Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-04
ENEMY HARD HIT
BY BRITISH RAIDS
Losses Are High as English
Test Strength on North.
ern Front
GUNNER SAVES HIS MATE
By PHILIP GIBBS

ny llblI SlDDS
Special Cable to Evening Public Ledger
COPYRIGHT. 1918. by Ncto York Times Co.
War Correspondents Headquarters on
the Western Front, June 4.
While the worlds interest is center.
ed on the battle now in progress above
the Marine, it would be out of place
in the scale of things to describe in
much detail the small local attacks
and raids on the northern British
front, although to the men engaged
I they have all the importance of life,
land they are not without bearing on
the general situation. 1t may often be
useful to test the enemy's strength
on the British main sectors, and when
small gains of ground are made thev
may hamper the enemy's plans by
denying him observation or by cutting
into his positions for future attacks
Sunday night and yesterday small
operations Of this kind were under.
taken by British troops with complete
success. In a raid west of Tillery
near Arras, prisoners who have been
brought back say a whole company
was destroyed, and in a local attack
near StraZeele and the forest of La
lTotte the enemy's losses certainly
were heavy apart from prisoners
amounting to over 200 men and FIVE
officers.
The German artillery has shown no
abnormal activity against the British
lines, but east of the Scarpe and Arras
they have bombarded some sectors of
the trenches, and also have been fir
ing heavily into the ruins of Nillers.
Bretonneux. on the Ridge aboveNAmi.
ems. There appears to be no special
significance in these gun attacks, and
we are still waiting for the enemy to
attempt to carry out his plans on
this front.
Although as n correspondent with
the main British armies it is not with
in my province to narrate what is
happening between the Aisne and
Marne, I have obtained some details
of the fighting in which the British
troops are engaged down there which
may supplement descriptions of cor.
respondents on that front. This in.
forma ton relates particularly to the
Fiftieth division, which had gone down
from Flanders after its heroic fighting
along the Lys, strengthened by some
drafts of young soldiers of fine spirit
although inexperienced in conditions
of actual warfare. Their new expert
ences were largely shared by the
Twenty.frst, Eighth and Twenty. fifth
divisions, also fresh from the north
ern battlefields, with many new boys
among them.
The Fiftieth were holding their
lines at Craonne and found the place
quiet and without any obvious menace
in the enemy's attitude. The German
artillery was inactive, apart from d
little casual shelling, and the German
infantry refrained from sniping, as
though encouraging the British tc
show themselves. Registration from
battery positions was carefully re
stricted, and the enemy brought ur
his divisions by night with the great
est possible secrecy and quietude, hid
ing them by day in wooded country
He must have left many of his gun
ners to open their bombardment a
the moment Of attack without previ
GUS registration, and was careful t
keep his special assault troops out o
the line until few hours before tn
battle in order to prevent the British
getting identifications.
But on the night before the attack
I believe. it was expected Every pre-
caution was taken, although the thin
ness with which the line was helC
must have given anxious thoughts t.
the officers and men as they stood t
all night, and the field artillery ant
trench mortar sections were ready t
reply as heavily as possible to an,
German bombardment and attack tina
might be launched.
1t was / o'clock in the morning
when the enemy opened a terrifi
bombar6ment on the British line witt
: high explosives. Presently he switch
ed off his explosive shells and for
time flung over great numbers of ga
shells. Thus he alternated high eX
plosive and gas until his final car
nonade shells of all calibers. The Brit
ish field guns and trench mortar
opened a heavy fire as soon as tn
enemy's bombardment began an
maintained it at the fullest possibl
intensity. The trench mortars wer
especially effective and fired continl
tCusly at the German trenches, wher
Ia mass of men We're assembled as W
/ now know, SO that their casualtie
must have been heavy under this clos
/. and murderous fire.
The German trenches in the Crs
onne region were about 1000 yard
distant from the British, and acros
that No Mans Land it is said ther
came about a hundred German tank
with waves of infantry. At the sam
time, or at least very early in tn
.rzA battle, squadrons of enemy airplane
- came over-they bad been CAREFUL
hidden during the preceding weeks
and dropped many bombs and fire
at low range with machine guns a
the men of the Fiftieth division.