IDEAL CONDITIONS FAVOUR THE BRITISH BLOW.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16936, 23 August 1918, Page 5

IDEAL CONDITIONS FAVOUR THE BRITISH BLOW.

r , FOG AIDS TANKS TO PRODUCE GREATEST EFFECT. , RAPID ATTAINMENT OF EARLIEST OBJECTIVES. Mi r -'; Australian and N.Z. • , (Received 5.30 p.m.) LONDON, Aug. 21. P; The correspondent of the United Press at' the British front says that General Byng's offensive opened through a camouflage of mist, which lay thickly : over : the ragged, worn battlefield, adhering to the ground, while the tanks, cavalry, and infantry .advanced over and around the old trenches and new wires. By nine o'clock the sun, I bursting through, revealed that the Germans had been cleared out of ||||ptmoßt points this side of the high embankment ' of the ; Arras-Albert ; ; railroad. The artillery crash preceding the advance agitated the; fog along the six northernmost miles of the front for 60 minutes. ? Later guns concealed in readiness for several days were' unloosed V : -'.on the lower part of the line and other troops swung into,action;;;, '■'; *" ' Before the end of 50 minutes parts of the old line had been passed, *' ,'f-and the Germans lightly holding the northern end had been identified 'wHs\the Second Guards Reserve Division and the -Fourth -Bavarian I heavy guns concealed in readiness for several days was unloosed on the lower part of the line and other troops swung into action. Before the end of 50 minutes parts of the old line had been passed, fcnd the Germans lightly holding the northern end had been identified as the Second Guards Reserve Division and the Fourth Bavarian Division. The latter was recently severely handled and was incapable '' of "resisting. The resistance at Moyenneville was , weak. Of 200 i *: prisoners taken there, some state that the British attack -was expected for a,week past. • The British casualties were light. Ten minutes later Courcelles was captured with equal ease, since , the German company strength was revealed as only 50 ; men. Altogether the conditions .of the attack were ideal, ho smoke barrage ever equalling the effectiveness of. fog as far as the tanks are concerned. '" The tank crews were able to see as far as was necessary, while the tanks were hidden from the Germans until it was too late. ■''• :i ,-V;