ce to the harbor. The cruisers tried to act by guess work, and one
of the block ships was sunk, but it was not in a position to obstruct
the canal.

On May 9th another attempt was made, and the Vindictive, filled with
concrete was sunk in the Ostend channel.

This daring exploit of the English fleet, though it had destroyed the
value of Zeebrugge and Ostend as submarine bases, had left the Germans
in possession. In September, however, General Foch determined that the
time had come to throw his armies against the German forces in the
distracted little country. He planned two widely separated thrusts. On
the south he sent Pershing against the Germans between the Argonne and
the Meuse. They made rapid progress, capturing Montfaucon, Varennes and
driving on until they had destroyed the German control of the
Paris-Chalons-Verdun Railroad.

This was a serious blow to the Germans, for a further push northward
would cut the vital lateral railway connecting the German armies in
Belgium and France with those in Alsace-Lorraine. Ludendorf hastened
reserves to this front, and the American operation was slowed down.
Meanwhile at the other end of the line the Belgians, with General
Plumer's Second British Army, suddenly attacked on a front which
extended all the way from the canal at Dixmude to the Lys, swept the
Germans out of all the famous fighting ground of the Ypres salient,
pushed across the Passchendaele Ridge and down into the Flanders plain
below.

The situation of the Germans in the Lille regions of the south and also
along the Belgian coast became at once dangerous. Once more Ludendorf
was compelled to send reserves, and this thrust began to slow up but it
was not checked permanently, and the Belgian armies were to move on.
While this advance was being conducted the British fleet were bombarding
the coastal defenses. The Belgian army, fighting with the utmost spirit
under command of King Albert, made a penetration of five miles and
captured four thousand prisoners and an immense amount of supplies.

On September 30th they captured the city of Roulers. For ten days there
was a consolidation of position by the Allies, but on October 14th they
made a furious attack in the general direction of Ghent and Courtrai.
Thousands of prisoners and several complete batteries of guns were
captured. In this attack British, Belgian and French troops took part,
and the troops of the three nations went over the top without
prelimina