The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-09-20
BRITISH SMASH
HINDENBURC LINE
10000 Prisoners Taken in
TWo-Day Attack.
MANY GUNS CAPTURED
Reach Outposts on Part of German
Defense System After Severe
Fighting

London, Sept. 20.-AIore rhan TO-
OGO prisoners and more than sixty
guns were captured by the British in
the attack begun "Wednesday in Picar-
dy, Field Marshal Iiaig announced.
The British made further progress
north OF Gauche wood. Fierce fight
ING ragged i'll the region east Of Epehy
and GouZeaucourt.
fierce battle ragged in the late
hours, the end of which saw the Brit
lSh in possession of eleven miles of
til" Hindenburg line outpostS At
some points fighting took place in
the foremost defense positions of the
famous German main line.
The French, who Joined the British
drive southwark from Holnon 1.-TWO
and one-half miles west of ST. Ouen-
TIM, also made substantial progress.
penetrating the German defenses
around Contescourt, three miles south
west of ST. Quentin. Before dawn the
allies renewed their attacks. and saw
age fighting has been raging all day.
I.empire and Gauche wood. where
the Germans put up a desperate de-
Tense, fell TO the British. Lempire
lies three and one-half miles south
west of lie Catelet, and Gauche wood
is near the extreme left of the Brit
ish attacking front, some four miles
to the north Of Lempire.
Correspondents at the front empha-
size the stiffening of the enemy re-
siStance, making the British advance
all the more remarkable German
gun power is unusually strong long
range, high-velocity guns being en-
ployed to draw line of fire almost
equal TO barrage across a wide ex-
tent of country. Hence for the first
time for a long period more British
casualties are due TO shell splinterS
than TO machine gun bullets.
This intensified artillery fire gives
an index of the strength of the Brit
ish effort necessary to clear ridges.
with numerous fortified villages lying
Immediately in front of the main Hin
denburg line. into which the Germans
are being pushed by the Irresistible
British pressure.
Forty guns were captured by the
British Wednesday, In the prisoners
taken twenty-three German regiments
In eleven divisions were represented.
Repeated attacks delivered against
Gauche wood. All these were shatter-
ed by the British defense A heavy
thrust from Villers- GuiSlan was
thrown back with severe punishment
to the enemy, as was another effort
near Hargicourt
Wednesdays attack secured to the
British all the important observation
points looking over the Hindenburg
system as well as a hold on the ad-
vanced Hindenburg line in the center
An assault delivered by the Aus
tralians in the center of the Villeret
sector forced the stubbornly resisting
Germans to pull back from their ad-
vanced line to strongly fortified de
lenses in the rear
Furious enemy counter attacks de-
livered at numerous places along the
line resulted in sanguinary fighting
In every case the Germans were
thrown back and their losses were ex-
ceedingly heavy.
A most portentious counter attack
came just before dusk in the region
southeast Of Havrincourt, little
north of the main battle. Here thr
Germans threw in six divisions sup
ported by forty batteries. They were
rapulse6 and tbair coSuolfiaS uora Nv
tremely heavy.
The opposition to the British as
sault varied. At many points the en-
envy fought to the last ditch while
at others he surrendered freely
The moral effect of the British
tanks was very great. Numbers of
graycoats surrendered on sight of
them before the land dreadnaughts
6red a shot