The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-03
OUEANT SWITCH LINE
PIERCED BY BRITISH
Penetrate to Depth of Three
Miles at One Point.

J WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN FRANCE
sept 1.-THE British have pierced the
Drocourt-Queant line in a fierce battle
which has been raging since dawn and
which probably will prove to be one
OF the most important of the war.
Canadian and English troops at last
! reports had at one point driven in a
little more than three miles, and were
! still going
! The fghting was as furious as any
since the war began and increased in
Intensity as the British battled their
; way forward. meeting the ever growing
resistance Of the enemy who had put
1 IN every available man and was rushing
/ up reserves at the rear.
Thousands OF prisoners have been cap
tured the roads to the British rear are
literally damned with them.
There has been fierce fighting in Durv
which was taken by the British, and
Mount .Dury. which the Germans held
! In great strength. was istormed The
British went on after killing enormous
! numbers OF the enemy. The Germans
died fighting here, as elsewhere Caeni-
court wood and Cagnicourt have been
captured, and Bots de Bouche, to the
southeast, is reported also to have been
occupied.
There has been heavy fighting In
I,
numbers OF prisoners have been cap
tured, and similar progress has been
made against the northern end OF the
Queant-Drocourt line for some distance.
All during the night there was very
heavy lighting around the British posi-
tions. (which were almost jammed up
against the great German defence sys-
tenn. Piles of dead Germans was one
or the results during one enemy attack.
A sergeant with a machine gun killed
ak Germans who tried to rush him,
1t was soon after O'Clock In the
morning that the massed British cannon
broke loose with roar that was heard
Tor miles in crash barrage The
whole sky seemed ablaze as thousands OF
British shells poured into the German
wire and lines.
When the barragr Used the Cana
dams and English swarmed to the at
tack. Just behind them were numerous
tanks Of all sizes. They had been owe,
only a minute when the enemy opensd
with a counter barrage, which is said 20
have been by far the strongest he has
put down since the British offensive be-
gan.
The instant the British appeared the
Germans in many cases jumped out of
the trenches and held their hands high
above their heads. In some cases, how
ever. the advancing British met with a
hail of machine gun bullets. but not
withstanding this they pushed on.
Quickly the first line was overcome.
From all along the line came reports
that Germans in dugouts were absolutely
panic stricken, and many OF them were
found covering in holes and screaming
with fright.
BY seven-thirty o'clock the British had
completely passed the German front and
support lines. 1t was then that the mo-
tor machine guns dashed out on the
good roads at the German rear Tanks
also managed to get through and they
are working far in advance OF the in
fantry.
Some of the fast motor machine guns
are reported by the airpianes to have
made their way along the Canal du
Nord on the roads between Douai and
Marquion, while others are reported to
he holding the bridgeheads against large
numbers of German reserves, who GER
tainly are coming up in the rear.