WEST FRONT

Nelson Evening Mail, 30 September 1916, Page 5

WEST FRONT

HOW THIEPVAL WAS TAKEN

URGE 6ERMAN FORGES USED

CONTINUED PROGRESS

BRITISH CAPTURE STRONGLY

DEFENDED FARM.

(Rec. Sept. 30, 11.20 a.m.) LONDON, Sept: 29.

Sir Douglas Haig reports : —This morning we captured a, strongiy defended farm south-west of Lesars. The night was quiet on the greater part of the front. The Germans heavily shelled positions we captured northward of Thiepval. Our aeroplanes northward of Ypres aiid south-east of Bapaume observed a huge explosion as if an ammunition dump had been blown up. Smoke ascended 9000 feet. FURTHER BRITISH ADVANCE ANOTHER REDOUBT TAKEN. (Australian and N.Z. Gable Association.) LONDON. Sept. 29. Sir Douglas Haig reports that we captured the bulk of Schwaben Redoubt, oil the crest- 500 yards northward of Thiepval. Schwaben Redoubt is on the highest .ground, on. Thiepval Spur, and is in full view of the northern valley of the Ancr.j. We elsewhere, consolidated our ground and advanced our line north, and northeast of Courcelette. ■ Aeroplanes greatly damaged enemy batteries, and also attacked tropps and transport with machine gun fire. A •document found in the captured redoubt issued by the commander of » German corps says: 'The British infantry are ?mart in- their attack, largely because of their immense confidence in their great artillery superiority. One must admit the skill with which they consolidate new .positions. They showgreat tenacity irt -defence, and small parties once established with machine guns in the corner of a wood or a group of houses are very difficult-to dislodge." Sir Douglas Haig continues: The following sentence shows the effects of our artillery: "Hitherto our instructions from experience of defence and attack ■were based on a carefully constructed trench system, but the... troops on the Somme front have found no trenches whatever."

ANOTHER DESCRIPTION. VIVID STORY BY MR- PHILIP GIBBS. {Australian and N.Z. Gable Association.) LONDON, Sept. 28. Mr Philip Gibbs, who witnessed the capture of Thiepval, -pays a tribute to the invaluable help of the Australians' work at Mouquet Farm, compelling the ultimate surrender of the Thiepval garrison. The British loss was amazingly light considering the lone and stubborn fighting and the gallantry and desperation with which the garrison defended themselves. Twenty-four hours' continuous bombardment- preceded the assault; and when it ended there were only three or four black and broken tree trunks and a mass o£ reddish 'brickwork which was once Thiepval Chateau. There was not a German alive about the ground, but many were hidden in the long series of vaults-and tunnels. The Germans had also made tianv exits where they could poo up with rifles and machine guns. The British riijht wing advanced from Mouquet Farm, but the left had a harder time. The battalion- leading the assault were dashing to the chateau when from the celjars beneath came a savage machine gun- fire. The British were also raked bv an enfilade fire of machine guns. For a long time it was impossible to get near the chateau, but the cry was Taised. "Brine- tanks." The very idea was a fine tonic to the attackers.

Soon, a tank lumbered along, lurching over' shall craters, momentarily sit- " ting on 'broken parapets, and then -waddling forward towards the infantry. When- it opened fire it resembled a dragon with indigestion. It- sot- over the enemy's trench and trudged down the ( -whole length, sweeping it with fire. Soon the German machine suns were silenced, and the British, cheering and shouting, accepted surrender. Unfortunatelv, the mysterious anatomy of the tank got out of order, and the British had to face the rest of the machine guns alone. They had to dive into dark entries and burrow for the Germans. The search often ended in a handto hand fieht. in which the British and ermans shoved and throttled each other in the darkness. Many deep du trout s -were blown in at the entrance, and the Germans were •forced to come out at the other side. Our men*' smoked out others. It was like rat hunting. One party of sixteen Germans treacherously turned upon an escort of*- two Englishmen and wounded them. They had no mercy from other Englishmen -who came tip a moment later. Perhaps the most remarkable tank adventure was at Gueudecourt. where the British were held up by a raking fire from machine guns. A tank strolled dawn and rolled over the trench, with fire flashing from both flanks, and delivered it into the hands of the infantry with 400 .prisoners, who "waved white handkerchiefs above the parapet. Exalted by its success, the tank followed along "alone in sparch of more adversaries. Suddenly a horde of Germans rushed out and tried to capture it. They flung bombs, and clambered on its back a.nd tried to smash it with the butt-ends of their rifles. There was the wildest pandemonium when British infantry arrived and found 300 killed and wounded Germans around the tank. '

fßernter's Teleerams.'l

PARIS, Sept. 29. A semi-official message states that on tbe Somme, the enemy has thrown 300 battalions against the British, and- 312 ajsainst the French., of v.-hich 67 are new divisions.

THIEPVAL BELIEVED TO BE IMPREGNABLE ADMISSIONS BY GERMAN OFFICERS. and N.Z. Cable Association, i (Rec. Sept. 30, 8.50 a.m.) LONDON, Sept. 29. A correspondent with Headquarters reports that captured officers freely confess that they believed; Thiepval was impregnable. It was stoutly defended by veteran Wurtemburgers. (Thiepval has (been described as the key to the German line. A cable message published on September 7 stated that very 'great diifiiculties had been encountered in that region, and since the failure of the attack north of the Alicre early in July Sir Dcwigla-s Haig bad refrained from frontal at-tackls. He was developing a flank advance which would eventually force the Germans at. Thiepval to surrender. These it-actics have been successfully developed l by 'local attack on enemy positions to the south-east, resulting in the capture of such powerful points as the "Wonder Work" audi the "Danube Trench," culminating on Septerr.lber 15 sn the capture (by the Canadians of Mouquet Farm andt of" the village of Courcelette. (During the past 10 days the reduction of the subsidiary defences and the continued flanking of the position by. further extensions of the front on the eastward have rendered its situation so precarious that the final blow has been struck with- success.) GERMANS ADMIT FALL OF COMBLES.

THIEPVAL "VOLUNTARILY EVACUATED. (Rec. Sept. 30; 11.20 a.m.) AMSTERDAM, Sept. 29. German war correspondents are now admitting the fall of Com'bles. The Kolnische Zeitung says that Thiepval was voluntarily evacuated. FRENCH AIRMAN'S RECORD. (Rec. Sept. 20. 11.20 a.m.) PARIS, Sept. 29. The Matin states that Lieutenant Guynemer brought down three aeroplanes in three minutes, narrowly escaping death. Shrapnel smashed the wing of his aeroplane, which crashed into the French lines, and was destroyed. Guynemer's injuries were slight. FURTHER FRENCH PROGRESS. (Rec. Sept. 30. 11.20 a.m.) LONDON, Sept. 29. A French communique says : —We further progressed between Fregicourt and Morval. VIOLENT CANNONADE ON THE FRENCH-FRONT. PARIS, Sept. 29. A communique states that the onlyfeature of note is a violent cannonade on the Somme front. INSPIRED STATEMENT IN GERMAN" PRESS. GERMAN EXCUSES FOR FAILURE. :ARTTLLRY BLINDED BY CLOUDS OF DUST. LONDON, Sept. 28. The German newspapers offer the evidently inspired excuse for the Somme defeat that the Allied artillery raised such a cloud of dust before the German trenches that it was impossible to ascertain where the attacks would 'be made. Thus the German artillery were unable GERMAN COMMUNIQUE. (Rec. Sept. 30, 12.50 p.m.) LONDON, Sept. 29. A German communique says: The Somme battle has slackened. A strong English attack between the Ancre and Courcelette was repulsed. Our Russian prisoners on Wednesday at Korytnia now number 3040. The enemy resistance at Hermannstadt is weaker.