THE ARRAS ADVANCE

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 120, 21 May 1917, Page 4

THE ARRAS ADVANCE

SENSATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS. UNDER BRITISH FIRE. WONDERFUL WORD-PICTURE. (Special to " Star.") SAN FRANCISCO, April 10. Whilst America has been feverishly mobilising all its forces to assist the Allies in "their light against the Central Powers, and Austro-Hungary was also plunged into the vortex against America, the whole of the United States, from New York to San Francisco, was electrified 'by the gigantic drive of the British forces around Arras and Lens on Easter Monday, when the Canadians and Anzacs covered themselves with unparalleled glory.

A wonderful word-picture of the mem- j orable advance on that wide section of the British front reached San Francisco ; cm April 10, a few hours 'before the ; sailing of the connecting steamer for Honolulu with the New Zealand mail. The impressions of an American privileged to witness this remarkable British advance may be read with more than j passing interest in New Zealand. The j message, which was filed from the Bri- j tisli war front late at night on Easter j .Monday, provided a graphic picture of : the sensational developments of British I heavy gunfire. In the course of his impressions the American writer said: — "The war on the -western front, which j has been moving more rapidly in the last\ five weeks, broke into full swing to-day. Widening the attacks that they have been directing against the retreating Germans in the sector of the Somme, the British struck still farther north, and. in a series of assaults on a broad front, with Arra6 more or less the pivotal point, they drove the Germans from scores of important positions, penetrating far into the German lines, and inflicting heavy casualties.

PRISONERS' CAGES OVERFLOWING. "A visit to corps' headquarters this afternoon indicated that the number of prisoners taken in the last twelve hours exceeds 5,000. The barbed wire "cages," or compounds, built to receive prisoners that were expected to 'be taken, were overcrowded long before noon, although the principal attack did not begin until shortly after dawn. ThS heaviest fighting to-day developed along a line a few miles south-east of Arras, in a northerly direction. to the neighbourhood of Lens, 'but the actions extended far in the direction of St. Quentin. In the territory captured to-day was the famous Vimy Ridge, which has been fought over time and time again ever since the war was ten months old. The French had fought desperately and valiantly in an endeavour to wrest this vantage ground from the Germans, the battles costing both belliegerents untold casualties. The French lost as many as 100,000 casualties here. Back of the northern end of Vimy Ridge lie the principal coalfields of France, which at the time of writing are still in the German hands.

CANADIAN HEROES. "The fighting on Vimy Ridge was carried out by the Canadians, who had retained a footing on the ridge all winter, but always higher up was the enemy. On either side of the Canadians were English and Scottish and in to-day's battle there was glory enough for all, for the "Anzacs showed up with extraordinary courage and gallantry. The irrepressible "tanks" also shared in the honours of the successful assault. "One position captured north-east of Arras was a sort of labyrinth of trenches enmeshed in multiple) bands of wire called 'the harp,' because of its shape. Prisoners had proclaimed this strong point practically unassailable, but, sweeping over it to-day, the British took within it nearly a thousand prisoners, and they captured also during the day .three German 'battalion com°manders, who compare in rank with a colon il in the British army. The Canadians took two thousand prisoners. DAZED BY FIRE.

It was said everywhere along the attacking line that the Germans appeared to have been taken by surprise, and only in a few instances did they put up a strong fight. One reason for this was that they had been fairly dazed by the British artillery fire of the preceding ten d_iys. c

"_rom the high ground overlooking Arras a panoramic view for many mile_ oi the British attack was presented. The concentration of guns for this operation probably was the greatest for a given amount of front since the war began.

"Almost countless guns had taken part in the bombardment since the beginning, but it was not until Easter Sunday night that many masked batteries joined in the _rim chorus.

"Approaching the" battlefield well before dawn, the reflection of the <nin flashes against the low hanging clouds gave the inevitable impression of a continuous play of sheet lightning along the horizon. But when this wonderful night picture of modern warfare came into full view it seemed as if suddenly one stood on the brink of an overwhelmning inferno. Looking down into the valley, tongues of flames could be seen flashing from hundreds upon hundreds of gun mouths like so many white-hot serpent's fangs. "The guns were playing upon the ridges looming up in the distance, enveloped in darkness, upon which lay the German lines. There was a_ yet no alarm. The Germans had become accustomed to receive daily "strafes'' fom the British, and they were sending up only routine star shells and trench flares.

STRANGE SILENCE. "As dawn approached the British batteries one by one became strangely silent. For a half hour the stillne.-s was almost oppressive. The hot pit flashes disappeared. All this time, however, the German star shells and flares were ascending with the same monotonous regularity that marks the German position along the entire front. The glorious weather of Easter Sunday had disappeared, and from menacing' black clouds overhead rain began to fall. It was driven along by a stinging gale left over from the abundant storms of March. The storm delayed the coming of dawn to such an extent that it was still quite dark when the moment set for the British attack arrived.

"Then, as if the myriad of guns had been synchronised to the tick of a watch, they broke the foreboding silence with a volcanic roar. The~ earth trembled from the shock. The lickin™ tongues of the inferno appeared now to have been multiplied a hundredfold. The objective hills began to writhe under the tortures of the screaming shells. "The dark-profiles of the ridges, etched against the background of the graving now were more clearly defined by

the high explosive missiles, which burst along the ground like flaring pots of fire. Above these in the air played the shrapnel barrage shells, breaking with giant firefly flashes and hurling thetr leaden hail of death on all below.

DISTRESS CALLS. "The first volley scarcely had reached the German hues* when up went jfcheir ever-ready signals of distress and S.O.S. calls for assistance from their supporting artillery. Most of the distress rockets burst in great showers of golden rain; others lopped high in the air and broke into flaming balls of red and green. It was difficult to realise that this was not simply a stupendous, almost supernatural, pyrotechnic spectacle arranged for the pleasure of the gods. It was more difficult still to realise that it was actual reality of war, and that the thousands of "flashes and quick flames playing in the dawn were funeral torches lighting the way to souls to eternity.

"From the moment the great crater erupted along the horizon the whole world seemed red. Under the glare of the exploding mines which had been dug under the enemy lines, and out under the shells, could "be seen the British soldiers trudging—trudging across No Man's Land to a hand-to-hand encounter with the Germans. They moved slowly .behind the protecting shell curtain sent up by their guns. ABSOLUTE COLD VALOUR. "As this barrier moved forward the men kept pace. It will ever be an amazing feature of this war, the alsolutely cold valour with which the men go into action. Never the old shouting or the impulsive rush to victor}-— just a slow, deliberate trudge, not more than two or three men grouped, and each silent, with his own thoughts, until actual fighting with the hitherto unseen foe begins. Then it is a quick surrender, a shot or a bayonet thrust, and the attacking wave moves on.

•'The coming oi the day period changed the magic picture of night completely and with almost naked suddenness. Now the horizon was dull with accumulated smoke. Shells which had burst into pillars of fire by night now appeared as black fountains springing from the earth» There was an occasional flash toHhe shrapnel burets, but cenerallv they flew in merely as puffball3 of smoke. The roar, however, was always the same. The sun broke through the clouds just as noon arrived, as the British were breaking through the third and fourth German lines." PRAISE FOR ANZACS. Another correspondent says:—"The Canadians and the Anzacs carried their objectives by storm, sweeping before them like chaff hordes of Bavarians, Vrurtemhurgers, and Hamburgers. The attack of the Anzacs a.s they leaped from their trenches and carried the Vimy Ridee with the Canadians was especially inspiring and never-to-be-forgotten."