Part 22 (1/2)

As the British tanks advanced across the open ground, smas.h.i.+ng down barbed-wire entanglement and crawling in and out of sh.e.l.l craters as though they did not exist, defenders sprang to their positions.

Rapid-firers opened upon the British from every conceivable angle; but the sh.e.l.ls dropped harmlessly from the sides of the armored tanks. The tanks just seemed to shake their heads and pa.s.sed on.

Behind the tanks the infantry advanced slowly, flanked here and there by squadrons of cavalry, the horses of which could hardly be held back, so anxious did they seem to get at the foe.

The British tanks spat fire from the rapid-fire guns that formed their armament. Streams of bullets flew into the German lines, dealing death and destruction.

From the rear the great British guns dropped high explosive sh.e.l.ls in the German trenches.

The German first-line defenses, prepared with days of hard labor, and formed of deep ditches, of concrete and pure earth, offered no difficulties to the British tanks. Straight up to these emplacements they crawled, shoved their noses into the walls, and uprooted them; then crawled calmly over the debris.

Into the gaps thus opened, the British infantry poured, while cavalrymen jumped their horses across the gaps and fell upon the foe with sword and lance.

The Germans fought bravely, but they were so bewildered by this innovation in the art of warfare that their lines had lost their cohesion long before the tanks plowed into them, and they scattered as the British ”Tommies” dashed forward, after one withering volley, with the cold steel of the bayonet.

Here and there small groups collected and offered desperate resistance, but their efforts to stem the tide of advancing British were in vain.

An hour after daylight first-line defenses of the entire Hindenburg line were in the hands of the British.

But General ”Bingo” Byng was not content to rest on these laurels. He ordered his left wing--those of his troops who had advanced against the Wotan line--to advance farther, and also threw his center into the conflict again. Troops opposed to the Siegfried line he held in reserve, that he might strike a blow in that sector of the field should his main attack fail.

Again the British on left and center dashed to the attack. Again the tanks plowed over the uneven ground, and advanced against a second apparently impregnable barrier. Flushed with victory, the British ”Tommies” cheered to the echo, as they moved forward gaily.

Many a man fell with a song on his lips, as he stumbled across the sh.e.l.l craters that made walking so difficult, for the Germans from their second-line defenses poured in a terrible fire, but the others pressed on as though nothing had happened. There was no time to pause and give succor to a wounded comrade, the command had been to advance.

Besides, the Red Cross nurses and the ambulance drivers would be along presently to take care of those who could no longer take care of themselves. It was hard, many a man told himself, but he realized that the first duty was to drive back the foe.

Sh.e.l.l after sh.e.l.l struck the British tanks as they waddled across the rough ground. One, suddenly, blew into a million pieces. An explosive had struck a vital spot. For the most part, however, the sh.e.l.ls fell from the armored sides like drops of water from a roof.

German troops lined the second-line defenses and poured a hail of bullets into the advancing British. It was no use. The British refused to be stopped.

Straight to the trenches the tanks led the way, and nosed into them.

Down went emplacements that the Germans had spent days in making secure. The tanks rooted them up like a steam shovel. Men fled to right and left, and there, at command from their officers, paused long enough to pour volleys of rifle fire into the Britons, as they swarmed into the trenches in the wake of the tanks.

From the second-line defenses the tanks led the way to the third line, where they met with the same success. This, however, took longer, and when the British found themselves in possession of these, with Cambrai, the immediate objective, less than four miles away. General Byng called a halt. He felt that his men had done enough for one day.

There would be a renewed attack on the morrow, but now he realized that the most important thing was to straighten out his lines, consolidate them against a possible counter-a.s.sault, and work out his plan of attack for the following day.

Therefore, the ”Tommies” made themselves as comfortable as possible in their newly won positions. Prisoners were hurried to the rear, and captured guns were swiftly swung into position to be used against their erstwhile owners should they return to the fight.

In these positions the British third army spent the night.

CHAPTER XVII

THE ADVANCE CONTINUES

The British losses had been heavy, as was only natural in view of the nature of the work they had accomplished. But the German casualties had been tremendously greater. This, no doubt, was because of the fact that the German general staff had been taken by surprise and had had no time to prepare against the attack.

The British, according to the report of General Byng, on the first day's offensive, had captured in the neighborhood of 5,000 prisoners.