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NEWS: April 9, 1917

After weeks of heavy shelling and a remarkable day of intense fighting the Canadian Corps has captured almost all of Vimy Ridge and broken the hinge of the German defensive line.
GWO, Neuville St. Vaast - from Special Correspndant Randolf Wilson
At 5:30 this morning, accompanied by the roar of almost 1,000 pieces of artillery, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Divisions sprang forth after a night of anxious waiting in underground tunnels. Moving like clockwork after months of rehearsal, they were directly on the German lines, in some cases before the Bosches could even emerge from their dugouts.

Counter shelling was minimized by an incredibly audacious and successful plan to knock out the German heavy guns in an elaborate, pinpoint targeting scheme developed by a Canadian scientist, Lt-Col. McNaughton.

Fighting continues on the left flank where the 4th Division, hampered by the steep snowy slopes of hill 145 have suffered setbacks and are currently pinned down under heavy machine gun fire.