Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-04-24 | Page 2 | Canadians Raid German Trenches in Seven Places

CANADIANS RAID GERMAN TRENCHES IN SEVEN PLACES CANADIAN ARMY HK ADQL'ARTERS IN FRANCE, April 23. (By the Canadian Canadi-an Press, Limited.) The Canadians, during the last twelve hours, have raided the German lines at seven places, gassed the enemy with thousands of lachrymatory lachry-matory and lethal shells, harnessed him by special artillery shots, swept his trenches with machine gun and rifle bullets, bul-lets, and hammered his front line with trench mortars. In some of the raids sharp fighting developed, de-veloped, in one instance protracted hand-to-hand lighting taking place, this struggle strug-gle being so intense that the Canadians were unable to take prisoners. The seven raids together netted five prisoners prison-ers and two machine guns. Two of the prisoners have since died. From dusk until dawn' the whole front has been lively north and south of Lens. The ceaseless rumble of our heavies, which are neutralizing hostile batteries by calculated and continuous gas shelling, shell-ing, has been accompanied by the sharper chorus of our field artillery, carrying out a particularly harassing fire programme. Periodically our artillery lire has reached a barrage Intensity In support of raiding parties. Regularly the boche lines have been lit up with scores of flares, betraying the nervousness which has been produced among the enemy by such activity as he has not known on his front for weeks. The enemy has been forced to fire his guns under gas clouds and in gas masks. Ho has betrayed the effect of our tactics by the diminishing volume of his Are, but he has made answer to our general raiding raid-ing and gas activities by projecting much tear gas against our positions north of Lens. , This projection was bigger in volume than anything ever attempted against the Canadians. Its effect, beyond discomfort, dis-comfort, was slight. Evidence from enemy en-emy sources gives ground for belief that It is far from otherwise with the boche. His gas Is not so effectual and his masks are not nearly as good as ours. Of the batteries bombarded by our gunners during the last twelve hours manv will not be heard from for some time. Continuous forcible feeding for such a protracted period on lethal and tear gas, mixed with high explosives, lias proved too successful before to doubt Its destructive virtue now. Unable to obtairi rubber to give the masks that close fit which is essential for full protection, the Germans' protective measures fall short of our own, and the enemy gunners must have suffered heavily under our bombardment, bombard-ment, for we used nearly six thousand shells against some thirty battery positions. posi-tions. Our 1.5 howitzers secured six direct di-rect hits on concrete shelters in the Avion district.