WAR NEWS.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 201, 23 September 1916, Page 3

WAR NEWS.

THE SOMME BATTLE. GERMAN MASSES MOWN DOWN. FUTILE EFFORTS TO RECOVER LOST POSITIONS. MAGNIFICENT FRENCH RESISTANCE. PARIS, Sept. 21. A communique says: North of the Somme the Germans maae a great effort to recover their lost positions. The battle lasted from nine in the morning till nightfall. Successive waves of enemy masses were crushed by our machine gun and artillery fire, and sometimes with the bayonet. The French retained the whole ground. The Germans attacked on a front of five kilometres, from Priez Farm co the south of Abbe Wood Farm. The attacking masses were on each occasion preceded by a furious cannonade. The French magnificently resisted ail assaults, and repulsed the enemy by a cross fire of machine 'guns anc artillery. They everywhere maintained their positions. The fighting was fierce in the vicinity of Priez Farm and the region of B’ouchavesnes. Four waves of assault in front of Priez Farm were successively broken by gun fire. The 'enemy masses were seen to disintegrate in disorder behind the ridge, leaving the ground covered with corpses. The Germans on the Bouchavesnes sector, after several sanguinary defeats, succeeded at one o’clock in the afternoon in gaining a lodgment in the north-eastern part of the village, but were driven out by the bayonet with an irresistible counter attack. The enemy’s losses everywhere'were very great. TELL-TALE DOCUMENTS.' PARIS, Sept. 22. A confidential document found on a Somme prisoner, signed on the 14th by the Chief of Staff of the Third Army, states: Certain Allies will make more formidable attacks. The present fighting is only a prelude to a more important struggle. Therefore it is

essential that all troops remain at any cost to the last man rather than concede '.ground. Officers unable to receive a promise from their men will be court-martialled. An official paper found on a German major who was prisonered refers to the tanks. It says; The new engines of cruelty equals their efficiency. Steps must be taken to combat the monsters. HOSTILE ARTILLERY ACTIVE. LONDON, Sept. 2s. Sir Douglas Haig reports; Tlierhas been heavy rain. Considerable no.tile artillery activity is in progress southward of the Ancre. BIG TASK AHEAD. LONDON, Sept. 21. Colonel Repington says: The end of October will bring slackened activity, not resuming on a grand scale till the spring of 1917. We must look ahead to settle questions reserved for the spring operations. We must not entertain illusions as to Gorman man power. Despite their losses and defeats, there are still large reserves uncalled. Their 191. V-18 classes and other large accessions are available. Germany will call up all men between 10 and GO before admitting defeat, hoping to wear ns down. All the Allies must place in the field every available able-bodied man. There is not yet sufficient for a decisive decision. There were five millions of military age available in Britain, sufficient to maintain one hundred divisions in the field, if the exemptions had not seriously encroached upon them. We must drastically reform the Service Acts, or Germany will beat us in organising man power. Ireland is able to give 150,000, but compulsion is necessary to main- ! tain the Irish divisions'. Britain lias no need to raise the age limit until 1 the youngest classes are exhausted. There are still three on four millions j exempted secured in civil occupations. One and three-fifths millions of milii tary ago are wearing badges. If forcI cd to call the older men,' we must use them fon home defences, relieving the younger men for the front.