GROSSING THE CANAL.

Evening Star, Issue 16852, 30 September 1918, Page 6

GROSSING THE CANAL.

SCALING LADDERS USED. CRITICAL QUARTER HOUR. A TACTICAL TRIUMPH. LONDON, September 28. ("Received September 30, at 8.50 a.m.) Sir Percival Phillips writes : To-day's attack oa the Hindenburg line was more difficult and dangerous than Byng's tank attack last November. The plan was to strike eastward across the Canal du Nord and then, northward. Our front lay parallel with the canal, the crossing; of v.-hieh. -was one of the most remarkable feats of our offensive. It is 16 feet deep and 70 feet wide. with, deep mud at tho bottom, and could bo rendered passable only at certain points. Surface bridges wero impossible, and the sides are too steep in many places for dropping or climbing. The enemy had the range for

after, the guns evidently being withdrawn. Enemy aeroplanes were unusually energetic, their low flyers attempting to machine-gun our infantry. Comparatively few prisoners wore taken in the morning, and it seems certain" that the enemy had withdrawn some of their troops in the night. [lnchy and Mccuvres lie duo west of Oambrai, in the angle between the two highways from Cambrai to Arras juid Bapaume. About midway between «6©»e villages and Cambrai lies Bouxlon Wood.}

BELGIAN ADVANCE IN DIRECTION OF ROULERB, 4,§§o PRISONERS AND MANY GUNS. Australian jiad N.Z. Cable Association tiid ileuter. LONDON, September 29. Belgian communique: At dawn of fcSeptember 28 the Belgian right wing attacked the German positions between Dixmude and north of Ypres. j The attack began after a violent axtil--1 lory preparation lasting some hours, in I which there participated, in co-op»ration with the Belgian batteries, numerous French and British batteries, as well as British warships,' which bombarded the coast defences of the enemy and the vulnerable points of their communications. After this preparation our infantry moved forward and attacked stronglyorganised German positions. Vying with with »ach other in courage, our troops carried all the organisations of the defensive lines of the enemy front position, and passed on without a stop to attack the second strongly-organised positions. In spite of the enemy resistance and a vain counter-attack, which was launched ; particularly astride the railway from Ypres to Staden, our infantry captured practically the whole of tho HouTthulst Forest zone, which the Germans had strongly fortified during the last four years, and all tho ground extending to the line marked by the localities Wounien, Pierkonshork, Shaepbelic, Brodsernle. The advance made is about six kilometres i3j miles) deep. Numerous prisoners have been brought in, the total for i the Belgians being 4,000. The guns have not yet been counted, but they include a complete battery and the gun crews, as well as guns, of very large calibre. Con- ; siderahle material was also captured. The number of German dead lying on the field of battle is evidence of the enemy losses. THE CHAMPAGNE DEFENCES FRENCH OVERRUN 30 TRENCH LINES, Heritor's Telegrams. LONDON, September 28. (■Received September 30, at 8.50 a.m.) | Reuters correspondent at French Headquarters reports : We have now arrived at the enemy's main line of resistance, which

AMERICAN ARCONNE THRUST. THEIR AIRMEN 00 WELL. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association and Router. LONDON, September 29. P American communique : Our attack continues successfully. To-day we advanced, despite heavy infantry, artillery, aud machine-gun fire, and reached the outskirts of Brieulles and Exermont. We have captured over 20 towns and enormous quantities of material, while tho number of prisoners increases, American aviators command the air. They brought down 12 balloons and more than GO planes. The American planes mTsiing number under 20. Despite unfavorable weather, our aviators successfully executed various missions. AMERICAN AIRMEN'S TALLY NEW YORK. September 28. (Received September 30, at 8.50 a.m.) The ' New York TLmes's' Washington correspondent says that the American flyers with the British forces on the west front brought down 50 enemy airplanes and seven balloons from July 1 to August 25. according to figures received by the War Department. AMERICA'S WAR FEVER. LIBERTY RUSHED. NEW YORK, September 29. (Received September 30, at 9.10 a.m.) The main thoroughfares of the cities are elaboratelv bedecked with the American and allied national flags and colors, millions of flags being hung from the windows of the houses everywhere. In Philadelphia there was a procession of tens of thousands of munition, shipyard, and other workers, attired in their working clothes, led by military and naval bands. Reports from cities throughout the country snow heavy subscriptions to the fourth Liberty Loan, accompanied by unprecedented patriotic demonstrations. In New York extraordinary scenes marked the opening of the campaign. All the factory wlustles-Jjlew, the guns of the warships in the harbor boomed, the church bells rang, a thousand drums beat, and martial music was played by the bands. Thousands of soldiers and sailors in the streets and other places saluted, and stood to attention for live minutes, facing eastward, as a mark of respect to the American and allied soldiers fighting on the west front, while thousands of civilians stood bareheaded. The New Yorkers subscribed 200 million dollars on the first day, subscriptions being received at the rate of a million dollars a minute.

every yard, and their position in Bourlon Wood gave their gunners the most com■■observation of our movements. Every thing depended on the first rush. Au niik-nr snid on Thursday night : "Give u-; 15 rniimt-~s and all will be right.'' I The men had to be assembled the night before the attack. Scaling ladders were brought up and Hung down and over at the precise moment. Tho first handful of intrepid soldiers descended into the yawnin;; chasm ai:d bore more ladders with which to si.ale the canal, face, and with heavy parks and loads of bombs to face the enemy's machine-gunners. It seemed certain death U> the men assembling on the eve of the attack. Everything depended on those 15 minutes in which the attackers must descend the dark pit and jieaoh the other side after a breathless rush. Yefc the men must- have broath enough to begin to fight for their life on the other side. Horo was ordeal far more . exacting and dangerous than merely "going over the top," but the men went I to victory without mishap or pause. i Tlie Canadian*, after the passage of the Canal at Inchy, had two miles before i them. They strode in almost leisurely i fashion up the slopes in the direction of Boarlon Wood. It was open country, with , several systems of fragmentary trenches. 1 These were the emergency lines oE the interior Siegfried Fortress line. The Canadians went through easily enough, and reached tho edge of tho wood np to schedule time. Meanwhile, British battalions on the Canadians' right crossed the bottle-neck of the canal near Mceuvres with the greatest Swiftness before the enemy Wewe able to nut down a barrage, and passed the Hindenburg support line. Then some of them wheeled, south behind it towards Gramcoart. They had swept this area clear before 10 * o'clock, reaching the Bapaume-Cambrai road. Other British troops crossed the canal between Mceuvres and the Cambrat-Bapaume _road. They met with considerable resistance from machine-gun nests. These garrisons were unaware that they had already been surrounded from the" north, and surrendered when thev found themselves between two fires. The Germans on tho Flesquierea "Ridge had faced south, expecting an attack from the south, as in November; but before attackers and defenders came to close quarters the Germans found Bourlon Wood behind them full of Canadians. Tho enemy artillery was active until 10 o'clock, but practically ceased fire there-

proved hardest around Somme-Py, on the river Py. The arrival of our infantry on the river marks the successful termination of the first, phase of the attack, which k being pressed with unremitting vigor. Our advance has been mad© over fivo or six miles of extraordinarily difficult ground. Tho loss of a series at buttes (hills) in the vicinity cost tho Germans most heavily in killed, besides nearly B,OCO prisoners. Tito chain of positions captured was exceedingly strong, the Fronch having to storm a naked wall of bluffs whioh the enemy have been fortifying for years, every inch being tronched. By noon the French had crossed 30 lines of trenches. The hardest fighting was round Talrare. The French 75's and 155 mm guns played a most important part in the battle. They were brought within a few thousand yards of the front" in astonishing numbers, unperceired by the enemy. FRENCH ©UGCHSS* fIORTH OF THE AISNE hUB IN CHAMP AG ME. MANGIN DRIVES TOWARDS LAON, Australian and N.Z Oable Association and Reuter. LONDON, September 29. French communique: Our repeated attacks on the plateau north of the Aisne finally forced the enemy to retire towards the Ailette, We aro pursuing the German rearguards east of the line from the Aisne at vailly through Allemant and Jouy. Wo -occupied the village -of Pinon and the southern outskirts of the Forest of Pinon. We captured Vaudeason, Chavignon, and Fort Malmaison (in the'direction of Laon). Further south we progressed considerably on the plateau north of Sailly. The Germans in the Champagne furiously counter-attacked on our right. Desperate fighting is proceeding in ths Bouconville region and on the-heights south of Gratreuil. Our troops "on the centre and left continued to make progress, particularly north of the Ohalleranges Railway. We captured Maures and reached the eastern outskirts of St. Marie-a-Py. Our losses wore alight.

SALONIKA ARMY NEARING BULGARIAN FRONTIER. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association and Renter. LONDON, September 29. French eastern communique: The Allies made general progress on the whole front on September 27, with important captures in prisoners and material. The Allies' left wing is .breaking down the resistance jof the enemy, who are still holding out I between Lakes Pro3ba and Ochrida and .north-west of Monastir. The left wing passed Krushevo on a wide front, and is advancing on Kritshevo. In the centre the Serbians, who entered Veles at noon, advanced on the front between Karabuiiiste and Rmdnik to within 23 miles of Uskub. The Serbs also readied the retrion of Kotohana, and Radovislita, and have pushed forward their cavalry in the Lehovo region to within six miles of tho Bulgarian frontier. The Alllics' right wing occupies the Strirmifea region, and is ascending Strumitza, Vailley eastwards. Over 300 guns have been captured anco tho beginning of the offensive. TURKEY WAVERING. CONFERENCE AT COHSTAMTINOPLE. ZURICH, September 29. Talaat Pasha, Turkish Grand Vizier, has hastened to Constantinople, where it ig reported ths-t serious events are imminent, AMSTERDAM, September 29. It is reported that a political conference at Constantinople is discussing the question of Turkey's requesting an armistice preparatory to negotiating for peace. BALKANS JEALOUSIES. BERNE, September 29. Advices from Sofia state that M. Malinofi'a supporters suspect that Germany is promising Talaat Pasha concessions prejudi-j eial to Bulgaria.,