TRENCH RAIDS ON THE WESTERN FRONT

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2936, 23 November 1916, Page 5

TRENCH RAIDS ON THE WESTERN FRONT

HEAVY SHELLING BY THE ENEMY THE ICY HAND OF WINTER (Aust—N.Z. Cable'Assn. and Ecuter.) ' a- -n i a • . London, November 21. bir Douglas Haig reports: lie enemy .heavily shelled, us 60iith-west of lirandecourt. We raided trenches at Gommecourt, Roclincourt, and Ypres." Australian-New Zealand Cable' Association. (Rec. November, 22, 11.20 p.m.) 1 _ _ . _ _ London. November 22. Sir Douglas Haig reports I "There las beon.considerable hostile shelling, on our front on both sides of. the Ancre." " FB-ENCH OTFICIAL' COMMUNIQUE. (Aust.—JJ.Z. Cable Assn. and Router.) (Rec. November 22, ,11.20 p.m.) Paris, November 22. Official.—"There has been the usual cannonade, but no infantry fighting-" 1 A HARD FROST ON THE SOMME Australian-New Zealand Cable Association. ■ London, November 21. Correspondents at British Headqn ar tors report that it lias been freezing for three days. Tlie water on the road s is frozen solid, and the whole earth is blanketed in white. The British and Canadian troops were responsible for the latest gains, which wore achieved with unusually light casualties. The only serious resistance was encountered south of Grandecourt, where the enemy's machine guns, dominating the sunken road's and gullies, afforded tlio enemy .a temporary respite. The captured positions are.of less strength than the Grandecourt line, although the Gormans attempted, by digging in the mud and ooze, to maintain a grip on the hillside. Tho dugouts. were poor, flimsy affairs coinpared with, the deep dofences above the Ancre. The Saxons were genuinely glad to surrender. A thaw' set in at midday, resulting in a mass of slime and slush, and there was a raw fog. MOST VIOLENT EFFORT YET MADE BY THE ENEMY LAST WEEK'S BIG COUNTER-ATTACK ON THE SOMME. London, November 21. The correspondent of the Exchange Telegraph Agency states that the powerful counter-attack by the Germans north, and! south of the Somme last week resulted in a sanguinary defeat. Considerable forces were employed in the Ablaincourt-Chaulnes Wood attack, which later extonded to the north of the Somme, between Lesboeufs and Bouchavesnes. After a series of furious assaults, the enemy finally captured some advanced elements in the village of Pressoir and on the outskirts of St. Pierre Vaast Wood, at a cost of heavy losses. The operations resulted in an- absolute check to the most violent effort yet made by the Germans on the Somme front. GERMAN LOSSES ON THE ANCRE AT LEAST 30,000 (Aust.—N.Z. Cable Assn. and Renter.! (Rec. November 22, 5.5 p.m.) London, November 21. ■The "Times" correspondent at British Headquarters states that the German losses on' the Ancre since November 13 are at least 30,000. THE AFTERMATH OF THE ANCRE Australian-New Zealand Cable Association. London, November 21. Mr. Percival Gibbon writes: "Our new line northward and southward of the Ancre is slowly becoming definite, as the result of small adjustments by patrol enterprises and lonely little groups of British bombers, who are mounting guard on shell-holes at scores of points. It is not customary fighting, but rather isolated incidents of heroism. We are thus building up a new and firm front, which will bo a springboard for fresh victories. Beaumont-Hamel preserves the shape of a village, -but the others havo suffered beyond 1 recognition. Not a single fragment of a house remains. Beaucourt is desolation. Grandecourt was formerly silhouetted by roof-tops until these crashed down. Our gunners are rooting out the enemy from their shelters, and there are now only a few brick-heaps and an occasional gable sticking up like a tooth. FACING THE WAR SITUATION BRITISH PUBLIC TO BE TOLD THE FACTS (Reo. November 22, 5.5 p.m.) London, November 22. Cabinet Ministers «to arrangingto deliver addressos to mass meetings in the largo cities, and) frankly explain the position of the war, the magnitude of the task, and the need for individual co-operation to enable the war policy to be efficiently carricd out. GERMAN SEMI-OFFICIAL WAR REVIEW. Amsterdam, November 21. A German semi-official review of th e _ fighting at various fronts declares that it is improbable that tlio British will much longer persist in their prosent mothod of attack on. the Ancre, because they demand too great, an effort. "The success at Beaumont-Hamol puts the British in a difficult position, because the German artillery is enabled to use the Serrj heights. Tlio French have had no better suecoss. The British and French offensive has failed. Tho invasion of Rumania is of greater importance even than that of ,J)ol)rudja. Senoral Sarr ail's success at Monastir, is relatively, unimportant."