BEAUMONT-HAMEL WON.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 219, 2 January 1917, Page 2

BEAUMONT-HAMEL WON.

BLOW ENTIRELY UNEXPECTED. FOURFOLD LINE PIERCED. LONDON, Nov. 14. The correspondent o fthe "Times'' at British headquarters writes: — The Ancre victory becomes more decisive every hour. We have now cleared out all the strongly-defended isolated positions behind the first line. Wo have pushed on beyond Beaucourt, and have advanced to the high ground northeast of Beaumont Hamel, where the artilery fire is incessant) It is difficult to construct a consecutive battle story, as the darkness and i the fog made it hard for the men and units to keep in touch. Everywhere after the initial assaults Germans were captured in dug-outs. The prisoners vividly describe the horrors of the bombardment in the Stygian gloom. Then the cry went up, "Here come the English! '' The latter jumped iiito the trendies, throwing bombs, and the Germans speedily surrendered. fSomc lurked in the darkness while the English line advanced. Afterwards they gladly surrendered. Many of the prisoners had fought throughout the whole war, and some were in the first Belgian invasion. All were war weary and anxious for peace. NO OYEKSEAS TROOPS. ' 'Success is again ours, it is impossible to say how great, because all is yet confusion. Fighting is going on continuously on the whole of the new front. The battlefield is wrapped in dense fog, and it is impossible to see even the shortest distance. Germany thought that the mud had terminated the British offensive for the winter, but two fine drying days enabled us again to strike where it was entirely unexpected. Germany probably felt that we Avould make no attempt, in view of the bad ground and the favourable weather and air conditions, to attack what wag notoriously the strongest stretch on the whole of the West front, where we failed in July. It is impossible yet to particularise the British troops engaged but no force from overseas participated. PLAYED A GREAT COUP. "The battlqgqoundj fqom Thippval dipped down to the Ancre, and on the opposite side it rose steeply to high ground above Beaumont Hamel. It was all honeycombed with dug-outs and defences of every kind, which the artillery found it difficult to destroy. Beaumont Hamel was a vast system of caves and cellars, from which the concealed troops suddenly emerged and surprised us in July. These lairs disgorged the greatest number of prisoners on Sunday. Machine guns honeycombed the opposite slopes like wasp nests. It seemed impossible to secure the slopes without first taking the apparently impossible Beaumont Hamel, but we played a great coup and won, attacking simultaneously northward and eastward, and seizing the whole position at once. FRONTAL BLOW AT MAIN LINE. The outstanding fact is that we have struck, frontylly, the whole German line, breaking through successive tiers of trenches all strongly wired and fortified, and Avinning 3000 yards of front line, north of the Ancre, of an average depth of a mile. A short, fierce bombardment precceded the attack, which completely surprised the Germans. There was no serious opposition till the , forth line was reached. This was full 'of Germans, some of whom fought. At many points they unanimously surrendered. The attack was launched at six | o'clock in the morning The troops advanced in the darkness and fog, with the slightest losses, from the Ancre to Beaumont Hamel, German machine-guns generally failing to do damage. Though the ground was muddy, it was better than was expected The advance was extraordinary swift. The prisoners are largely Silesians and Prussians—an unimpos'ing lot, many of whom are weaklings, including men from a new division combed out of existing divisions. Beaumont Hamel is a heavy loss to German prestige, because it was fwmtally attacked, and was extra'ordinarily favourably situated for defence.

One of the foremost French correspondents at British headquarters says the British objective was to break the Beaumont-Ancre-Schwaben line and to aim repeated blows at the enemy. The British, advantage of morale was increased on Monday by the clement of surprise. There were no fewer tUan five German trench lines and barbed wire entanglements between the Ancre and Beaumont Hamcl. The latter was a much more formidable stronghold than Thiepval. A splendid dashing infantry attack on a four-mile front succeeded after ,brief, but extremely violent artillery tire. BEATEN, PUKSUED, AND HAMMERED. The Germans, evidently thinking that the artillery fire was merely a barrage,, remainec! in their dug-outs and wero captured in large numbers. The fourth enemy line was rushed within 18 ■minutes. All objectives were attained. When I left the battlefield the enemywas being pursued and hammered. Ho was beatsn, and mado no attempt to recover himselfo Eueter'si correspondent id- Britisß.

headquarters states that the capture of St. Pierre Divion, 111 the course of Monday's attacks, was important, as it handicaps the enemy, who obtained his ammunition stores across the drift.

| Observers aggree that Beaumont. Hamel was the most formidable fortress on the Somme. Four networks of barbed wire, 150 yards deep, protected ! immense systems of cellars.