There is so much to tell that one can only touch on the more salient incidents. The whole German front opposite the British army, from the Somme by Peronne to the Messines Ridge in Flanders, is in a state of flux, and it is difficult to say that the enemy is holding firmly anywhere, though everywhere he is doing his best to cover his retreat with rearguard actions.
How real is the defeat the Germans have suffered in the Drocourt-Queant line south of the Scarpe is perhaps best shown by the fact that the official report has told that we took 10,000 prisoners yesterday. That was mostly on a narrow front of not more than 11,000 yards, which would be evidence enough that the ground was strongly held. But here these troops were holding and were definitely put in to hold what the Germans no less than we have recognised as one of the strongest complications of defensive positions devised since trench warfare was invented. In a few short hours we had shattered all his defences and captured an enormous number of prisoners.
Packed Cage.
When all are counted it will be found that there were more than 10,000. I saw a vast crowd of something like 7,000 massed this morning. It was at the First Army cage, where already within the barriers (though parties had been drafted out as fast as possible) there were over 4,000 men, making one huge, solid block of blue-grey against the yellow dun of the stubble and dry grass of the upland plain. It was like Epsom Downs, as dense and immobile. While I was there another column, numbering over 2,200, marched up in column of fours Ñ a great blue-grey snake trailing its length farther than the eye could see.
The officers were drafted into their special compartments first, and one saw the nonchalant way in which Thomas Atkins checked off Prussian officers like sacks of coal. When all the officers were in the tally was found correct at 62. Then the turn of non-commissioned officers came.
There were all sorts of men, some very young, some ripe and stalwart, and some more than middle aged. Many were good and many obviously unfit for service in the front line. Prussians, Bavarians, Saxons, Guards, infantrymen and gunners, and all sorts of miscellaneous units. Five out of every six had his shoulder-straps cut off before capture to avoid identification. Quite a number wore ribbons and Iron Crosses. 
As new-comers arrived they were greeted with shouts of laughter and welcome by comrades already within the wires, and greetings and badinage and names were called back and forth. Those inside were mostly eating, and held up bully beef tins and biscuits for the new arrivals to see, and the latter cheered responsively, for many of them are very hungry when we catch them, not having had regular rations in some cases for three or four days. Many were evidently very tired, but the whole scene suggested a trainload of revellers at some annual beanfeast being welcomed by fellow holiday-makers.
FergussonÕs Corps.
To-dayÕs captures, however, can only number hundreds where yesterdayÕs numbered thousands, because the Germans in this section have everywhere flown, all having apparently got behind the line of the nord Canal and the valley of the Agache towards Douai and Cambrai.
I told in hasty outline yesterday the story of the admirable preliminary operation and its areas and the subsequent great advance of Canadians, Englishmen, and Scots, which broke the famous line with the taking of Cagnicourt and the country to the north and south Ñ a line of some 700 yards. Then other troops came through and made a further magnificent advance to Buissy, and the official report has told you that these were men of the Naval Division, which together with Scots and other Englishmen are fighting in Sir Charles FergussonÕs 17th Corps.
This was the situation up to four in the afternoon of a breathless and bewildering day, but after that, on the right, the naval men went on again and added almost the most brilliant and unexpected item to the day's achievements. Our forward positions here made an obviously deep salient to the north of Queant and Pronville, where the Germans were still in possession of their formidable defence lines. Moving south-eastward last evening from their positions about Inchy Wood (which in spite of its name is 3,000 yards north-east of the village of Inchy), the Naval Division swept down the slopes due east of Pronville, so cutting off both that place and Queant to the west of it from all touch with their comrades. The movement was a complete success. Our men entered Pronville from the north and east, while west of here Queant was still unattacked. In Pronville itself 70 prisoners were taken, and all through the night our men were busy mopping up smaller lots. The enemy made little resistance, but from this area and from Queant tried only to escape by scattering south-eastward.
Guns Forward.
In the earlier stages of the advance the naval men had had a hard fight. The attack went so fast that they were far ahead of our guns and had no artillery protection nor any tanks. They suffered somewhat, especially by enfilade fire from the north, but nothing checked them, and the men themselves sing the praises of their machine-gunners, who seem to have behaved very gallantly and used enormous numbers of rounds on the enemy. Before the end of the day our guns were up, making it very unpleasant for the Germans in their retreat towards Moeuvres and the crossing of the canal on the Bapaume-Cambrai road.
All units of the Naval Division share in the glory ÑDrakes, Ansons, Hoods and Hawkes Ñ as well as Royal Irish Rifles and Royal Marines. This morning the naval men were pushing on again towards Inchy. I do not know how far they have got, but up to noon they seem to have met with no serious opposition.
No Counter-Attack.
North of here the Canadians pushed on together with English and Scots troops on their left, the latter having in the night captured Etaing and 60 prisoners. The whole of our front here had before noon to-day moved forward on a north-and-south line, almost straight as if drawn with a ruler, for a distance averaging 2,500 yards, and doubtless they are now much further.
One of the excellent features of all these daysÕ operations has been the admirable co-operation of all units. The home troops on the north, the Canadians in the middle, and other home troops on the south have all kept perfect touch at every stage. Canadian officers to-day told me how the troops on both sides of them had always been precisely where they were wanted, and Scots and English officers bear witness equally to the punctuality of the Canadian advance. Nor is it only between these units that such cordiality prevails, but every arm praises every other, and the success is so complete that no one has a shade of criticism. 
Last evening I said that hard fighting was yet to be expected in this area, and I believe the whole army is as surprised as I at the complete enemy collapse. The positions from which he has gone last night and to-day are such as he would presumably have fought hard to hold, and last evening we knew that new masses of troops were assembling in the direction of the Sensee Canal.
AirmanÕs Surprise.
It is told that the Germans tried to screen this assembly with a score or so of aeroplanes to prevent our machines getting through to observe. One of our airmen, however, got over them behind clouds, saw the troops massing, and bombed them heartily. Whether that helped to discourage them or not one cannot guess, but the threat came to nothing, and to-day enemy opposition here has simply melted, and there is no evidence of a stand being made this side at least of the Nord Canal.
The naval menÕs advance behind Pronville brought them in contact with the farthest point we reached here in the Cambrai attack last winter, where on November 29, before the German counter-attack, our line ran up to a point between Pronville and Inchy, though neither of these places was in our possession.
North of this area, along the south side of the Scarpe, other English troops have been advancing in conformity with the push below and protecting the flanks of the attack. East from Hamblain-les-Pres they yesterday crossed the marshy valley of the little stream Trenquis and captured the Valley Wood.
On the north side of the Scarpe the Germans seem to be holding Biache in strength and thence northward along the Presnes-Rouvroy line. Also, I understand, they have dammed the Scarpe by Vitry, causing a flood, evidently to prevent our advancing there. That, however, has so far not been in our programme, whatever we may do in the future.
The weather is not settled and is inclined to be chilly, but on the whole it is fine and excellent for campaigning.