The Germans were obliged to advance by the road, as the fields
were too soft for the passage of the troops; even the roads were
in a terrible condition, deep ruts and thick, sticky mud greatly
retarding the onward march of the German forces. But the Allies
fared little better in this respect. In fact the entire engagement
was fought out in a veritable sea of mud and slush.
Well-directed artillery fire by the Germans blew up the British
trenches in this salient, and the Germans at once penetrated the
unsupported British line. The Germans also had the advantage of
an armored train, which they ran along the tracks from La Bassee
almost into Bethune, sufficiently close to throw considerable shell
fire into this town.
The Germans advanced in close formation, throwing hand grenades.
They came on so rapidly and with such momentum that the Guards,
trying in vain to stem the tide with the bayonet, were overwhelmed,
and the British, in spite of desperate resistance, were forced
back step by step.
At some points the distance between the trenches was so small that
it was utterly impossible to stop the onrush from one trench to
the other. The Germans swept and broke through the British lines,
treading their fallen opponents under foot as they advanced. At
this point the British turned and fled, as there was no hope of
successful resistance.
As the great momentum forced the German advance through the allied
lines into the open field beyond and was joined by a heavy column,
which had debouched from the vicinity of Auchy, British guns opened
a murderous fire and inflicted terrible slaughter upon these ranks.
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