NEWS WELCOMED IN BRITAIN.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXVI, Issue 3557, 18 September 1916, Page 5

NEWS WELCOMED IN BRITAIN.

INGENIOUS NEW DEVICES

[ . LONDON, • September 16. . Sir Douglas Haig's despatches yesterday were among the most brilliant of the war. The newspapers display big headlines, such as "Sweeping British Advances," "Germans on the Run." The capture of 2300 prisoners brings the total British captures on the Sorarao to over 20,000 men. Sir Douglas Haig's bulletins, "The situation on the Somme is unchanged," invariably portend events of importance, and the public has not been disappointed.

.Everything was in readiness on Thursday night for the attack at dawn, and the result was an advance, oh a six miles' front, enabling the Britishto follow the example of. the French at Bouchavesnes, and smash through the third and last lino of the enemy's long-established position. Sir Douglas. Haig's references to mysterious armoured cars and aeroplanes swooping like falcons and pour^ ing streams of bullets upon the German infantry form a new and marvellous battle picture, details of which are eagerly awaited. It has been whispered in the Army for several days that there had. been developments in the armoured cars which rendered good service in Flanders, early in the 'war, and afterwards in Egypt. It was 1 known that they had successfully passed the experimental stage, and would be tested in the Somme offensive. Details of their construction are not known, but the soldiers call them ' tanks," or, more humorously, "Willies."

No vehicle mounted on ordinary wheels could hope to survive the shelltorn, roadless, and trench-intersected wilderneess. Moreover, the cars must be invulnerable to machine-gun fire. When the details are published we shall be in a position to gauge the feelings of the German infantry who, lin the uncertain light of dawn" "on Friday, saw an array of unearthly' monsters advancing, cased in steel, and spitting fire, crawling laboriously, but ceaselessly, over trenches, barbed-wire, and shell-craters. It is understood that the oars are really forts on wheels. Their chief work is to locate'the 'German machinegunners.

The difficulties the attackers have to surmount are illustrated by the defcneoK of La. Priez Farm,' which, in addition to an underground system, consisted of six successive fines of mtrenchments, linked up by communion turn trenches,, and flanked by four •"doubts bristlirjg with inar-hin'e-gu'ns. Rio Germans spent months in "conitrneting the work, hoping that it vo;ild p-Mard Combles frniiva-.'flank«'ht-' -ack. Cartain ;parts, of /.tliG".-..^©?'^-^^^-.:' r>PMiod,:"intact after'Klip]]s':'of: all md been poured . in+o, it .for ah entire' i-eek. General Fayolle's ,j>alln.riV ,'ronrtct, however, took the position' ih wo hours.