n of an eyewitness, "had become a flaming hell." In twelve
counterattacks the Germans had only succeeded in destroying a few of
the British advanced positions. They had only been able to maintain a
hold on the southwest corner of the village owing to the tunnels in
which they were protected from the heaviest fire.

A German counterattack of unusual strength was delivered in the
morning of May 16, 1917. No bloodier struggle was fought during the
Allied offensive in 1917 than here at Bullecourt. From shell crater
and from behind bits of broken wall the British with bombs and
bayonets hung on until relieved by the arrival of fresh troops. In the
orchards and gardens and in shallow trenches the opponents struggled
in close combat, springing at each other's throat when the supply of
bombs was exhausted. The British obtained a grip on Bullecourt for the
time being, but they knew the respite would be brief, when the Germans
would return and renew the bloody struggle.

The old Hindenburg line having been breached at Bullecourt and
Wancourt, the Germans were now busy strengthening their new line of
defense which ran through Montigny, Drocourt, and Queant.

The British had improved their defenses to the east, and had pushed
forward a little nearer to Lens. Here the Germans continued to wreck
and destroy buildings and machinery, so that the great mining center
would prove of little value to the Allies when they occupied it.

Early in the morning of May 20, 1917, a British attack broke into the
Hindenburg line between Fontaine-les-Croisilles and Bullecourt,
southeast of Arras. The Germans made several violent attempts to
recover their lost positions, but were unable to make any gains during
the day. The purpose of the British attacks in this sector was to
capture the last salient on the front southeast of Arras. With this
accomplished the German support line from Drocourt to Queant would be
seriously endangered.

The French lines on the Chemin-des-Dames north of the Aisne continued
to be subjected to attack, the Germans throwing great masses of troops
against the positions on the heights.

After very heavy artillery bombardment that lasted the greater part of
the night the Germans in the early morning of the 20th made
preparations for a general assault, but the French counterfire was so
heavy that over the greater part of the front the attack could not be
developed. Northeast of Cerny the Germans succeeded in occupying
Frenc