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Show INCREASE OF BRITISH ARMY Numbers and Equipment Immensely Im-mensely Improved Is Report of France Eyewitness. (Correspondence of the Associated Press.). London. April 20. The British army in France has increased immensely both in numbers and in perfection of equipment, according to a general review re-view of the situation written by an eye witness attached to headquarters in Prance. After recounting the comparatively unimportant operations which followed fol-lowed those described in his report published April L'0, the eye witueea fcays: ' The reports from all parts show that we are now generally in no way inferior, and in many places superior, to the enemy in the very form of warfare for which we were orglnallv loaM prepared, that is in aisre opera-1 tlons. which Imply miniug. sharp-shooting sharp-shooting and the throwing of explo-1 sives at short range. In this the Germane hae until recently enjoyed a Rreat advantage. But even with the aid of these advantages, they have failed to crath the allies and the great factor of time ha been on the side of the latter This applies especially to us and, in spite of our initial handicaps, we are now in many wao beating the Germans Ger-mans at their own game. At some points we have obtained the mastery' of sniping to such an extent that our! I men are able to walk about outside iheir trenches in temporative safet even within short range of the hoe- tile in and generally we are In a j i position to hara66 the Germans and give them as little rest as possible by means of shelling, bomb throwing or sniping. Dally Growing Stronger. As regards the moral side, a consciousness con-sciousness of the general increase in ; power and the feeling that we ire ' growing stronger every day while the jermans are becoming Ies6 strong, is the chief factor responsible for the excellent spirit of our forces "An account has already been giv en out from the British front, showing show-ing how the various localities differ; j but stronger and perhaps morp m teresting contrasts are presented by i the area to the north of us near the coast "This country is of three different kinds There is the district immediately imme-diately north of Ypres. then the inundated inun-dated region extending to Nieuport and finally the belt of sand dunos close to the sea. The flooded area varies in widths but is in general some 1-L' to Z miles across, except in the neighborhood of Dixmude. now held by the Germans. South of It the Belgian Bel-gian lines run along the canalized : portion of the river; to the north it I follows the line of the railwav to Xieuport. Belgians Still Unvanquiahed. "VVben the story of the last few months is recalled, and the actual 1 situation of the Belgian nation is, borne in mind, the aspect of this part of the lice is strangely impressive. Here, in Its entrenchments looking out over the country, once the rich-eat rich-eat soil in Flanders, but now willingly willing-ly surrendered to the sea, is the Belgian Bel-gian army still unvanqulshed after eltht months of war. Behind it stretches only a narrow strip, somt- fa tten miles in extent 0f Belgian m left to defend, and even in that stiir thero arr few illageg 0r towns whici have ebraped the enemy s fire "A visitor approaching the Blgiar trenches from the west pass-? through one battered village after an other and sees here and there amone the ruins a 'few women and children fctill clinging to what is left of thei-homes. -rm uanas Mooaea. In front of the line Is a waste of water melting into the skv and Ihfl further bank Is obscured in' mist The grey expanse Is here and there in-tersected in-tersected by a road running for some (oistance on an embankment, and broken by a few trees and hrdcr rows, or the remains of a farm ris in? out of a flcod on which land th adanced positions of each side are I established. Corpses Floating About. The corpses of long dead German soidiers and the swollen carcasses of cattlr. and sheep with legs stickine stiff!;, into the air drift almlessb about, while large flocks of wild fowl Rive the one visible touch of life to! the desolate scene Nothing could present a stronger' contrast to this comparative inaction than the nature of the fighting In progress along the sand dunes farther to the north. Here a desperate struggle strug-gle at short range continues from dv to day the opposing trenches be.nr situated within a few vards of one another. Here instead of mud and water, the troops have tG endure the wind which blows the sand about lul stinging clouds, so trying to the eves as to necessitate the wearing of moW-Foggles. |