Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-09-02
AMERICANS TAKE
VOORMEZEELE in
BELGIUM BATTLE
Find Town in Ruins Under
Intense Shell Fire; Silence
Machine Guns
IBULLECOURT IN JUGGLE
Ground in Front of British
Lines Piled With German
Dead; Desert Pcronne
BULLECOURT IN JUGGLE

With the British Army in Flan-
ders, Sept. LIN their first lighting
in Belgium the Americans captured
! Noormez4ele and several strong
German positions in that immedi-
ate vicinity. On their entrance into
| Voormezeele, the invaders found
that all that remained of the town
were piles of debris, for the shell
ire had been so intense that hardly
ore b.ick was left standing upon
mother.
Silence Hun Machine Guns
AS the Americans adN anceu the
| GeInaI. rear guards FROM what lIt-
tie cover remained opened up with
their machine guns, but these We're
quickly sllenced without much trou-
D!e. Elsewhere in the same locali,"
the A,uericans also advanced the
| line. FeCping in contact with the re-
treating enemy.
nterattacks by the Germans
resulted in their gaining little more
than slight foothold, which IN
case was quickly loosened by British
and American re-attaCks. In inost
places the Germans did not even get
foothold, for the advancing forma-
| tons were met with Hurricanes OF
| fire under which they melted away.
BuIleCourt Changes Hands
There has been especially heavy
lighting in the whirlpool OF the bat
tie around Bullecourt and Hende-
court, where the British are holding
positions almost resting against, the
Drocourt- Queant, or Wotan, line. 1t
is believed Bullecourt itself has been
lost and won thrice in the past twj
days.
Just now it appears that Bulle-
court and Hendecourt again are in
British hands. Escout St. Mein and
Longatte also are in the possession
of the British. The ground in front
of the British lines throughout lis
region are piled with dead Germans
while the British casualties were
extremely light.
Enemy Counterattacks Costly
At Mont st. Quentin the Germans
have ounterattacked repeatedly at
great cost, but the line there re-
mains intact. The enemy seems to
have removed virtually everything
| he had in Peronne, for he realized
that the town surely must come into
British hands soon, but nevertheless
there was sighting there before the
place was captured. There has been
more hard fighting around lie Tran
| sloy.
The Germans here were firmly
established in the cemetery at the
edge of the town, but the place now
has been stormed and captured ana
the Germans driven south and cost.
Tanks Assist Infantry -.
Late yesterday the enemy delfV-
| cred powerful countert,ttacks east
of Fremlcourt on the Bapaume-
| Cambria road. the infantry being
assisted, according to reports, by
few tanks. The Germans succeeded
in penetrating a short distance. but
the British Immediately reattacked
and the ground which the Germans
had occupied quickly became
shambles. In this operation the
British captured many prisoners.
Among the German dead at this
point was a battalion commander.
| Capture All of Garrison
The British also were .counterat-
| tackled at VaulX Vraucourt the Ger
mans gaining a corner in the north
east section of the village and hold
| ing it for a time only to be driven
| off. South OF the Arras-Cambrai
road the advance continues. During
the night 1t was held up by strong
fire from lone trench to the
south of the rcad. The Germans
appeared determined to hold on
here and fought desperately. Finally
the British "kicked off" from their
positions and charged the enemy.
During the fight that followed, the
British either killed or captured
every man of the enemy garrison
and in addition bagged fifteen ma
chine i;nns. In the II ,:.h the Ger
mans steadily continue their retreat.
On Heels of Hun I'm Lys Salient
In the Lys salient the British are
on the heels of the Germans. Be-
yond Viersstraat and VoormeZeele
the enemy has fallen back east of
the Ypres-Sommines Canal. The
British have reached Doulif and
Lacheche. Ravelsbgrg ridge has
been captured after some opposition
from the Germans rear guards.
Other advanced troops are on the
outskirts of Neuve Eglise. Linden
houk and KENNEL village have been
captured.
TIL a.