THE GERMAN COUNTER-BLOW AT CAMERAI

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 61, 5 December 1917, Page 8

THE GERMAN COUNTER-BLOW AT CAMERAI

SHARP FIGHTING NEAR OFFENSIVE RENEWED WITH GREAT VIOLENCE The High Commissioner reports:- .„.,., „. . , - L iim , London, December 4, 1.20 a.m. . .A™ 1811 officlal "P° rt states: Tta enemy's offensive on the Cambrai battlefront was resumed with great violence to-day. ' The enemy's attacks irere repu sed, with heavy losses, and with a slight exception our lino was namtained." By Telegraph-Press Association-Oopyright c-ri i rr • ' i t<™ , , London, December 3. Sir Douglas Haig reports: "We repulsed attacks, after sharp fighting, in ;be neighbourhood of Moeuvres. Tho Undoners captured machine guns and i number of prisoners in the neighbourhood of Bourlon. There is considerable reoiprooal artillery activity on tho southern battlefront "—Aus -N 7, Jablo Assn.-Reuter. ' >•"•«• (Rec. December 5, 1 a.m.) on i rr • i ~m, London, December 4. . bir Douglas Haig reports: "Tho enemy resumed thy offensive with groat nolenco. To-day's fighting was exceptionally Gonnclicu to W :oing. 'Tho enemy delivered attacks of great strength with largo forces, and vas repulsed with heavy loßses. Our positions were maintained evoryvhere except at La Vacquerie and eastward of Marcoing, where our line vas slightly withdrawn. Tho enemy broke through at one point southward )t Marcoing, but immediate counter-attacks restored the situation Wo save advanced our line, slightly north-east of Polygon Wood."—Aus-N ZJable Assn.- Reuter. • • . SLOPES GREY WITH GERMAN CORPSES (Rec. December 5, 1 a.m.) tv tt .. , t, , , London, December 4. ,ine tinted Press correspondent states: "There was heavy fighting all lay, particularly in the neighbourhood of La Vacquerie. Von Hindenburg keeps giving Prince Rupprecht frosh divisions, which are pouring in in all directions, including some probably from Russia. Prince Rupprecht is flinging them into tho struggle fifteen waves deep. Information gathered from capured documents suggests that' tho Germans are desperately anxious to force begin, to tell, and the question is te i ± d f Ist - hISaS r ltabld J fo ?, th(,t dcoisi(m? The include Bavarians, Prussians Saxons, and Grenadier.Guards divisions. The fields around General Byngs new salient to Vendhuille are piled with the Kaiser's lead, while the Britishers are fighting in the highest spirits, only abandonmg ground in their own time after' repulsing all attacks, as at Masniere The slopes are grey with German corpses. The actual fighting is as heavy as the war has yet seen, attacks and counter-attacks succeeding each other endlessly. The Americans, who have had some losses, continue to do their bit NZ CableAm V *° &mm^st the firsfc to sufrer.»-Aus.-THE WITHDRAWAL FROM MASNIERES ' ' + . The Exchange Telegraph Agency's Paris correspondent states That "rectification of the front which the British carried out south of Cambrai was nee ssary omng to the sharp salient at Masnieres constituting a weakness and exposing the troops to massacre and capture. Tho British voluntarily evacual h^Sl"* 1011 ' Ut - h6 t Uer ¥ S pledge. The Germans continued to hni ; "I! against the aoandoned position. Tho Germans since November 20 bave used twenty divisions on this sector. Prussian, battalions, in their mad rushes, suftered terribly in a veritable hecatomb.-Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn ■-■o-'t i j j. iT r j i , London, December 3. Reuters correspondent at Headquarters says: It looks as if tho German sffort at Cambrai has temporarily spent itself, although they are showinc aggressive round La Vacquerie. The salient about Masnieres, from which we have withdrawn, is untenable for the enemy except in the deer! cata combs with which it is believed to be honeycombed. The recent attack was one of the greatest, if not actually the greatest, the Germans have ever launched on the West front The second Battle of Ypres is the only possible claimant to equal magnitude. It is computed that twenty divisions were employed representing at least two hundred thousand infantry.—Reutor. ' THE GRIM FIGHT AT GOUZEAUCOURT THRILLING DESCRIPTION OF BRITISH COUNTER-ATTACK. +1. J5." ! h l Hl> "T^ 5 ' te i e SfapMug on Sunday an accounUf the SaTbrcak through says: "I was at Gouzeaucourt on I'riday morning. The village™ well behind the firing lino, and was organised as a forward station for the wounded. Many civilians were there. One medico was in a rubber bath ,mrf properly lathered when suddenly shots rang right among the ruins of the vil x g< \ man throw a towel round his body, and dashed down thestreet. Ihen a gunner camo up to our car and said that the enemv had broken through. The gunners commenced to gallop across tho fields- others stood to the guns until sure of the direction of the attack. Elsewhere somo iommies were playing football, others were frying their breakfast bacon Thev quickly.dashed.into tho fight, as it was ovidont that the whole right in, tho British salient was endangered. fa >> m Sky Black with Aircraft. Bourlon Wood and Hnrancourt Wood were under an intense bombard-' ment 'Die northern attack, supported by six or seven German divisions fol lowed two hours after the assault on the right wing. For a timo wo had L give ground, and the enemy penetrated to tho sugar factory on tho Carnhrd road. Our lads fought with enormous gallantry. Tho British artillery also naught the attackers, and forced masses of men into retreat, spraying t mm they went, and slaughtering great numbers. Overhead the sky was blaolwith aircraft. I never saw so many in one battle. Thoy wero lik'o crows over tho enemy lines'. Throughout Friday morning tho situation was critical ft Gouzeaucourt, but it Was relieved by magnificent counter-attacks bv tnn Guards, assisted by dismounted cavalry and tanks. Other bodies of tho tromw fought all the way back in short rushes—lying down for a volley, and then retreating as the German swarms came on. Somo of the British parties were cut up, as the Germans were desperate and had their cavalry ready to pour in through any serious gap. It was thrilling to see Guards marching towards Gouzeaucourt. Led by their hand, playing gay music, they stopped out i whistling and singing. When I saw. them next I looked on rows of faces under bandaged heads. Many of their bodios were grievously mangled but thev had driven back the enemy beyond Gouzeaucourt and broken the German mmw » -Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. " enaco - NEW GERMAN DIVISION THROWN INTO THE SHAMBLES. (Rec. Decembci 4, 11.10 p.m.) ~ -~... ~.,, .. „. _ .... London, December 3. Mr. Philip Gibbs writes: A new Gorman division was brought from Flan ders to participate in to-day's renewed attack at La Vacquerie and Gonnolieu" The British are holding tho linos-with horoio valour, 'and the ground is cf™,™ witlrGorman dead."-Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. fe IS strenn