The Sentinel=record. (Hot Springs, Ark.) 1900-current, 1918-08-22

With the British Army in France,
Aug. 21- Having smashed into Gen.
Won Buelow's seventeenth army dur
ing a heavy fog at dawn today on a
front of more than ten miles extend
ing from the Ancre river to Moyenville
the British have throughout the day
made steady progress forward, cap
turing villages. taking prisoners and
guns and inflicting heavy casualties
on the surprised enemy.
Coming directly on the heels of the
battle south of the Somme, the scene
OF which virtually adjoins the field of
the new operations, this blow eX-
pioits to the limit the confusion Gre
ated among the German forces by
their recent defeats. HAavy fighting
has occurred along the embankment
of the Albert-Arras railroad, whkh,
although we'll within the German lines
last night, seems TO have been easily
reached by the storming British infaI-
trymen. who were assisted in this By
the artillery.
1t was from this embankmcnt that
the Germans, armed with countless
machine guns, fired a rain of bullets IN
an effort to keep the British from
coming further but while they were
doing it they themselves must have
suffered Severely. not only from the
flood of direct and indirect machine
gun fire .j;s: sroa; shells which %eee
sent crashing about their ears from
directly in front of them. for the Brit
ish field guns moved up closely in the
rear of the infantrymen and from their
flank where the big British guns
hurled in an avalanche OF steel from
the north.
As Is inevitable when q battle RACES
with such intensity as along this en-
bankmcnt. the exact situation is OBJ
scure but reports have been received
that the British have broken down
the German defense at various places
and have passed through to the east
ern side Behind tho embanltmeat
there may Bot have been q great force
Of German reserves when the battle
began but by this time the harassed
enemy certainly is rushing men to
the SGHue do lu0l 40 llC NAt'f 90 "A
other disaster threatens him.
AS the battle opened with sudden
crash of guns of all calibre Just as
day was breaking, great billows OF
thick fog such as are seen only on
this side of the Atlantic hung over the
scene. The infantrymen and tank
crews could scarcely see hundred
feet ahead of them and the flare OF
countless blazing canon was smotn-
cred while explosions from Their
mouths rolled up into a continuous
deadened roar.
The fog was most favorable to the
attacking formations, for it effectively
shielded them from the eyes OF the
enemy and at the same time caused
the Germans opposite to believe that
the attack was not directly against
them.
The guns sounded long way Off
said one OF the early prisoners, so We
congratulated ourselves that we were
not 10 be attacked. Just then d tank
followed by infantry rolled right over
our position and | surrendered.
AS tanks and men followed behind
the sweeping barrage, the atmosphere
became even more thick, for mixed
with the fog were great banks or
smoke from innumerable shells fired
for lust this purpose Of increasing the
protecting screen.
Tie German guns retaliated only
feebly, but there was sharp fighting at
various points. where isolated posts
filled with machine guns and gunners
put up stiff battle. At the little
shell ruined village of Courcelles,
about the center of the battle front the
German garrison made a desperate
fieht and for time the advance OF
the infantry was held up at this place.
Then the tanks arrived on the scene
and charged into the enemy positions
nuickly Transforming them nom
strongholds to shambles. The tanks