In the West.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 78, 5 July 1916, Page 5

In the West.

" :i ;:;;; ill £nemy v s StllßßpriJN 'fji^tincj ; j London;, July 4 (2.25 p.iu»)>M , General ,Haig reports: The enemy . has ( been reinforced by many . bat-, ; [talipns from other parts of the line, and there continues a stubborn .re-'' sistance at all points. , During the night, heavy, fighting took place in 'the : vicinity of La Boiselle. Our troops' ;,'..,, , fought withvgrelt gallantry,'agkinst? heavy attacks of the enemy, who recaptured a small portion of the defence .south of the village; otherwise, ; the situation in the neighbourhood is •,,: unchanged, , , :i\';■■. ' ■''■'■ .Further south,' progress was made during, the night... -,T'We eapfyarfed a •.wood; and further, jyar material,} also \x; f prisoners., t -A U L< -uull f,i }'\' its' :,Qp other ,pAVltiqnp opflM,fehftit fi'ttnt;" a<■,,-„._ there t\va%iialiCftnfc jnuqu/?.)trench, j'ttate'' qa .fare,r jaids 1 ." The raids ,by, #«/ Riflej t Brigade!'and - , i .the.-,Ser wood > FofesteKs«,,W' 1 ly successful. At Armentieres. after a heavy bombardment, an attempted enemy raid was repulsed with losses and wounded, and prisoners were taken.

GENERAL HAIC'S REPORT.

Press Association—Copyright, Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.

London, July 4. General Sir Douglas Haig states:— The fight .fluctuated in the afternoon about La Boiselle, south of Thiepval, the advantage, on the whole, remain-

ing with us. -, South of Thiepval the counter-attacks, drove some of our troops ,from a portion of the position captured in the morning. Else whore many of the enemy attacks were repulsed with heavy loss. We continu-

ed to substantially progress in some places. The number of prisoners cap'tured is over 4300. There waß a marked increase in the number of hostile aeroplanes on Sunday in one .of the southern sectors. Since the beginning of the battle we have lose fifteen machines ' along ihe Avholo front.

WITH THE FRENCH.

Paris, July 4. A communique states: —North of the Somme the position is unchanged. We have followed up oUr success east of Mereaueourt Wood and captured Chapitre Wood, as well as the . village of Feuillere. The infantry, after a brilliant assault, captured As-. ,- sevillers, the centre of a powerful defence organisation. Southward of Assevillers we took a second German postion as far as the approaches to Estrees. During the afternoon we got beyond the second position and captured Buscourt, east of Feuillere, and Flaucourt, a depth of five kilometres. We dispersed enemy detachments in the region of Belloyen Santerre, east of' Flaucourt. The material caplured includes seven batteries of three large calibre machine guns and trench guns.. The unwounded prisoners exceed eight thousand. $ There has been a violent bombard- ' ment of Poivre Hill, near the Thiaumont work, otherwise things were quiet on both banks of the Meuse. .1 ■' '•* .' '•''■ . ■■'

jSUCCESSjDUE TO pASHj. COLONIAL AND tyOROGCAN TROOPS- REACH THIRD , t|l NE. ■V ■■• H\i fitiv; '.A iii, ia ji i'i 0 atßiii j *", O*BNIRIEI,nS,ANO>fIq fAyOR. J ■.'.' "i fioxjitialcntj — rrrnfl bliror i iPress Assbciationr-Copy,ingh^; Ajustraj r.lian and N.Z. Cable Hvt.- . t (Received-$.45 a.m.) | / ,-'..i '£ - ii.i : v. •:..,> London, July 4. The success of Monday's operations on; the French front-was largely due to the dash of the Colonial and Moroc■■'c"an troops, who in many places stormed the last of the enemy's second line •positions "and I 'reached the third line, capturing many. ' , I of- the' French centre" was remarkably effective, and many important defences 1 oh the right wing were seized. After a-magnificent assault, a' series of drills was occupied • dommating those' ; between the j - ,new,. front'and the SoMmo Valley. - ! R f )lM i' . General Foch is itoHv'hopeftiMl at> he > will goon engage the enemy iiiit-fchja >"■"•■? v,| MBxsf Dili '■■ 'MU open field., , . ! m<( v -■ ■: '/'" </l W-. ,"•-' tui, .Iv.tlt i ■ ' ' ;, ... ,'. i i —' i ;■ Htmmi\ ceneral foch commands on thesoMm;e.

.'" Press Association—Copyright. Renter's Telegrams (Received 9.0 a.m.) London, July 4. General Foch commands the French offensive on the Somme.

IN THE THICK OF IT.

London, July 4. Despite the enormous , bombardment,' some of the machine-gun/ emplacements were so strongly built with steel girders, and concrete covers that they defied the high explosives. Inside were Germans, *bo were still defiant and worked the machine-guns until they were jombed to death, refusing to surrender or escape. The hardest fighting was afcCommecourt, where the Germans' salient was difficult to assault wing to the formidable nature of the defences. Our progress was small. The attacks were more fortunate- at Anthuile,, Ovillers and La Boiselle, and gained ground at great loss to , -he enemy and with many casualties to ourselves.

The advance from La Boiselle to Contaimaison was a memorable business. The Britishers engaged were a hard, tough lot of dare-devils who went forward cheering, the Tyneside Pipers playing. The Tynesiders pressed on with fixed bayonets as if on parade. They took the first lino of trenches, which were blown to a Just heap, and rushed the second line, where some of the defenders were still alive. They bombed them out and dashed upon the third line, which was still held by machine-guns. The German bombardment was then of an intense description. High explosives, shrapnel and trench mortars ploughed the ground. The Royal Scot* charged with tho bayonet in a '.ody at the Germans. Other battalions captured batches who had no stomach for tho fight. The Dorsets, Manchesters, Borderers and Highland Light Infantry experienced hard fighting in the neighborhood of Anth'uile, and easily captured the frpnt line, but they were later . engaged' in a battle of bombs with a large number of Germans, whose resistance was finally broken with the, bayonet.

i The struggle at Thiepval was particularly fierce. The first Britishers went through the village without clearing the dug-outs. The enemy came out and filed with their ma-chine-guns on the British rear. Other

battalions at Thiepval went through a terrible ordeal in clearing ;be "dugouts, which were thirty feet below the ground, having trap doors loading to still lower chambers, elaborately furnished and wclf stocked with wine and beer. I Meanwhile there was big fighting at Fricourt, where the North Countrymen passed through a great ordeal ' oi* lire. The German garrison maintained the stoutest resistance and held out until Sunday morning, through practically surrounded. Fin ally, one body, of troops fought their way to the north of Fricourt and another to the south side, igetting the village up as in a pair of tongs. The Germans came out, handarinp. h"/. v ' 1 Countless incidents dtijUßstrale th" fever of the victorious fighting; which brought the enthusiasm of our men to white heat in all ranks.

tHE GERMANS AS FIGHTERS.

London, July 4

I The Morning Post -says the great advance continues to progress wholly in our favor. It is undeniable that (the. Germans are fighting with desperate tenacity and valor. The prisoners arc growing in proportion to [the penetration of enemy territory, but the majority'of the Germans fight with Teutonic resourcefulness, which is particularly displayed in their care of the machine-guns, which are most devilish weapons against the., advance. The Germans hide the machine-guns in the deepest dug-outs and drag them out at the moment our men leap 'over the. parapets. The German ma-chine-gunner dies, but does nbt surrender. He is conlout to remain at his post, after all his comrades have left, pouring the deadly bullets. He never throws up his hands. NEVER SO MANY GERMAN WOUNDED. Amsterdam, July 4. I The newspaper Tyd states that I huge numbers of German wounded 'are passing through Liege. The numiber has never been so many. PRESSURE RELIEVED AT VERDUN. |t I i r |' July!4. : ' i Tliei-Mflrftitfg Post's Paris ,coKres+ pondent states, that althoughj there 'were,.indications that some of the tejoHn] sun| jaijo' -*Jofinger alt Verdun tlie infantry ' fighting coitiflfltos to be of the fiercest, but the French realise that the pressure, whi|K was becoming intolerable, is being relieved. tiFfENSIVE otf BLUFF? London, July 4.

! A Gorman wireless, far American consumption, states that it will be uncertain until Sunday whether the Anglo-French operations •<t have | been intended as feelers of a serious! uf£cu.-~-siveor whetherit- is bluff.---The l wlule tof the German forces now l.eljevc it to'belhe real J fcnihg : .'^ ~. " ;, : ": BATTLE: dl= FRICOURT. 8 » >v/o ■...!> ■. i! ),(V ! v' .. ' r.l'l I -q. en a/iij.-Hu /in vii jui'i 'ji','lo ",! | ' f>B i;oB :.»»*-.-i 'J/:i Tiondbn; Jiily 3.-:

3%Srf Phillip Gibbs, the war porresrpbndent,: says 'it is now possible to give a clear idea of the battle at Fricourt. The town was partly surrounded on Saturday and taken by assault on Sunday. Tlie Germans count-er-attacked. The prisoners tramped back in batches weary and worn. The attack on Montauban was our best success. On Saturday, the troops, mainly Lancashire lads, supported by men of the Middle Counties, advanced in splendid order straight at their objective and swept over the German trenches. They took many prisoners without groat loss. Their officers were anxious about the brickfield, which the Germans had filled with machine-gun-and mine-wafers. The original intention was to pass without an attempt at capture, but they found the brickfields hud been utterly destroyed by the bombardment and seized it with comparative ease. They swept on to the ruined village of Montauban, and despite the spasmodic ma-chine-gun fire from the broken houses, many Germans, hiding in dug-outs and cellars, came into the open and surrendered. Others were so cowed that they fell on their knees and piteously* begged for mercy. The counter-attack came later. The Germans camo on in close order, rant: after rank, advancing over their dead and wounded comrades. Only a few entered our trenches. These . were killed. Some of the Gordons sufferer heavily in taking Mametz. They were advancing in open order with sloped arms because there was not a rifle shot from the broken trenches. Suddenly a machine-gun fired at point blank range and caught the Gordons in the face. The men at the double dashed forward amid a hail of bullets. Many dropped, but Mametz was taken by the bayonet and held. ~

PRUSSIANS SURRENDER.

BATTALION FROM UPPER RHINE (Received 8.45 a.m.) Paris, July 4. An entire battalion of tho 16th Prussian Infantry from the Upper Rhine surrendered to the British at Fricouit. The battalion was rushed to replace the heaviest casualties, and they detrained and immediately occupied the trenches, which proved shallow and an indifferent protection from the devastating British artillery. After a short show of resistance, the survivors (twenty officers and six hundred men) left the trenched ...andmade sights that they desired to surrender, i •

POSITION IN LONDON.

NATION AT HIGH TENSION.

i SYMPATHY WITH WOUNDED.

vlU'ecived 8.45 a.m.) Loudon, July I. Studied moderation of General Haig's reports is conspicuous. The Nation is at high tension, but underlying this. Lucre arc footings of confidence that the obstacles .will sural,;-, though slowly, bo overcome. Red Cross trains arc arriving, and great sympathy is being shown to the sufferers.

A .sign of quickened interest is the crowds gathered round those shops which are, displaying maps of the locality of the fighting.

IN THE DEATH ZONE.

MAJORITY OF BAYONET WOUNDS. GORDONS LED A CHARGE. AN UNFORGETTABLE SIGHT.

(Received 10.20 a.m.)

The wounded continue to arrive. There are remarkably few shell or shot wounds, being mostly inflicted

by the bayonet. '" > The Gordons led a f . charge. olie who participated states: "The death zone was an unforgettable sight. ,We encountered, about a, thousand corpsesj with human limbs scattered over the battered defences. There were ) some plucky ones among the enemy. The Bavarians .'knew Jiow to use the" steel." '

NEW BIG FRENCH GUN.

GERMAN 16-INCHER ECLIPSED.

TERRIBLE DESTRUCTIVENESS.

(Received 10.20 a.m.) London, July 4

A new big French gun eclipsed the German sixteen-incher and wiped out a village on the Somme front on Friday. Each shot swept away dozens of houses.

ib DOG ? -.,'/. okbuifev >.■■>' ■ in fa ■.:. LADS OF'FIFTEJINiAS PRISONERS. ' :iaciFJO j ■ >;■ V London, July 4. The Morning Post's correspondent reports that a sergeant of the Manchester- 'said : "I was ashamed to: bring in lads of fifteen, but they were nice boysi I cut off their buttons and offered-them as keepsakes.. There were also~~a fair number of middleaged' prisoners. Our men harbor no deep-rooted animosity against the individual Germans, but say they are a clever people who are compelled- I* tibt3y"""t-heh —superior*- implicitly. The war will teach them the lessoji that they will never be the top dogs \vhilb s; 'the : -Englishmen are aliv<|." j 831 ON THE BftiGIAHFRdNT. 7 ' tiWVL* arttfLLERY* WORK. it Jilt! .iJJW Q.'ij po HJood ■ • • . j DES I r#oc f TI^€ t * FIRES IN /THE i r-n CER^ POSITIONS. ,M "" ' (Received 10.20 a.m.) I London, July 4.

Lively artillery work on the Belgian front caused destructive fire in the German positions at Driegachon and east of Sleenstraete.

LARGE PROPORTION OF SLIGHT WOUNDS. Press Association—Copyr'gUt. Published.in "Tho Times." (Received 9.0 a.m.) ..■■■ London, July 4. The Times' correspondent at Headquarters says there is a gratifyingly large proportion of the wounds slight as the result of shrapnel and machinegun fire, and only the smallest proportion will suffer permanent disablement.

INFANTRY EXPERIENCES. BRINGING IN SURRENDERERS. SAVAGE GERMAN GUNNERS. BRAVE LANCASHIRE BOYS. Press Association —Copyright. United Service. (Received 9.0 a.m.) London, July 4. Mr Beach Thomas says: One of the group of surrenderee with their hands up waited patiently for the Britishers to arrive, but they were unable to approach owing to machine-gun fire. Finally, the Germans scuttled back to their trenches.

The Britishers constantly bring back prisoners singly and in parties. Constant messages are received, such as "don't fire!" "The Germans are trying to surrender!" "Knock-out the

machine-gun over there!" "The front is stiff with our guns '!'■' The German machine-gunners' courage is greatly in excess of the infantry, but they savagelv attacked the British wounded, turning upon them their devilish weapons like a hoso as the wounded lay in the open. fhc British mostly charged at a walk. The infantry were splendid. One of the best advances and the finest fighting was done by the recruited Lancashire clerks.

ADVANTAGE TO ALLIEB.

THE BATTLE AT PICARDY. FRENCH APPROACHING PERONNE. GERMANS MASSED AGAINST THE BRITISH. Press Association—Copyright, Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received 10.55 a.m.) . Paris, July 4. The Petit Parisien states: The battle at Picardy turns more to tho advantage of tho Allies. The French southward of the Som* me arc rapidly nearing Peronne. The Germans are massed in many divisions against the British. DISMAY IN BERLIN. OUTSPOKEN NEWSPAPER OPINION.

GERMANY PREPARED TO GIVE

GROUND.

Press Association—Copyright, Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. , (Received 10.55 a.m.) Copenhagen, July 4. j The dismay maintained on the Ger- i man Western front is reflected in the Berhn newspapers. The Politiken quotes their correspondent at the front: "Never in history has such colossal quantities of ammunition been collected as is now, in the possession of the arid *■ j ■.. The newspapers in Berlin hint that., Germany is prepared to evacuatelmore' ground* considered desperate. ipGEBMANiRIfpT. EVERYTHING IN THE GARDEN j..;.;; Hres? AssGciationr-Copyright, Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received 11.20 a.m.) Berlin, July 4. A communique states: The etnemy has not renewed attacks north of the Ancre, but instead brought a strong force between the, Ancro and the - and, La Bioiselle arid the line 'from Barleux to Bclloy, . 'South of tho Somme, the attacks wore repulsed everywhere*.~.~. j Tlie losses under our artillerjj arid infantry fire the tos|lf 'number employed. /"%"■ 'a P"-We ejectetJjt^xgMS l H^de-1 'court Enemy' Ypres, west of La--Basspe, t and south-' west of Lens were Attacks on pamloup Were easily repulsed. The French report of the re-capture of Thiuamont and Damloup are invented fables.

German patrols east and south-east of Armentieres attacked an English reconnoitring position.

We brought down nine aeroplanes

THE CAPTURE OF FRISE. UNFLINCHING FRENCH HEROISM. CARNAGE AMONG ENEMY. Press Association—Copyright, Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received 10.55 a.m.) London, July 4.

The capture of Frise was due to the unflinching heroism of the French during a two-hours' operation, which involved fierce bayonet fighting and a fearful, massacre of Germans. A German column which attempted a flank movement was intercepted and captured. According to the prisoners, many units were wiped out. The carnage has greatly shaken the .enemy. The suburbs of Fricourt were carpeted with dead, while the roads beyond, where the fleeing Germans maintained a running fight, were strewn with prisoners. CHEERFUL NEWB. CONQUERED POSITIONS HELD. EFFECTIVE ARTILLERY FIRE. HEAVY GERMANS LOSSES. UNSUCCESSFUL ENEMY ATTACKS AT VERDUN. BAD WEATHER HINDERS BRITISH OFFENSIVE. TOTAL PRISONERS, 5000. Tho High Commissioner reports: London', July 4 (3.10 p.m.) Northwards and southwards of the Somme, the night was calm. The enemy did not attempt to counter-at-

tack, the French organising the po*it ions conquered yesterday., It is confirmed that considerable material was captured, including three now batteries, two of heavy calibre, proving more and more the effects ol our destructive lire. In a single dug-out forty dead were found. In the ravine north of Assevillers and on the slopes northwards of Herbecourt, the Germans suffered enormous losses. Between tho Avre and the Aisne, the French reconnaissances are very active, penetrating tlie enemy's firs, trenches as far. as the support trenches north-east of Beuvraignes and fronting Yengre, iand taking some prisoners. I Left of thS Meuse, German attempt to take the trenches on the slopes of Mort Homme failed under fire. '"'•,■ .' <

On the right bank, there was lively fighting during the night north-west of the Thiaumont work. Six succes-

sive attacks, the last accompanied by liquid fire, were unsuccessful. The Germans were mowed down by our curtain and infantry fire. They suffered heavy losses, and failed to capture the positions. | On the south-east border of Fumin Wood, the French progressed during the night and drove the enemy out 'of a small trench north-west of the Damloup batteries. j In high'Alsace, a German attempt to attack a work west of Aspach was 'easily .repulsed. - v j * Loudon, July 1 (6.50 p.m.)

On the British front, heavy thun'derstoMns with torrential rains hate interfered' somewhat with- the offensive the situation south *of the Ancre'rethaining-: generally un'changedl' Operations during the day 'chiefly consisted of minor local enterprises, with a view to retaining the 'ground gained. , ■ The to al number, of prisoners now exceeds 6000.