GREAT ATTACK BY 1ST AND 3RD ARMIES

A TREMENDOUS BLOW.

British Army (France), Monday.

To-day is witnessing one of the great battles, and, what we have every reason to hope will prove one of the memorable victories, of the war. At 5.40 a.m., after a short but most intense bombardment, which was effectual in cutting the wire, British troops attacked on a front from just south of the Scarpe to nearly as far down as Quéant. Thus the armies of Generals Sir Henry Horne (1st Army) and Sir Julian Byng (3rd Army) were engaged. That the enemy had been expecting this attack there can be no doubt. It was the obvious sequel to the recent fighting, and his airmen must have reported the trend of troop movements on our side. By half-past seven this morning we had broken apparently right through the famous Drocourtquéant line, which, with its wire belts and five rows of traversed trenches, forms a system little less than 2,000 yards in depth. We had done this nearly everywhere along the front of attack. Two hours later it was rumoured that groups of our motor machine-gunners had been seen upon the bank of the Nord Canal, which lies nearly five miles east of the nearest point of the Drocourt line, and of which dried-out portions have no doubt been developed into an organised line of resistance for the Germans in this part of the country. These groups, of course, are only highly mobile patrols, pushing out to try to seize bridgeheads and destroy communications. But if they have got on so far it proves the success of the opening attack. That success may be summed up by saying that we have struck the Huns one of the most smashing and strategically serious blows they have yet received in any one day’s fighting during this war. For the result is not to be measured in terms of prisoners, but in the penetration of some miles of what he apparently regarded as his impregnable line of resistance. That the enemy made, and is still making, an effort to check our victorious advance scarcely needs emphasising. He is said to have had eight divisions standing in readiness to meet the blow, and amongst the prisoners are men from all sorts of other units who have been hurriedly collected and thrown in. The 1st Guards Reserve and the 3rd Reserve Divisions have apparently been rushed up to reinforce the shaken line. It is reported that one division was actually coming up with instructions to retake Vis-enartois and straighten out the line thereabouts when it ran into the full shock of the attack. Our men actually captured a German Staff officer, with his horse, batman, and baggage complete, who was returning from leave in order to take part in this counter-attack.

ENEMY PREPARED.

That the enemy was on the qui vive is shown by the fact that his barrage came down within a minute of the opening of our bombardment. It was very heavy, but apparently badly directed, for whereas our walking wounded declare that the shelling did not trouble them in going over, prisoners say their own gunners caused the big casualties. As our leading waves broke forward in the grey light, many Germans sprang up and came running over with their hands up. The outposts and front-line trenches were cleared with very little resistance. A number of tanks started with the infantry, but appear to have gone much faster than the troops, and were frequently been engaged a long way ahead. That the enemy had counted upon the presence of these is shown by the extent of his anti-tank preparations, but these did not suffice to check the victorious career of the machines. S.O.S.’S were soaring and bursting in a continuous galaxy from all parts of the enemy line calling for aid. Quite early in the action our airmen, who were a good deal hampered by bad atmospheric conditions, reported German batteries limbering up and trotting rearwards. As our men advanced the opposition increased. The wire had not been so effectually cut further back, and it was necessary to pause at times whilst the artillery cleared the obstacle with their wonderful sensitive fuses. By 11.30 we had reached Cagnicourt, and were attacking a great concentration of the enemy, with machine-gun posts, in the Bois de Bouche, a considerable way south-east of Cagnicourt. Dury was also reported in our hands, and some of the heaviest fighting thus far was taking place on or around the Mont Dury. The slopes of this hill were found to be honeycombed with defences, whilst behind it runs a sunken road, with a 6ft dip, which was packed with machine-gunners. Dense masses of Germans could be seen debouching, and our batteries were kept furiously busy. The enemy losses must have been terribly heavy, and our own men were in many places exposed to a severer fire than in most of the recent fighting. The enemy seems to be organising his resistance on the elastic principle, echeloned in great depth. We were prepared for a long and bitter battle, and so far it has gone gloriously well.