THE WAR.

Hokitika Guardian, 2 August 1917, Page 2

THE WAR.

A COLOSSAL BATTLE

BRITISH & FRENCH ATTACK. (Per Press Association.—Copyright.) A GREAT OFFENSIVE. SUCCESSFUL - RESULT b. 3,600 PRISONERS. TAUSTRALIAN & Nj«. CABLE ASSOCIATION] LONDON Aug 1. Sir Douglas Haig reports: The Allied operations were successful. We continued despite uniavourable weather and entered the enemy’s positions. We advanced our line on a front of over fifteen miles from La Basseville on the Lys River to Steenstraate on the Yser River. We took possession °f both villages. The French hre closely co-operating and are proteciting the ‘British left flank. We captured Steenstraate rapidly penetrating German defence to a depth of two nliles. Having gained tho day’s objectives at an early hour we continued to attack and with the greatest gallantry captured Bixschoote . njiuL positions south-eastward and westward of the village on a front of 21 miles including Kortikoer, Cabaret. We repulsed a counter-attack in the afternoon. The British divisions in the centre and on the left centre penetrated to a depth of 2 miles and secured the cro ßß ings of the Stee n back River which were thejr final objectives. In the course of their objectives they stormed two powerful defensive systems and carried the villages of Yorlorenhook, Frezen-bc-rg, |st Julien, and Plilkem, also many strongly defended farms, woods and organised localities. Further south on our right centre after gaining the whole of our first objectives including'Hooge and tho Sanctuary Wood wo advanced against ibsiinatc resistance in-difficult country. In the neighbourhood of the Ypres-Menin Road wo carried Westhoek and penetrated the enemy defences to the depth of a mile in this neighbourhood where there was heavy fighting all day long, winch is still, continuing- We repulsed a number of poweTful counter-at-tacks. Wo gained tho whole of. our objectives early in the day on tho extreme right southward of Zillebeke-Znn-voorde Road, capturing La Basseville and Hollebeke in addition to inflictl“K heavy casualties. Already 3,500 prisoners have been brought in but it- is impossible yet +o accurately estimate the captures. FiXOITMENT IN LONDON. 'LONDON; July 31. There was intense excitement in London whe n the news was receiveo that Sir Douglas Haig’s-offensive has re-commenced on .the biggest s' Tlie attack/has a front of oighteeii miles extending from Lys River to well north of Ypres 'ond menacing Menin, which is the key to .Rouhaix Turcoing and Lille. . \ " It is not kuowm whether, Sir Douglas Haig intends a sensational advance or -is only seeking to bleed the German white. The Lys Valley is flat but the recent raids have converted it into thick mud. The country is always so waterlogged that it is impossible t« dig deep trenches and dugouts. The enemy instead is using concrete cupolas for machine-guns. , " : heavy losses infliotli/. .. MANY BOYS OF 1918 CLASS. ' , LONDON July 31. Reuters*' headiqiKu'ters correspondent f-tates that .’the'attackers wore gas I . masks. He .Lnaideii'tally mentions that nothing which the Germans have yet invented in the wiiy of chemical frightfulness has proved effective against- our respirator's. - The Fourth . Army group under tho Crown Rilincc' Rupp.-eeh’t is bearing the brunt of the offensive. Several divisions are knot'll to havo been badly knocked .about. It is believed that some were recdntly withdrawn. . A proportion of these troops were more boys. An example is given'where one regiment- the no.-tnal strength of. Which was 2400 v recently received, areinforcement; draft of GOO lads ot iiit> 1918 clarss indicating the extent Germany is feeling the <!r%in on her macpower. FRENCH REPORT. SUCCESSFUHOEERJLTIONS. , all OBJECTIVES GAINED. fAUSTRALIAN & N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION] 4 - LONDON, August 1. - A French communique states: After crossing the Yser Ca ial at flight th® French at 4 o’clock’ in the morning attacked in conjunction with the Bn tish on their right. The formidable artillery preparation eompleely leveled t-ho German organisations and- inflicted heavy losses. By the end of the morning we had captured both enemy positions. The troops ardently passing their objectives advanced i" the Lizerne-Dizmude road capturing, Bixsehoote, Kortekcr, and Cadapet Our losses were insignificant-. ;We took much material and many prisoners. The battlefield 5s covered with German dead. '. ; The artillery activity on tho. Aisne wa« very violent. Details of R®>oro fighting show that tho French on the whole battlefield (exceeded their objectives and were able to clear np th trenches which wero. choked with Gorman dead. The enemy at II o’clock in the morning attacked west of (Hievrogny but was repulsed. Three German regiments attacked east of Corny but were 'driven back- by ouf immediate counter- attacks. < > DEPTH OF ADVANCE. Important french success LONDON, July 31, At the deepest tho British advance is 8000 yards between Boosinghe and tho'Lys. Elsewhere it is 4000 yards The French brilliantly gained important successes. . The “Times” correspondent reports that" it is under stood that the Australians took La Bossoville

ENGINEERS FINE WORK. BIG CAPTURES. LONDON August 1. Reuter’s headquantars toprrespondeut reporting at 4 o’clook in the after - noon states: We have got on famyus]y during the last twelve hours. The whole British army advanced On an average to a depth of 1000 yards t»j 10,000 yards. « ' During the morning prisoner# were streaming in many readily surrendering. We crossed the Yser in many places. The bridge™ worked wonderful one division alone which was exposed to fire the whole time threw over seventeen bridges. Our artillery is literally pursuing the qnemy. One minute after tho appointed moment' for beginning the attack our guns were moving forward. ■ Our troops imbued with a fine i spirit of determination crept up close behind the barrage, ready to rush the trenches when the fuses were lengthened. In one case they actually dashed through their own fire dn order to prevent the escape of alarge number of Germans who were preparing to fl®e. They bagged numerous prisoners at small cost. SCENE OF ASSAULT, A great BOMBARDMENT. LONDON, July SI. Th« oountry where the |ieavi«et fighting is developing may be likened to a vast sauoer of which the German positions form the rim. Nowhere is there any great ridge to attack such as Vimy and Messines but the steady incline, scarcely appreciably to the eye, is rendered difficult by the stubby growth of sparse trees, to where further north it merges in the Yser swamps. The hurricane bombardment wmen reached its final and maximum stage shortly after the infantry “went over” was the heaviest ever experienced. The earth rocked under the drumfire tempest. . OTHER REPORTS. FURTHER STIRRING ACCOUNTS SMASHING THE GERMANS. WELSH AND SCOTCH WORK. fAUSTRALIAN & N.Z. CABLEi ABSOCIAIIOjTJ (Received, This Day at 8.50. a.m.) LONDON, August 1. Other correspondents state - that our air supremacy is again unquestionable. An astonishing feat of engineering is accredited to iRc French who built, 28 bridges within the day under heavy firo I and crossed with few casualties. V Despite the peculiarly difficult ground we exceeded the proscribed goal. Two British units took prisoners in excess of their total casualties. The British faced thirteen divisions whereof four were -Bavarians, namely the Fourth,tond Sixth Reserve,'Tenth and 16th. *> None held the first; or s econd line of (trenches against us for any appreoiqble time. Die . Third battalion of Guards- and Fusiliers, known as the “Berlin Cock-" chafers” which the Kaiser styled as his- crack -battalion were never. more*-, roughly handled and decisively beaten than at the hands of the Welsh magnificent onslaught was reminiscent of grand attack on Mametz Wood _ in 1016. The Guards traversed every obstacle with extraordinary dash and the highlanders pasff.xl (over entanglements, -trenches, redoubts and fortified positions a s if on parade. Our rapid advance, resting, and pushing at regular 1 stages was as brilliant air anything seen on the western front, while the British describe their French comrades, as irresistible and the Australians and New Zealand-" ers as bearing a "noble part in the first day of the successful struggle. At the outset of the offensive the Ger mans cunningly withdrew*their fore-, i most heavy guns to the rear line, firing on thq, field from the abandoned battery - position and then hauling them back to give us the, impression that the batteries were still there; • . V The day was notable for the successful storming of * (two entire defensive sysM terns, and tho capture of ten fortresses and villages, and'the placing of the British in possession of numerous. poi - the scenes of. some of the most shattering combats in 1014 and early days.of j 1915. •. - - THE ENEMY TRENCHES. ! j ■_ BADLY SMASHED. ? . ' A FEARFUL BARRAGE." ' ' (Received This Dav at 9.50..a.m. 1 ) LONDON, Aug. x. The-“ Morning Post” says the vivo first lines of defences were over-ran by breakfast time.. It in nowise afforded an good shelter as thq. trenches and dugouts on the'Somme, atArras.bekng built on the forward slope, below the lip of the saucer— U They are without deep underground refugee, but the solid concrete pillboxes” are more easily overturn*** than wholly smashed, by the bombardment. The enemy infantry lay mostly in the shell holes behind the uninhabitable vestiges of the front line. .. r„. ' ■ ' Then came their so-called ‘ ‘sturtypunkt,” in a better condition , thu ug,x not strong but still capable of gooa defence. .-'V Thie Germans made little or. no effort to repair the damage done ,by - the guns, but rested as be»t. they could iai the craters, -dependent on the infrequent' lull s in the bombardment for the bringing up of supplies t° the ? hungry men. , Tho hour of attack Mff*' prised them, for though they expected us, ho had once, before mistaken "the time, and the night gave no hint that our completed concentration or shadowy legions were already in positron tor the assault. . Tho barrage which broke" tho news wa# greater than any of its predecessors. Every sort of gun. from the eighteen pounder to tho heaviest howitzers, contributed to the curtain, a setting sllolls down w|th the same wonderful accuracy and giving the infantry a travelling shield that advanced with almost human intelligence. Hie infantry moved with sa*«e precision. 1 ' 5000 PRISONERS TAKEN. LONDON, Aug. 1. ! The United Press correspo”’ ' a states the prisoneiu taken will probr ’ \ total 5,000.