LAST NIGHT'S NEWS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXVI, Issue 3561, 22 September 1916, Page 5

LAST NIGHT'S NEWS.

THE WESTERN

THEATRE

HEAVY ENEMY EFFORTS

ALL SEVERELY PUNISHED

(Router's Message.) PARIS, September-a'.

A communique says: —

North of the Somme the Germans made a great effort to recover their lost positions. The battle lasted from 9 o'clock in the morning till nightfall. Successive waves of enemy masses were crushed by our machine-gun and artillery lire, and sometimes by the bayonet. The French retained the whole of their ground. > '' ■ : , The Germans attacked on a front of five kilometres from le Priez Farm to south of Abbe Wood Farm, attacking in masses. On each occasion the effort was proceded by a furious cannonade. The French magnificently resisted all a.ssaults, and repulsed the enemy by a cross-fire of machine-guns and artillery,, and everywhere maintained their positions.' The fighting was fiercest in the vicinity of le Priea Farm and in the region of Bouehavesnes. Four waves of assault in front of In Priea Farm worn successively broken by c gnnfire. Enemy masses were seen to disintegrate in disorder behind the ridge, leaving the ground covered- with corpses.

The C-ermans, in tlio Botichnvesnes sector, sifter' several sanguinary; »le.-