Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-10-22
GREAT FLANDERS
BATTLE IS NOW
IN SECOND STAGE
After Clearing the Belgian
Coast Allies Are Now Ham
nnering at Courtrai in At
tempt to Flank Huns,

Wi
With the Allied Armies in France
and Belgium, Oct. y CIV the Assoclat-
ed Press. The great battle in Elan.
ders~ sand northern France passed into
its seccnd phase cday. The first
phase was completed when the Lille
salient was eliminated when the Ger
mans were driven out of western Bal
GUM, so that the line all the way from
The frontier of Holland to the Disc
canal is virtually Il straight one.
This having been accomplished the
Belgians, British and French in the.
north started a sweeping movement
today, plVoting on a point about east
of Courrai. The objec; of this an
pears to be the clearing of the enemy
from his front in northern Belgium
and at the same time to threaten his
extreme right FLANK.
The key position at the south is I'M
the region below Nalenciennes. All
both places the exhausted German d.
visions, whose ranks have had great
holes chopped into them by terrific
blows are fighting with the greatest
desperation The German commando
ers are sacrificing many men in their
endeavor to hold their ground, hut in
smashed into the enemy and made APP
preciable gains. Scores of additional
villages have been reclaimed and
numerous prisoners and large quanti-
ties of supplies have been captured
In the center of the battle area the
British kept thrusting out everywhere,
and gradually during the day moved
forward toward the west bank of the
Scheldt with increasing celebrity. The
Germans have taken advantage Of the
natural projections offered by the
width of this stream and its canal and
marshy borders. They are hiding be-
hind it in shallow trenches and are
showing nervousness a s the allies ap-
proach Back of them, their artillery,
the strength of which has been greatly
depleted, is giving some support.
The Germans have their cannon
close to the roads and on them so that
when il becomes necessary TO with
draw the guns they can get away in a
hurry. In their retreat the Germans
have resorted to every known means
to. delay the bringing up of the artil-
lery, but without effect At the pres
ert time, however, the allies are not
hampered in the least for the Ger
mans were put to such hurried flight
that they had little time to take their
artillery and vast stores eff ammuni-
ton with them These fell into The
hands of the allied troops and the
guns were promptly turned around.
and shells made in Germany We're sent
eastward as fast as they could he
fired against their original owners
Tnfantrymen thus had novel expert
ence in serving artillery ~
In the northern part Of the battle
area allied cavalry is moving ahead
CT the infantry clearing out the Ger
mans, And all the while, the allies
are getting nearer and nearer to,
Client.
Belgian artillery has been moved
up rapidly behind the infantry and is
pounding the enemy constantly.
Shrapnel breaking continuously on the
German rear and high explosives are
reaching out for transport and men on
the roads.
The fighting is going on in rain and
mud, 70 some extent the allied troops
have left behind the ground which
turns irto marsh and have not been
hampered greatly.