The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-10-16

DRIVING A WEDGE
Another Artery of C0mmun1ca-
ton to U.BOat Base Cut.
Germans Using Prodigally
Great Stores of Ammunition.
KNEW ATTACK WAS COMING
Tried To Forestall 1t, but Were
Unable To Do So.
Barrage Before Attack Failed
To Halt the Allies.
WI "HC O6
Great Stores of Ammunition.

With the British Armies in Flanders,
Oct. 16.-Allied forces driving into
Belgium thrust their wedge across the
road from Bruges to Courtrai, sever
ing another artery OF communication
to the U-boat base.
French cavalry has swept over
Lichtervelde and Thourout. advancing
toward Bruges and the sea. Toward
the southern end of the fighting front
Menin has been taken and Haig's men
are in the neighborhood of Haubour-
din, three miles from Lille.
The Germans are using prodigally
the great stores of shells in their Bel
gian coast bases. 1t is becoming evil
dent they will be unable to save these
munitions, so the enemy is using them
up as fast as possible. Their batteries
gave ours a more stubborn response
than any other time in recent weeks.
What Peace News.
whats (bang) the peace (bang)
news, now tbang)?" asked British
officer on the northern front today as
the great battle ragged and the shells
exploded all around. The converse
tons were carried on. every two or
three words being punctuated by
Earring crash. 1t was a real two-sided
contest.
Altho the Germans are forced to
spend lavishly their shells to keep
them from falling into the hands OF
the allies they had time to remove a
considerable quantity of war material
before the long dreaded Belgian Of
fensive was launched.
By transporting much of this to the
enemy army fairly mobile. Yet vast
stores still line the coast. showing
clearly the Germans had no intention
of surrendering this terrain.
The Germans knew the allied attack
was coming and tried to forestall it by
he of h ntj until io1, oh,
defeated the last German offensive
July rs. The British, French and Bel
gians were to start at 5 a. m. Three
hours earlier the Germans put down
a heavy barrage of their own, geek
ing to break up our troop concentra-
tions. Peace discussion have taken
none of the fighting spirit out of the
allies. All the soldiers are keen for
keeping hot after the Huns. A stream
of walking wounded was going to
therear and one grinning British pri-
vate was asked where he was hurt
I'm not wounded" he said, I'm on
leave"
Asked what he was doing there, he
explained that his leave began today
but he got special permission to fight
fearing that this might be the last
battle of the war and feeling hungry
for another go at the enemy. That's
the spirit of the men.
Have Had Enough.
On the other hand, many German
prisoners frankly announced that they
had had enough-were fed up" as the
British might put it. This spirit is
| not general thruout the enemy army,
| however. The fighting of the Bava-
rlans in this battle has surpassed any
German battling seen in France or
Flanders since the tide turned. The
sixth Bavarian division, for example,
pushed its way thru the British bar
rage and established machine gun
| posts beyond 1t. Like sportsmen the
officers and men of General Plumer's
| British army saw and appreciated the
action and praised it.