.
/ The region of Moyeuville and Alb
! la!n2evile was the scene of some OF the
, hea lcst hgGtrg at the end OF Marcn
! am early in April, when every foot OF
! the ground was fought over at least
| twice and the whole country every
| where was ploughed with shells The
! whole ground is undulating. the SUBMITS
| rising to a height of about $50 feet The
/ Old AIberl-Arras railway runs almost
due north and south. Just beyond Moyen-
| vile, AT COurCelles and Achet-le- Petit
! the omhanimcnts on this line were
! known TO have been strongly fortified.
Railway barrier Broken.
TIE furtheSt advance TO the right
! was to the old positions on the Ancre
about Beaucourt. The whole terrain
! therefore. was difficult for n direct at
! tack, but we seem to have prospered
| everywhere. the villages and the wood
, are ours, and hear We have broken the
barrier of the railway line well to the
, northeast Of il. | have myself seen hun
drcds of German prisoners and ! have
visited tHe advanced dressing stations of
our wounded, where the medic stats
! were almost idle.
Undoubtedly the mist helped us, ever
/ though the men complained that ther,
was too much Of it, but 1t hid our tanks
until they We're close up on tho enemy
who then seemed JO have little thought
OF ANYTHING but surrender. Wherever
they were used the tanks did granl
service. our guns also were very ef,
fective talked with "A Lincolnshire
man, who was cscortins some prisoners
back. and asked him II the mist helped
on his part OF the line particularly
He thought Il had. but better than the
mist were our guns and trench mortars
He grew lyrical in praise of one par,
ticular trench mortar battery.
When he was asked how the prisoners
had been taken he replied that It was
very easy. There was quite a bunch
of them" he said. I'VE got our ma.
chine guns out into the road and hal.
loed TO them. They came running with
their hands in the air. There was a
company commander and two lieuten.
ants. besides the bunch OF privates"
What that man talked of most wai