Norwich bulletin., 1918-03-22
ing with frightful concussion far bac of the British lines

ing with frightful concussion far back | of the British lines.
 The bombardment began in earnest l at , m. and about five hours later i the enemy forces hurled themselves 1 on the British front line trenches north i of Lagnicourt and Louveral, the latter place lying due west of Boursies.
 At the same time other German forces advanced behind a smoke bar rage along the ridge running north ward from Gouzeaucourt. It may be said that the attack in this region was by no means unexpected by the Brit ish and that they had made great preparations to meet the onslaught.
 Locked in Bitter Struggle.
 The two vast forces have been locked in bitter struggle over this wide front for hours. The bom- ba-dment was of most terrific na- ture, and finally the infantry drove forward against numerous points in the Cambrai sector. The preliminary bombardment had extended from point below St. Quentin. porth to the River Scarpe, and at last reports san guinary fighting was in progress as | far south as the region of Hargicourt i and as far north as Bullecourt Tried to Drive a Wedge. 1 The early stages of the battle would | seem to indicate that the enemy was trying to drive a wedge on both sides of the Cambrai salient and pinch it off A keen struggle has been proceed
 ing in the neighborhood of Bullecourt
 and Lafnicourt and south of the sa- llent near Hargicourt and Ronssoy. British Looked For Attack. l The British had been looking for
 this attack today Not only have
 prisoners declared that yesterday or
 today would mark the beginning of the
 offensive on this front, but there were
 abundant signs of an enemy smash lT5gainst this. sector, which was the
 Ecene of the last great battle in the
 British theatre. That the Germans
 were as thoroughly prepared as pos
 slble was well known, and, as a con- 1 sequence. the British had taken .ex. tensive steps to meet the blow. Too Early to Predict Outcome. # It is too early to predict the out
 come of the first few. hours of tht
 struggle, in which vast forces ane
 every conceivable engine. probabi. was employed. On general principles
 however, it may be stated that :, th B great concentra tion of attacking fore
 es will probably result in the defen
 sive line being pushed back in plac ess This would merely be history re :, beating itself.
 f : British War Machine Perfect. e This much is certain at no perio e has the British war machine been i such perfect condition Never befor ,. has there been higher morale or op - timism among the British troops. Tn o general impression on the front is $ agreement with that of the GeEnan
 that this is the decisive contest ( IS there is no doubt that the decisio T will eventually be in the allies ia IS vor
 ,e Germany is Stalking Everything. ,r Germany is stalking everything . s- this play. and if the great attack fai
 to break clear through, it is believe Iy that the Germans will be finished f. " they have nothing further to offer, el a cept gradually weakening defence. ': The bombardment today was one st the most intense seen along tn in front. As has been generally expec
 ed, the Germans depended on sho at heavy artillery work to carry the ,- troops forward.
 he Large quantities of gas were us, a. at various places and extraordinarj ov high velocity shells have been Whini, ey across the back areas since daybrea ks The Germans had made a great col
 centration of guns for this attack, al
 ever one of. them was brought in
 play at the outset It is reported tn III one German tank was seen in acti, = but this is not verified, although W lWie would cause, no surprise ftrue The sky was heavily overcast day, rendering aerial observation d
 ficult