Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-01

Regardless Of the cause, these delays
without doubt served to encourage all
lied hopes that we might finally be
| forced to allow our men to be used as
drafts, and made it more difficult to
carry out in France the details of ar
rangementS for eQuipping and organic
ing an independent army.
Observed Cambria Offensive.
My diary notes the following:
"Paris, Wednesday, November 81,
1917. BY invitation, I arrived at Brit
ish G. H. @. Monday evening to OBJ
serve Cambria offensive. Went over
plans with chief of staff, Gen. Kidgell,
and the operations officer. Attack began
| yesterday.
Called on M. Clemenceau this morn
| ing; he is well along in years, not
strong physically, but vigorous of mind.
He spoke in favor of an energetic war
policy"
Immobilized by the mud of Flanders.
where British attacks had continued
internationally from the end Of July to
the middle of November, with rather
excessive losses, the British commander
in chief turned to a more southerly
portion of his line for the final Often
sive of the year.
Choosing the Cambria front on which
| to launch the effort, careful prepara-
| tons, including the concentration of an
unusual number of tanks, were made to
| insure a break through the enemy's
| defenses. The tanks and the infantry
| were to make an opening through
which the cavalry was to pass and at
| tack the TANKS of the enemy. Then
French troops held in readiness in the
vicinity were to follow. AS to the
| question of command of these combined
forces when both should become en-
gagged, it was to be left to the senior
| general officer in the vicinity, who
might be either French or British. In
| going over these plans, 1t seemed to me
| that their idea of securing co-opera-
ton after the French should begin
participation was rather vague
During the day We first went to visit
Gen. Byng, commanding the 3rd
| Army, who explained further details
of the attack and the progress already
made. He and his chief of staff were
busy receiving news from the front, and
felt that all was going well. Gen. Byng
is large, fine-looking man and high
type of British soldier, vigorous, force
full and efficient.
Visits Field Hospital
While awaiting the development of
the attack I wished especially to visit
a field hospital in operation, to which
Gen. Byng readily assented, sending
Maj. Watson, Medical Service, along as
| guide. We motored on toward the
front, meeting many captured prisoners,
| and shortly reached the hospital. The
wounded were coming in rather fast
| and in considerable numbers, and many
were there already awaiting their turn.
I followed the handling of the
wounded from the time they we're
| brought in until they were tagged for
further disposition. Most of the men
seemed cheerful and pleased over what
was believed to be victory.
spoke to several of the poor fell
lows, among them being mere boy
with the rank of captain, who told me
| that he received his wound as he was
crawling through wire entanglementS.
He was especially keen to learn how
the battle was going, quite unconcerned
that he would probably lose his leg.
Noticing several men on cots in one
| end OF the room not receiving attention,
| and inquiring the reason, was told in
whispers that they were moved aside as
being quite beyond hope.
The attack was made on a six-mile
front and the British had the adj
vantage from the outset. The sudden
debouchment of the long line of tanks,
closely followed by the infantry, ali
without the usual warning of long pre-
liminary artillery bombardment, COM
pletely surprised the Germans. The
tanks broke wide gaps in the wire and
subdued the machine gun nests, aiding
the infantry through the, defenses with
minimum of loss.
The front was rather narrow, con-
sidering the depth of the detectives. A
maximum gain of some ~ miles was
secured the first day and greater re-