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Show COLONEL TELLS OF YPRES FIGHTS British Official Observer Brings Story of Operations at Front Up to November Novem-ber 13. COSTLY GERMAN ATT AC Front and Flank Fire of Allies Causes Enormous Losses Furious Attempts to Capture Ypres. London. Nov. 17, 11.40 a. m. Colonel E D Swinton, the official observer at the British headquarters. g1es today a further chapter in his narrative of operations at the front, bringing up his account to November Novem-ber 13. Hi6 latest report describes the fierce attack of the Prussian guards on the British lines in the neighborhood of Ypres Colonel Swlnton's report. issued through the official press bureau, follows1 fol-lows1 "The dimunltion in the force of. the German rush to the west has not lasted long. The section of the front to the north of our forces was the first to meet the recrudescence of violence, in the shape of an attack in the neighborhood of Dlxmude and Blxschoote. "Our turn came next. After eight days of comparative relaxation, we were under constant pressure from Tuesday, November 3, to Tuesday, the tenth. The next day saw a repetition repe-tition of the attempt of the Germans to break through our lines to the I French coast, Violent Fight Continues. "In spite of Immense losses suffered suffer-ed by the enemy during the attack against Ypres, the cessation of their more violent efforts on October 29 only signalized the temporary relinquishment relin-quishment of the main offensive until I fresh troops had been massed to carry car-ry on what was proving to be a costly and difficult operation Meanwhile the interval was employed in endeavoring endeav-oring to wear out the allies by repeated re-peated local attacks and to shatter them by a prolonged bombardment. Bv the eleventh, therefore, they considered con-sidered that they had attained both objects for on that day they recommenced recom-menced the de3perate battle for the I possession of Ypres and its neighbor-1 neighbor-1 hood. ! Germans Gain Some Ground. "Though the struggle has not yet come to an end. this much can be said: 'The Germans have gained some ground but they have not captured Ypres.' "Iu repulsing the enemy so far. we have suffered heavy casualties, but battles of this fierce and prolonged nature cannot be but costly to both sides. "We have the satisfaction of knowing know-ing that we have foiled the enemy in what appears to be at present the en-emv's en-emv's main object in the western theatre of operations and have inflicted inflict-ed immensely greater losses on him j than those we have suffered ourselves French Repulse Kaiser's Troops. "Tuesday. November 10. was un eventful lOr UH A. I SOIIli: lIPKM'v-c vond our left flank the enemy advanced ad-vanced in force against the French and were repulsed Directly on our left however, along the greater part of the front, shelling was less severe, and no infantr attacks took place. "To the southeast of Ypres, the enemy en-emy kept up a very heavy bombardment bombard-ment against our line and that of the French. On our left the situation situa-tion remained unchanged, both sides contenting themselves with furious cannonading In our center the Germans Ger-mans retained their hold on the small amount of ground which they had Rained, but In doing so incurred B heavy loss from our artillery and machine ma-chine gun fire. "On our right one of the enemy a saps which was being pushed toward (far line, was attacked by us. All the men in it were captured. Day of Desperate Fighting. "Wednesday the eleventh, was a day of desperate fighting As day broke the Germans opened fire on our trenches to the north and south of the road from Menin to Ypres This probably was the most furious artillery artil-lery fire which tbey have yet employed em-ployed against us. A few hours later la-ter the followed this by an infantrv assault" in force. This attack was carried out by the first and fourth brigades of the guard corps which have been sent to make a supreme effort ef-fort to capture Ypres since that task had proved too heavy for the Infantry. Break Through British Lines. "As the attackers surged forward they were met by our frontal fire and since they were moving diagonally across part of our front, tbey were I also attacked on the flang by artll-1 artll-1 lery rfie8 and machine suns Though their caeualtiPB must have been onor-ruous onor-ruous such was their resolution and the momentum of the mass that, in spile of the splendid resistance of I our troops, they succeeded in breaking break-ing through our line In three places. They penetrated some distance Into the woods behind our trenches but were counter-attacked again, enflla ded b machine guns and driven back to their line of trenches, a certain portion of which they succeeded in holding. The number of dead left in the woods behind our line alone amounted to 700. Effort to South Fallt. A simultaneous effort made to the south failed entirely. The fighting to a great extent was carried on at close quarters. It was most desperate desper-ate and confused Scattered bodies of the enemy who had penetrated in to the woods In the rear of our position po-sition could neither go backward nor forward and were nearly all killed or captured. "The portion of the line to tho southeast of Ypres held by us was heavily shelled, but did not undergo any very serious Infantry attack. That occupied by the French, however, waa both bombarded and fiercely assaulted. assault-ed. On the rest of our front, save for the usual bombardment, all was comparatively com-paratively quiet On the right one of our trenches was mined and then abandoned As soon as It was oc- cuplc-d by the enemy, the charges were fired and several Germans wore blown to pieces. German Force Annihilated. "Thursday, November 12, was marked mark-ed by a partial lull in the fighting all along our line. To the north a German force, which had crossed the Yser and entrenched on the left bank, I was annihilated by a night attack with the bayonet, executed by tho French. Slightly to the south the enemy was forced for three-quarters of a mile. Immediately on our left, the French were strongly attacked and driven liack a short distance, our extreme left having to conform to this movement. Our allies soon recovered re-covered the ground they had lost, however, how-ever, and this enabled ua to advance. "To the southeast of Ypres. the en-emv's en-emv's snipers were very active. On lour center and right the enemy's bombardment was maintained but nothing worthy of special note occurred." |
