The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-04-23
CANADIANS BEST
HUNS IN LIVELY
ACTION IN WEST
Americas NeighbOrs Are Active
Against BOche.
At Seven Places Enemy Line
Is GaSSed.
HARD HAND To HAND FIGHTING
Whole Front Lively Around
Lens During Night.
British Advance $50 Yards on
1,OOO-Yard Front.
HARD HAND TO HAND FIGHTING'
(By the Canadian Press Limitsd)


Canadian Army Headquarters in
France. April 2s.-The Canadians dur
ing the last twelve hours have raided
the German lines at seven places.
gassed the enemy with thousands of
lachrymatory and lethal shells. har-
assed him by special artillery shots.
swept his trenches with machine gun
and rifle bullets and hammered his
front line with trench mortars.
In some of the raids sharp fighting
developed, in one instance protracted
hand to hand fighting taking place,
this struggle being SO intense that the
Canadians were unable to take pris-
oners. The seven raids together net
ted five prisoners and two machine
guns. Two of the prisoners have since
died.
From dusk until dawn the whole
front has been lively north and south
of Lens The ceaseless rumble of our
heavies, which are neutralizing hostile
batteries by calculated and continuous
gas shelling, has been accompanied by
the sharper chorus of our field ar
tillery, carrying out a particularly
harassing fire program Periodically
| our artillery fire has reached a bar
| rage intensity in support of raiding
parties.
| Regularly the boche lines have been
! la
the nervousness which has been pro-
duced among the enemy by such
| activity he has not known on his
| front for weeks. The enemy has been
| forced to fire his guns under gas
! clouds and in gas masks He has be-
| trayed the effect of our tactics by the
diminishing volume of his fire but he
has made answer to our general raid
ing and gas activities by projecting
much tear gas against our position
north of Lens.
Use of Gas Is Growing.
This projection was bigger in
volume than anything ever attempted
against the Canadians by the enemy.
Its effect, beyond discomfort was
slight. The weight of evidence gath
ereC from enemy sources gives every
ground for belief that it must be far
otherwise with the boche. His gas is
not SO effectual and his masks are not
nearly as good as ours.
OF the batteries bombarded by our
gunners during the last twelve hours
many will not be heard from for some
time Continuous forcible feeding for
such protracted period on lethaI and
tear gas. mixed with high explosives.
has proved too successful before to
doubt its destructive virtue now. Un-
able to obtain rubber to give the
masks that close fit which is essential
for full protection. the Germans pro-
tective measures fall short of our own
and the enemy gunners must have
suffered heavily under our bombard-
ment, for we used nearly 5000 shells
against some thirty battery positions.
Our As howitzers secured six direct
hits on concrete shelters in the Avion
district
Early Morning Battle
Encountering gas in raiding opera
tions one of our patrols. consisting of
one officer and ten of other ranks,
donned masks and proceeded into the
enemy trenches until they encountered
hostile party of fifteen. A lively
fight ensued with bombs and rifles
Early in the morning another one
hour battle occurred between patrols
under cover of smoke barrage from,
grenades. Our men entered the
enemy's line,@ bombed dugouts and
killed two and wounded one and also
secured valuable information.
With fair weather succeeding the
cold, dark days of last week our air
planes were busy. With reckless dis
regard for the regular machine gun
CT rifle bullet barrage, a patrol OF
four of our machines flew up and
down the enemy trenches for fifteen
minutes al attitudes of from fifty to a
hundred yards, emptying nachine
gun drums into the enemy front line.
Similar work was carried out in other
parts of the line and at midnight one
of our planes bonn bed the hostile firing
= trenches.
British Gain $50 Yards
London. April 23.-The British at
tack last night north of Albert wae
: carried out on a front of about 1000
yards. Reuters correspondent al
: British headquarters reports that an
z advance was made to a depth of 25o
yards.
. Line Improved in Somme5
i London. April 23--On the Somrn.
: front north of Albert the British las
, night improved their line by success
I full local operation. it is announcet
officially. They took sixty prisoners
On the Flanders front. in tn.
$ Robecq sector near Wytschaete. th'
S British took prisoners
= No New Thrust Yet
j New thrusts on the western front b,
e the Germans are still held in abeyance
! Raiding activity has become more pro
tContiEued on Page Two-1