The story of the great war . 238 THE STORY OF THE GREAT WAR miles were captured. It is more correct to say that the site wherethey had been was captured, for there were no trenches or dugouts. Illustrated London News Italian Trench in Mountains, 1915 left. The British occupied the spot where the German lineshad been. Then followed the storming of Messines Ridge itself,the second German line. The forests, which the Germans had MESSINES RIDGE 239 calculated would shelter them, were burned down by streams ofblazing oil. Within three hours the second line was carried, andby the end of the day the
The story of the great war . 238 THE STORY OF THE GREAT WAR miles were captured. It is more correct to say that the site wherethey had been was captured, for there were no trenches or dugouts. Illustrated London News Italian Trench in Mountains, 1915 left. The British occupied the spot where the German lineshad been. Then followed the storming of Messines Ridge itself,the second German line. The forests, which the Germans had MESSINES RIDGE 239 calculated would shelter them, were burned down by streams ofblazing oil. Within three hours the second line was carried, andby the end of the day the rear defense line fell, so that the entiresalient was wiped out in one of the most gallant actions of the war. An eyewitness thus described the assault. All through thenight the sky was filled with vivid flashes of bursting an observation post I watched this bombardment for thatmoment when it should rise into a mad fury of gun fire, before thetroops, lying in those fields, should stumble forward. The fullmoon had risen, veiled by vapors. The drone of a night-flyingaeroplane passed overhead. The sky lighted a little and showedgreat smudges like ink blots on blue silk cloth,
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectworldwar19141918
