Arizona republican., 1918-04-27

driven into the French and British lines beyond Mont kemmel, Kemmel will lage. Dranoutre and farms and hamlets in the immediate vicinity. A gallant regiment of poilus had been ordered to hold Kemmcl hill at all costs.' After the Germans had broken through the defending lines and were encircling the elevation the French clung to their po- sitiOn and obeyed their command to the letter. They battled to the bitter end and overwhelming forces of the enemy were able to gain the crest only ove- the bodies of these gallant defenders. No more dramatic and inspiring stand has been made in recent days than this.
 British Take Village
 The allied counter attack began at an early hour this morning. While the French infantry drove forward against Kennel from the west, their British comrades began operations on their left. In the first rush the sturdy Brit ish Tommies forced their way forward in the face of a heavy fire and got into Kennel village It was a striking eX- hibition of bravery that took the men in khaki across the open ground that was being swept with machine gun fire
 For two hours they held the village while Germans from the neighboring hill poured bullets into the place from rapid firers. At o'clock it became apparent that it would be a useless sacrifice of life to remain longer and the British were withdrawn to safer ground from which the assault con tinued.
 kemmel Fire Rakes French
 The French were reported to have made some progress but they too, were coming under grilling fire from Mont Kennel and other points. It was ob- vious that it would be extremely diff ficult to oust the Germans from this commanding position, which they held with large numbers of heavily armed men.
 How long the French regiment was able to continue it's dramatic resist ance on the crest of Mont Kemmel yes- terday may not be known until the German historians record it after the war. It was about g o'clock yesterday morning when the Germans finally succeeded in encircling Kemmel after forcing back the allied line at the junction of the French and British west of Wltschaete. From that time until late in the day regiments chung to the hill and continued a terrible execution among the enemy troops with machine guns. Beyond that nothing is known of their fate.
 Sangunary Struggle
 There were heavy attacks against the British on the French left all day yes terday. The British immediately began pushing troops down toward the gap after the Germans had driven an enter ing wedge and hard fighting ensued A particularly sanguinary struggle was waged at Vierstraat, northeast of Wytschaete, and here the contending troops fought in and out of the hamlet for hours.
 The British counter stroke which busted the Germans from Villers- Bre- tonneux, south of the Somme, was a great success from the start. The town had been cleared of the enemy by yes terday afternoon with the exception oi two pockets" of infantry. These pockets were cleared up last evening.
 Several light British tanks were used against the enemy at the monument There was fierce fighting in the streets of the town after the British launched their counter attack at 10 o'clock. Brit ish gunners had been deluging the place with gas and the assaulting in- fantry went in wearing gas masks.
 Battle Is Grotesque
 The Germans also were forced to dor their masks and the streets were filled quickly with madly fighting men wht looked like beings from another world in, the big eyes of their face protectors The town hall was full of Boches Many of them had retired to the cellal where they were trying to sleep il their gas masks for there had been m thought of a British attack that night
 Large numbers of the enemy wer, slain in the streets and many wer, taken prisoner. By Thursday morning those who had been in hiding wer'