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Show oo j ! BY M ALLIES j BRITISH HEADQUARTERS IN j FRANCE, Oct 23 In response Of the j British preliminary barrage on the Lo Cateau-Solesmes front this morning, ! the German artillery began to shell the i British positions heavily with high explosive and gas projectiles. In spite of this artillery fire, the Third army took up tho attack on tho left and another stage began at 3:40 o'clock. German airplanes flew low over tho battle front and unloaded many bombB but in the haze they probably did as much harm to the German soldiers as lo the British. In their attack Tuesday southwest of Ghent the French captured Molen-hoek Molen-hoek and gained tho west bank of the Lys from Machelen to Driesltch. They I had to fight hard for all their gains. The new attack today was a general one and was delivered by strong forces t of the British Third and Fourth ar- inles. Tho British forged ahead to-ward to-ward the Scheldt canal and tho trl-I trl-I butary lhies along which the enemy is I endeavoring to protect the flank of hla I grand retirement. I North of Valenciennes the British I have captured about two-thirds of the I RaiBmes forest Further north they I I have got well east of St. Amand and I reached the Scheldt north of the Bel- I I gian frontier. 1 oo |