The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-09-04
POWERFUL OFFENSES
fcontinued from Page ouc.)


the troops moved castward. But they
AID not 90 far. as the Germans in aes-
marathon had damned the river Scarpe
at itry-en-Artois and 1!ooaea 'Ho 4'"-
lands In this locality.
Patrols entered Diachc-St. Vaas''
,soon was reported entirely cepturea'
From this general locality on the north
the British pushed sharply forward.
Early IN the forenoon airpl"ncs rcporUea
no Germans In any nImoer vest o.
Ecourt-St Quentin, which rs cost OF Ee-
court and Saudcmont. where the British
were pushing on md overcoming vic
diminishing resistance.
Tho first substantial indication that
the Germans admitted defeat was When
the British troops entered Recourt, after
having reached the outskirts last night
They had been in tho town only few
minutes when the enemy artillery be-
gan shelling it heavily from 4 distance
The British drove down thr ArrAS-
Camhrni road with r;lSr today. One
force according To w"rd rrrHlN'fi NJ
headquarters. captured lnch-"n-ArtnlS'
another occupied and rlranrd up the en-
tire BuiSSy switch.
Since thai time airpIanrs report only
on tho western si,lc Of The canal. and
these observers flew over tn" wh"lr re-
giun nj an altitude of only tw" "r
three hundred feet.
During the forenoon IN" British in
fantry moved forward sn rapidly at
many places that they completely, out
ran their own artillery and pressed on
with only Inachn" guns preceding lh"in.
Since then IN" gums have been brought
mp and arc pumping shells nj tho tar
side of the clnal. especially AT tn"
point where IL - crossed h% IN" Nr:aS-
Cambria road for her" is II bridge. and
IN" concentration uf fir" undoubtedly is
seriously hnIcrinE n" enemy efforts 10
ect his transports and his EIns on The
east side.
TIL" men. of course. can cross ny
scramhling down and IN tn" sides. anu
probably few CROSSINGS that hav" brr.
thrown hurrl"dly over. although III" tx
iStrncc If such CROSSINGS ~ not known.
1t was after lnchy was taken that tn"
British forces. among them Royal Ma
rinca and naval hattalinn*. began n
drive to the south past Moruyr"s in an
effort 10 reach the Rapaumc-t'amhrai
road before tho Germans fleeing along
II. rrnnvIlic having been taken dur
Ing the night, tho British from her"
worked snuth"astwnrd and closed the
valley Of the Hirnnd"lln river IL Ger
mana desiring Ia rctr"a; that way. with
tho result that tn" enemy forces had 1"
swing souhward. then eastward. prob
ably along tho direction If tn" ia
paumc-Cambrai road also.
Some idea of the German diSorEaniza-
tion may br had from the fact that
number of crews OF German hnwiiz"ra
captured were standing around their
guns which they had blown UP. Others
complained that they had had nothing
to cat for four days because Of III" great
Decentralization Rt their rear.
Tho lack OF German shell fire was en-
planned IN many instances when gun
ncrs captured said they had no amnU-
milton. Many times. they declared. they
could hnvo fired with open sights into
tho advancing british. but they had
no shells md could not get any.
Tho fighting this afternoon seems to
bc moro vigorous along the northern
part OF tho lrtndcrhurg limo than else
whore. Tho British nrc sweeping along
cd tho Drocuurt limo nj Quuant. ConsId-
ornble proEr"sa !a reported and large
numbers ot Germans have boon killed
or l'Nrn prisoner. Thousands OF pris-
nnnrs ar coming Into tho cages. Ono
army had como tirrmnus in It's Cages
this forenoon. How MAN. machine
guns were captured Will not be known