The Story of the Great War, Volume VII (of VIII)

were repulsed. It was declared by eyewitnesses that the British destroyed more Germans during the fight here between dawn and d

lace, which made the position difficult to hold, as it was dominated by the high ground held by the Germans. It was therefore decided by the

up" during the night, about 300 prisoners being taken here. After the recapture of Gauche Wood the British continued to push on up to t

brai. With a mighty concentration of artillery, and employing great forces of infantry, they tried to pierce t

ères, which the British had evacuated on the previous day. During the night the town was an uncomfortable place to hold, as the British continued to deluge it with shells and the Germans were forced to find refuge in tunnels and dugouts. Southwest of Bourlon village General Byng's troops won back a trench system t

tle of

il some hours had passed did the Germans discover the retirement, when they swarmed into the vacant territory and dug themselves in. Bourlon Wood had been generally stripped of troops; only a rea

y task before them, for the British guns dominated this desert with tons of explosives, and hundreds of shells were hurled into their advanced ranks as they went forward to prospect for desirable positions for

rols of British and Germans. North of La Vacquerie Ulster troops

succeeding days. The British anticipated that this lull would be followed by renewed fighting, for it wa

ecourt and Queant, about ten miles west of Cambrai. The Germans were in strong force, the troops, principally from Bavaria, advancing in waves and close formation, and by sheer weight of numbers won about

made an assault on the Ypres front in Flanders. The stroke was delivered on a front of about 300 yards southeast of Polygon Wood, agai

ting that was highly successful, and enabled them to improve their lines. North of Bullecourt in the afternoon of December 15, 1917,

ered, and the ugly scars of battle hidden from sight. The snow lay in heavy drifts on the roads

by the soldiers of the kaiser, for both armies had been under a sev

o-British front at this time was 154 divisions, one less than the great force amassed her

emin-des-Dames had given them command of the strongest positions in that region. The Germans, forced to retire across the Ailette and to abandon the whole valley to the French, were so situated that it would be taking a gambler's chance to

a strong offensive the French positions to the east, in the Argonne Forest, might be turned, compelling the French to dr

g action on the part of the Germans, as every movement must be made thr

uns thundered unceasingly, and German trench raids were of daily and nightly occurrence throughout the month of December. For "a worn-out army," as the French tr

he right, toward the north of La Vacquerie, and on the left to the south of Marcoing, they penetrated and occupied two small salients in the British lines. In the morning of the following day, after a short but heavy bombardment, the Germans renewed their attack against Welsh Ridge on a front of about 1,200 yards sout

mbardment, three bodies of German troops attempted to raid British positions in the vicinity of Méricourt southeast of Lens. The assaulting troops came under the concentrated fire of the British artillery an

ns from making sporadic raids on British positions. On January 5, 1918, they had some success at Bullecourt, where they captured a British advance post-a dearly bought operation

years made military operations on any large scale impossible, the Germans continue

ard St. Mihiel. The French completely cleaned out the German defenses, capturing 178 men and officers and numbers of machine guns and trench mortars. The Germans were so completely taken by surprise that their artillery did not get into action until the F

ad brooded for some days on the British front was broken

s, who had been lying concealed during the night in no-man's-land, made a quick rush for the British defenses. The front line a

out with a touch a man's life. This engine of destruction had a terrifying effect on troops who saw it in operation for the first time, but

before noon the snow began to fall heavily, making observation difficult. Through the storm swept a body of British troops to assault for a second time. The Bavarians were taken by surprise and driven out of the position, leaving a score of prisoners and a number of wounded in British hands. Such minor opera

nches that were often in a fearful condition owing to lack of natural drainage, which in bad weather transformed them into bogs. The British took pri

autious about punishing the troops too severely even for grave offenses against discipline. Deserters were not shot, but sent back to Germany, where it was said t

weapon of "frightfulness," including lavish use of liquid fire, was employed. But the French troops defeated every effort made by the enemy to oust them from the importa

only a feeble resistance, and after damaging the defenses the Canadians withdrew, bringing with them a number of prisoners. T

Champagne front and on the right bank of the Meuse. In the region north of Louvemont the Germans had concentrated for attack, when they cam

ght all day on January 15, 1918. In the region of Badonviller the French carried out

nce and Flanders. There was generally, however, enough going on to keep up inte

ard, and scattered shells lavishly among the back areas across the Menin road and the old fighting grounds of Monchy and Fampoux. Th

battery work with the aid of aeroplanes whenever there was an hour or two of visibility

to trace the source, that the Germans contemplated a great offensive. They possessed inventive skill and perhaps they wou

lgium and German Lorraine. Two tons of bombs were dropped on the steelworks at Thionville, on r

m in the Champagne were successfully raided. The French cut through the enemy defense as far as the third

nt made a dashing attack and succeeded in penetrating the French first-line trenches. They had hardly gained a foothold when the French r

nd that much-fought-over sector, Hill 344, and the front of Chaume Wood. Following up an intense bo

ay to succeed, for the attack lacked neither daring nor persistence, but the French guns, whose fire had been withheld for a time that the Germans might advance near enough to

y defenses were successfully bombed, and tons of explosives were dropped on German establishments. Much damage was wrought to the rail

st 3,000,000 enemy troops. A great German offensive was in preparation on a vaster scale than any before attempted, having for its main object the capture of Paris or Calais. The Allied comm

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