them at any moment.

During the evening they had sufficiently recovered from their first
panic to send supporting troops back into Lens to hold the line of
trenches and machine-gun forts on the western side and check the
British advance while they prepared for themselves positions on the
Drocourt-Queant line, the Wotan end of the Hindenburg line, from which
the British were forcing them to withdraw. It was learned from German
prisoners that there were still about 2,000 persons, principally old
men, women, and children, still in the Lens district waiting for a
chance to break through to the British lines. The condition of these
poor creatures can be imagined, surrounded by destruction from all
sides and hiding in holes in the ground with death always hovering
near.

The British continued to close in around Lens from three directions,
their progress being slow owing to the stubborn attacks made by German
rear guards and the fierce fire of cunningly placed machine guns.

Field Marshal Haig's chief purpose in advancing on Lens was to turn La
Bassee from the south. La Bassee and Lens form the principal outworks
of Lille, which is the key to the whole German position in Flanders.
If the British succeeded in capturing these two places, Lille would be
seriously threatened.

On the 15th the British continued to gain ground in the direction of
St. Quentin and east and north of Gricourt, to the north of the city.

In the morning the Germans delivered a powerful attack over a front of
six miles against the new British position, which extended from
Hermies to Noreuil. In the face of a terrific fire from British
artillery they forged ahead, but lost so many men that they were at
last forced to retreat, gaining no advantage except at Lagnicourt
village, to one part of which they clung tenaciously. Immediately the
British organized a counterattack, which was carried out with dash and
spirit. The Germans were driven out of the village and 300 prisoners
were taken. Some 1,500 dead were left in front of the British
positions.

April 16, 1917, was a day of glory for French arms, when General
Nivelle launched a great attack on a front of about twenty-five miles
between Soissons and Rheims. The French were everywhere successful,
capturing the German first-line positions along the entire front and
in some places penetrating and holding second-line positions.

The scene of General Nivelle's great victory was the historic line of
the