In the West.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 91, 19 July 1916, Page 5

In the West.

i ■■■ - • : -'■>* ■ . STORMING FRICOURT. ‘ (From -Captain C; Bean, Offi- ■ cial Commonwealth ■Correspondent). British Headquarters, July 3. 3, The great battle to-day raged over ; ' those villages which the Germans still ' retained/ and which seemed like promontories jutting out into the waves . pi our advance.. Some of us had the luck to be oh a hill almost between, two of these attacks, one of which was the assaulting of the village of fricourt and the Fricourt, wood on our (fright. The other was that hurled upon La Boiselle,.on our left. Our troops have held the whole hillside in front of us up to skyline since half-past one o’clock this morning, but these two German villages'projected like horns on either side of us. Attempts against them had been met by some nucleus of Germans still remaining in the rums. The British attacked torn' again today.* By the time we arrived our troops could be seen climbing! jahout V the mins of Fricourt,■ which evidently had been taken durirlg the riiOi'nmg. Somd of the British seemed to be making their way through the I* ricourt wood behind the village, while others Were apparently attacking around either side of the wood, so as . to nip it., as it were, between the jaws of attack. By evening the plan seemed to have succeeded, except- that every attempt on the farthermost corner of the wood roused an incessant rattle from one remaining machine-gun and ■> a small remnant of rifle fire. / In the meantime, about 4 o’clock in the afternoon, a tremendous British , , bombardment poured into the ruins ; of La Boiselle, where an obstinate de-

fence still existed. Bouquet after bouquet of brick-red dust was belched into the air from the heart of the wreckage. Presently there showered on it, like a hailstorm, salvo after salvo of shrapnel. The red earth was whipped up, as with a flail. We knew / that this must be in order to keep the • German heads down while our ihfan- . try attacked. A bend of the hill pre* • vented us seeing from where the Bri- ; tish infantry was issuing, but we soon knew.

As we watched the hillside, there suddenly arose from the valley beyond it clouds of jet black earth, .Ihe air resounded with crashes. Black mist streamed up the valley like smoko irom a hundred factory chimneys. 1 ’ never saw such a fire concentrated in so narrow a funnel. It was a German artillery battery thrown in front of the British attack. Surely no living

being can come through that inferno, we thought. Minutes passed. Oui' fire had lifted to the slopes behind the village, and one thought of the Germans in the village picking themselves together after the bombardment while our attafk must have been turn-

back. Suddenly from behind that black . haze comes the knock of rifle shots, . and immediately afterwards the chatter of machine-guns. Over the crest of the valley against the white tumbled sandhill, which once was the German front trench, we can see the figures of men running forward. Burst l'' after 'burst of shrapnel tears up the * white dust in front and beside them at intervals. They stand out black

against a huge burst of high explosive in thh‘ chalky dust powdered by our bombardment. . But the figures run on through It, and throw themselves down for a moment behind the cover of awhite mound. Then they would start up again. A few dark forms there are which' do not move forward with the rest. They lie there naturally hs if resting, arid it 'is only after three or four groups have passed them that we realise that. For them the brave day’s work is ended. But the others comej on, one small wave after another, 1 gradually building up a strong line fpr.a further attack on the shredded' j remains of the village. •

About 5 o’clock the British bombard; ' merit descends again as a« prelude to the second stage of the attack. A quartiji* of an hour later, as we reluctantly turned to leave that spectacle, the last glimpse I caught was of the infantrymen going over the top of that white sandhill into the cauldron which separated them from the village. It was the sound of the inevitable machine-guns, which" had made me look round to see, and we left that fight still unfinished.' , I do not know what was the. result of that battle. But I had seen British infantry come through the valley of the shadow of death, apd I never wish to see a finer sight.

I am returning to the Anzacs tomorrow. The present position in the great fight is that the southern portion of the line and the French line have considerably advanced. In the northern portion, the advance has been less pronounced.

FRENCH PROGRESS REPORT. Press 'Association—Copyright, Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. Paris, July 18. A communique states: Strong enemy reconnaisances were dispersed in the neighborhood of Moulin and Bois Tons "Vents. A coup de main directed against a trench in the Russian sector in the Champagne was repulsed with heavy losses. *West of Flenry some elements of our troops progressed. Two enemy attacks south-east of Momeny, in Lorraine, were repulsed, some prisonors being taken. Semi-official. —From July 1 to .13. tho French captured 235 officers, 11,-7-!l men and many guns. War material is still buried in the wrecked trenches. AUSTRIANS FROM ITALY. Amsterdam, July 18. French aviators completely destroyed a German ammunition train. Two Austrian divisions have been withdrawn from the Italian front and sent to the west. TRAIN LOADS OF WOUNDED. i Rotterdam, July 18. Train loads of German wounded are constantly travelling through Aix la Cbappelle. Eleven thousand severely wdouned passed From tho Po/iere.sBazentin front.

distribution of foodstuffs. Press Association—Copyright. Renter’s Telegrams Amsterdam. July !"• Delegates representing IoO.GOO organised workmen resolved on urging the Government to supply and distribute foods! nil’s,

BAD WEATHER PREVAILS. ENEMY HARRA£SED IN TRENCHES. The High. Commissioner reports:-.-London, July 18 (;5..j p.m.) General Haig reports: A thick mist and incessant rain are interfct*j ing with operations in the neighjajts hood of the Somme. Northwards of Ovillors, the British subs'.atitially progressed at night on ;< front of 10(10 yards. The enemy was driven out of several strongly-defended points, ant! wo captured prisoners and six ma-chine-guns. Near Wytschaete, we successfully raided German trenches. Opposite Guinchy, similar attempts were frustrated by our fire. ENEMY ATTACKS REPULSED. FROM BIACHES TO LA MAISONETTE.

Press Association—Copyright, Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received 8.50 a.rn.) Paris, July 18.

A communique states: At nightfall on Monday, the enemy attacked our front from Biaches to La. Maisonette, but despite repeated attempts, costing heavy losses, the enemy were unable to seize La Maisonette. Some fragments penetrated along the canal into the eastern part of Biaches. The struggle continues. Our fire foiled coup de main at Hill 304 on the Meuse.

GENERAL HAIC'S REPORT. London, July 18. The following captured documents show that" very heavy casualties -were, suffered by the enemy:— A company officer of the 16th Bavarians writes: "The company's strength is now one officer and twelve men. We beg urgently for speedy relief for What remains of the company, who are so exhausted that, if the enemy attacks, the men cannot be counted on." An officer of another company of Bavarians reported: "My company is completely lost, as the uniting value of the men is so exhausted that they can no longer be employed. If the heavy artillery fire continues, the company will soon be exterminated." An officer of the second battalion of the 16th Bavarian Regiment' reported.: "The battalion consists at' the present time of three officers, two non-coms, and nineteen meh. n *'

Monday’s and Tuesday’s -j'asualty lists total :1034 officers men. Our withdrawal from Foveaux was duo to General Haig’s determination not to expose the troops unnecessarily until the third German line was thorouglily bombarded. To-day’s communique proves that there was not even a temporary German success. It is merely proof that General Haig preferred to spend Ibe enemy in widening the gap in the second line.

'J’Jio capture of Waterloo farm, between liongueval and Guillemont, idcreased the pressure on the German stronghold at Guillemont. It is expected that when the third line is pierced the progress of the attack will i 3c easier. There are fewer woods m the direction of Bapaume ' and ' thh ground is less favorable to the 1 con- 1 struction of defence works. opine that now Bdzentiui le Petit and Longueval are taken the German ; organisation in the valley of the Ancre is doomed. , French critics point out that even the Kaiser’s presence in the Somme region with .speeches, iron crosses and advice to generals, failed to check the Anglo-French offensive. Experts expected General Haig’s surprise attack on the first lines to be successful, and are now delighted to find the attack on the second position also brilliantly successful. In the Times Colonel Feylcr; a Swiss expert, estimates that the Central Powers lost a million men during the spring.

SIGNIFICANT GERMAN ADMISSIONS. Loudon, July 17A Berlin communique, dated July 17, states: The English, at many points between the sea and Anqre. increased their lire to great violence, Artillery activity on the Somme is very considerable on both sides. Hie enemy’s local attacks resulted in the English penetrating Ovillcrs Wood, and they led in lively lighting south of Biachos, but otherwise failed before our curtain of fire. Extensive French attacks commenced on the loth east of tiie Meuse, and continued until this morning. The enemy did not achieve success :u the sanguinary struggle, but lost ground at a few points. ON THE WAY TO PERONNE. . London, July 18. In view of the British gains, a speedy resumption of the advance on

Pcrontio is expected, but there aro c cnsiderahle difficulties before the French owing to the German d .fences i l>eiag based on a marsh along the 'canal of Liwer, on the western side I of Pennine. The town consists of three parts, the first being tlie cathedral, the see- | the castle of Louis the Eleventh, !nnd the third the ceme.ery. Alt these are dominated by the village of Sit. St. Q«en in, which, in turn, is j dominated by the heights of Aiz,.l- - court., . Tlio Anzaea took part in a review on the Mth, and left Paris on Sun- | dav. An immense crowd acclaimed 1 1 ] 10 British and Colonial troops, anti 1 flung flowers. L the GERMANS' STORY. allies pursue the attack. Press Association—Copyright, Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received 11.35 a.m.) London, July 18. A Berlin communicjuo states: The enemy on both sides of the Somme (used day artillery preparations and directed strong attacks in the evening and at night against Ponders, Blanches. La Maisonette, Barleux, and Soyecourts, but they were everywhere frustrated with heavy losses.,

FRENCH PROGRESS REPORT. The High Commissioner reports: — London, July 18 (3.33 p.m.) The French offical report says: South of the Somme, the Germans attacked yesterday evening and night in the village of Biaches and at La Maisonnette. Despite repeated attempts, costing him heavy losses,, the enemy was unable to reach La Maisonnette. Some enemy proceeded along the canal east of Biaches, where fighting continues. Left of the Mouse, a coup de main directed on our tronches at Hill 301 failed under fire. On the right bank, the night was marked by grenade combats in the neighbourhood of Chapelle and Saint Fini, arid westward of Flcury. Everywhere the enemy was repulsed. There has been lively artillery action in the region of La Lanfec and Chensis.