WESTERN ATTACK

Taranaki Daily News, 23 November 1917, Page 5

WESTERN ATTACK

ANOTHER GREAT PUSH. HINDENBURG LINE SMASHED. THE CANAL LINE TAKEN. New York, Nov. 21. The- Hindenburg line has been smashed and the British are advancing 011 a wide front. Marcoing has been captured and the whole canal line taken. Thci > Pre thousands of prisoners.

SURPRISE ATTACK. NO ARTILLERY PREPARATION. TANKS' WONDERFUL WORK. FIRST SUPPORT LINES TAKEN. London, Nov. 21. Sir Douglas Ilaig attacked through the ITmdenburg line with the army tanks, penetrating the much vaunted trench system on a wide front.

A T o barrage preceded the infantry, and tnero war; no artillery preparation. Tho tanks berthed behind the lines, crawled put in the morning darkness, advancing and blazing a trail" through the Ilinden" burgian maze. The artillery during the night fired sleepily on the front, which was one of the quietest along the entire line, and, if anything. quieter :han usual.

Last night the attention of the Germans and British seemed concentrated on Flanders. This morning the batteries were let loose on a front of over more than 3 miles, and No Man's Land shimmered, sparkled, and sizzled under the rain of fireworks.

Between Lens and St. Qnentin there was a continuous shower of sparks and flashes, then a Gargantuan monster of steel crawled forward through the smoke of the barrage, .trampling line after line of entanglements whose wire was tlie size of a, finger. Each line was scores of yards across. When the widest trenches were reached the tanks, by a :<|3*er ti'ik'l-;, furnished their own a clever trick, furnished their own bridge and crossed as smoothly as silk. The infantry then followed.

The tact ics entirely surprised the Prussians. One division was in process ot being relieved by another at the moment of attack.

The battle was the strangest in the world's history. When the world was Haying that surprise attacks were 110 longer possible, and when the 'Prussians were 'thinking the same and sleeping comfortably in their dugouts, the army tanks camouflaged behind the lines nnd the British infantry rose up from the ground as if hv magic, smashing the Hindenburg line. It was the most wonderful performance in the war. Everything was absolutely normal until the kick-oIT, then hell was turned loose. Onus bellowed, flu; tanks crawled forward, the Tommies followed shouting "Come on" impatiently, the Germans crawled from their dugouts dazed and terror-stricken. Thu British casualties were few.