Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-10-01

'opDrt0hts EfS' on NtW ioTN f"'S U
With the British Armies in France,
Oct. I.
There was wild weather Sunday
night. with a gale of wind blowing
and heavy transforms over the battle
fields. I was in a place where there
were many ruined houses. and as the
wind howled there were crashes when
bits of masonry fell into the streets.
1t was bitter cold for the brave
troops. and Monday morning some OF
them I met had chattering teeth, after
a night without sleep, but they en-
dure these discomforts bravely. and
the vision of victory keeps them warm
in soul, IL not in body.
MY men," said an office of the
Third Division today. keep asking
when they are going on again"
That Is their only thought. Yet these
men of the Iron Division. as 1t is call
ed, because of its great history in this
war, had been fighting a long time. In
retreat and advance, and were many
DAYS in line before their new attack
last Friday. their most glorious day.
when they took as many prisoners as
n corps would he proud to take in one
day and went straight through the
H~indenburg support lines to the left
Of H~avrincourt.
The north county troops and Royal
Fusilicrs stormed the Hindenburg line
trenches, and, after hard fighting all
the way with troops of the Twentieth
and Sixth German Divisions, their best
troops in this sector, captured the VII
lage of Ribecourt on their final oh
~jective. Scottish and Shropshire men
worked on the left and smashed a way
through most formidable irene sys
tens with tanks, whose pilots ana
crews did gallant service. and were
then leap.froggcd by north INC easl
county troops of this same old division
who went through Fresquicrcs village
They took three German battalion
commanders among that vast GROVE
of men whom they bundled back he
hind our lines. Guards were on thu
left, and Guards and the Third
Division together can take anything
with any luck. .
The depth OF the German defense
with all these battalions supporting eacl
other. shows that the enemy intended Il
hold this part OF the Hindcnburg Lint
at ali cost. but that the intention faile'
with crushing defeat.
Foes Machine Guns rail
Around Cambria yesterday and Sun
day night there was very hard fightinI
and the Cnemy's resistance was beinl
stifencd by rushing up local reserves
although when those are broken Their
can be very little behind ana betwee'
our troops and the open country, but 70
the time being their defense Is stron
and hard maintained almost wholly h
/, dense machine-gun fire against the Elev
cnth English Division and the F'irst
Fourth and Third Canadian Divisions
| who have been making their way stub
hornly around the north side of Cam
brai.
20 a time Sunday German counter
attacks made the Canadians withdra
n little from Stole, on the outskirts c
the cityH. and from ground near Blecoul
and TtIloy. on the north. but the Firs
! Canadians have taken n strongly wire
5 trench line on the D~ouai-Cambrai roa
Z IN spite Of fierce machine cunning, an
, are making further attacks whic
= already have given them ground abol
= Blecourt. while the Third and Fourt
:. Canadians are reported as fighting {
illlONs Inc cHtIlN IL TtSlSNlIb hFlN'l
on the railway e~mbankment, which go'
northward out of Cambria.
These battles were preceded by heaN
o concentrations of gunfre from our ba
S %terics, sweeping the ground on this sic
of the Scheldt canal. behind which Can
c hrai stands. When 7 was below Bourlc
& wood yesterday morning, very grim ar
n black there under the rain-swept SIX
I saw a. those guns of ours open fir
and their flashes made a line of flame.
@ There was hardly any hostile shell II
l. near Cambria. and that city. with
y tall spires. seemed isolated frois (
. battle zone. which swept about 1t, Thu
was very little firing also OH the villa e
VI newly captured by us, like Fontaine a
;, Containing and ~Flesquieres. which a
now in quietude, though only a day
"A two ago storm centers of the hurrica
80 of FIRE.
VS. German Spirit Breaking
~ As I went up this way I met tho
l. professions of men who are hums
" speaking proofs Of our progress a
success. They were German p~risone
- Down one road came nearly a thousa
ee of them, marching as one battalion. V
~ Tins Of our progress and success. TIL
'e numbers are staggering to the imagii
u ton during these last few days. a
Young friends OF mine whose duty it "
es to bring some Of them by train to
Oh central collecting station had their har
hu full. on one day one of them broul
en- down 1900, and his friend was respor
BILE for 1900. and every day for tn
DAYS they entrained the same humble
us For the most part they give
ice trouble at all. but on one of these tr