Topic: CEF
Canadians Succeed in Seven Dashing Raids
Rain, Hail and Steel Fail to Check Minor Operations—Number of Prisoners Taken, and Counter-Attacks Easily Beaten Off
To these daring raids the only reply of the enemy has been a few feeble counter-attacks. On no occasion have our trenches been occupied.
The Toronto World, 5 April 1917
London, April 4.—The following communique, issued by the Canadian war records office, covers activities of the Canadian Corps from March 25 to April 1:
A year ago the proportion of rain, hail and sleet which has been experienced during the last week on the Canadian corps front would have been said to have brought operations almost to a standstill. Nowadays weather has little effect on minor operations. There are no "quiet" days in the old sense of the term. The old stagnation of trench warfare is disappearing. Almost nightly there are raids on one or the other part of the front. The enemy is given no peace. Our artillery pound his defences and communication trenches night and day unceasingly. When his is not being raided by night our patrols are continually searching No Man's Land, often reaching the enemy's wire and trenches and bringing back valuable information as to the state of his defence and his methods of holding the line.
Carry Our Seven Raids
The records of minor operations carried out since last Sunday includes seven raids in all. As usual, a number of prisoners were taken.
One night and early one morning small parties of a certain famous regiment crossed No Man's Land and entered the enemy's lines. On both occasions much damage was done to dugouts and defences, and in a second raid a German post was driven from its position in a crater. Our men occupied the post for a short time, inflicting heavy casualties on the retreating enemy with their own bombs which they had left behind in their hurry to get away.
Another evening a raid was carried out. A party went over to the enemy's trenches, and finding the line strongly held, proceeded to drive him into his support line. In the process five Huns were captured and the usual ruin was made of his dugouts and defences.
The enemy retaliation for this little enterprise was not long delayed, and unfortunately one of their shells caught three of the prisoners and their escort on the way back to our lines.
On another occasion we drove an enemy post from its advanced position in a crater. In their counter-attack the enemy suffered heavy losses from our accurate Lewis machine gun fire.
The first raid in April was responsible for the capture of some prisoners. Nine dugouts which were known to be occupied were bombed. In addition many dead were seen in the enemy's lines.
To these daring raids the only reply of the enemy has been a few feeble counter-attacks. On no occasion have our trenches been occupied.
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