ANOTHER PORTION OF LEIPZIG REDOUBT TAKEN.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 160, 10 July 1916, Page 5

ANOTHER PORTION OF LEIPZIG REDOUBT TAKEN.

AN IMMENSELY STRONG POSITION. BIG PUSH FROM LA BOISELLE. 2000 YARDS OF TRENCHES TAKEN. TO A DEPTH OF 500 YARDS. 700 PRISONERS CAPTURED. ENEMY LOSES VERY HEAVILY. LONDON, July 7. Sir Douglas Haig reports;—Despite the stubborn resistance of tb* enemy, our infantry well assisted bv artillery, pushed the advance with the utmost gallantry, throughout the morning, fighting and gaining seve ral important successes

South of Thiepval, after'a fieice preliminary bombardment, we car vied by assault a further portion of the immensely strong work called Leipzig Redoubt. This redoubt is situated in a salient of the German line, and the enemy have exercised all ingenuity over its fortification during the last twenty months. Further south, one brigade, attacking from the west, forced its way across 500 yards of the German from line trenches into the enemy defences of Ovillers. Fierce fighting is now in progress for possession of the village

Following- our successes last night east of La BoiselTe, we advanced our line over a maze of German trenches on a front of nearly 2 o on yards and a depth of 500 yards.

North of linking up with this attack, we drove the enemy from two woods and three lines of trench-

About .10 a.m. the Prussian Guards were thrown into the fight east of Contalmaison in a desperate effort to force us back, but the attack was crashed" by our fire: The enemy subsequently fell back northwards, leavf Ing 700,:pVisohers Of various i-egif ment»a jr , . ■wuu.K.i j

About noon-our infantry carried the. village of Contalmaison <by storm' but have been since, forced out again by a strong counter-attack. - ■ The enemy’s casualties to-day were very severe. ■ - -

Large numbers of troops retiring over the open were caught by our artillery fire. The village of Bazem tinlepit was heavily shelled at'‘4 time when seen to' be ’full of German serves. : aas 1

An officer who was taken prisoner states that, his battalion came under strong machine-gun fire from qne of our aeroplanes at an altitude of 300 feet when marching to the battlefield, and shortly afterwards the same battalion was shelled heavily by long range guns.

Heavy rains have been falling heavily throughout the dav. The sodden ground and the flooded state of the trenches added to the difficulties experienced by our troops