BRITISH HOLD THE NEW LINE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3199, 25 September 1917, Page 5

BRITISH HOLD THE NEW LINE

ATTACKS BY "STORM TROOPS" REPULSED HOW THE AUSTRALIANS FOUGHT IN THE BATTLE By Teleeraph-Pross Association. Copyright (Eec. September 24, 9.30 p.m.) •, , - London, September 21. Sir Douglas Haig reports: "Wo completely repulsed the . enemy's 'storm troops' north-west of Langemarck. The English rifle regimentsi then attacked and captured, after sharp fighting, a further portion of the defences in. this neiehbourhood, with a number of prisoners. The organisation-ot the newly-op-hned positions on the rest of the kittle-front is proceeding. We repulsed an attack eastward of Villeret. Three thousand two hundred and forty-three of the enemy including eighty officers, have been taken prisoner on the Tpres battlefront since tho commencementi of our attack on September 20. Our aeroplanes yesterday dropped bombs on tho enemy's billets, hutment?, . and aerodromes. Three tons were dropped at night-timo on tho Ronlors, Memn, and Women railway stations. The enemy dropped a, few bombs at midday, but did little damage We brought down nine of tho enemy's .machines. Two of curs aro missing'."-Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.Jieuter. TRIBUTE TO THE AUSTRALIANS FIGHTING ON THE FRINGE OF THE BARRAGE. ) London, September 23. t Mr. Gilmonr, special correspondent at the front for the Australian and NewZealand Press Association, pays a tribute .to the.fighting of the: Australians. Tho Australian Army, he says, was never, in such splendid battle condition. Impetuous dash, combined with perfect training was the feature of their victorioW advance which was marked by extraordinary, and intelligent restraint on the part of the officers and cohesion and strict discipline" among the men. ■Wβ adds- "It caSnot yet be said that our artillery is overwhelmingly predominrnt Much is left to the infantry to aocomplish. 1 ' The Australian troops m the front linw followed tho barrage more closely in some places than discretion ™ul(Uave prompted, with the result that; many Germans \wero caught m their •du™ its The"tenacity with which the attackers clung to tho tail of the bar£«?also almost totally stifling the operaton of tho German » chine-guns A Voung lieutenant, leading.his men on the fringe of a teniho f™» T with shellsT bursting around him, dashed forward to a fortified post whre g the Germans weff waiting .to receive the infantry with a The lieutenant stretched hie arm in at a look-out hole, and fired a, few shots revolver The Germans inside were killed or eoutUed. He ropeated rt« K ™e Sormance with enual success at the next concreted blockhouse. Mr. mZTbSS, of tho artillery, in smashing troops nssembfffE runte-lttacke. The precision of tho British attack surpassed anything that has previously been done.-Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. : N • TERRIBLE DEATH-ROLL IN ENEMY'S RANKS ' ' Paris, September 23. M Marcel Hutin, in the Paris "Journal," eays that Thursday's battle cost the Crown Prince of Bavaria 22,000 dead and wounded, and the previous bcmtoth6ent"Petit I Pa\'iay*ttar\hTt°ne German columns in the Langemarck ■ro-Moi? were brought uS five times to tho assault, but lost ground each .time. Hel\4 fire Shed each attack, and decimated the battalions. One prisoner declared that"f his company of two hundred only four were not killed on % the spot.-Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. . HOW THE GERMANS WERE CUT UP (Rec. September 25, 0.10 a.m.) ■ . *■ / London, September 21. Mr Philip Gibbs writes: "After our men had carried their objectives, every. nJ"', convinced that the enemy's losses were heavy, especially from tho SterStackr which ke continued over Saturday and Sunday with oven more Shons results A German regiment was carried in buses at midday on ttoday to a point beh nd the lines for the purpose of making a new assault I «r ™,v nositions at Polygon Wood. TV Ken this iegrmont took to the road our D "wi?hms A British aeroplane dropped bombs at. the of tl"e column S explosion attracted tho attention- of more of our night Inl,wf who flving'low, dropped bombs all down the column.- This counter-at-reached our lines No counter-attack reached our positions near vf on whioh is the ground the enemy most wants. Tho nearest they got Polygon Ridge, wnioC is uu> the glint o f bayonets was on Saturday a'"™ o ™' ; ite spnr . i> or a minute or two they saw the movement of'men then a fnif^f Shells feU into the WOod a,KI fi " Cd " * ith **"" and smokc."-A.us.-N.Z. Cable Assn. ON THE FRENCH FRONT London, September 23. 1 i?™,,, 1, official communique states : "After a violent bombardment tho Gerffain attacked in the region of liaison de Champagne, but the troops were broken B before U they reached lines. Eleven were destroyed ."-Aus.-N.K. Cable Assn.-Reuter. (Hee. September 21,. 0.30 p.m.) London, September 23. ■V French official communique states: "The artillery struggle is somewhat violent in the region of Hurtebise and on tho left bank of the Mcuse, north of Hill 30t."-Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Eentor. 1 GERMAN OFFICIAL REPORT. (Eec. September 21, 7.45 p.m.) ' ; London, September 23. \. German official report states: "We repulsed etrong attacks eouth-eaet of St Julien and drove out the English who had penetrated our trenches southeast of Amis."—Alls.-N.Z. Cabin Assn.-Beuter. NAVAL ATTACK ON OSTEND THE GERMAN OFFICIAL VEEBION. (Kec. Reptomber 2-1, 7.45 p.m.) London, September 23. A German official report btates: "An English monitor bombarded Ostend. The shells struck the cathedral and killed seven and wounded twonty-four Belgians. Our coast .batteries drove the monitor. off."-Aus.-N.Z. Cablo Assn.Keuter.