PRESSURE ON LENS.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 12 July 1917, Page 6

PRESSURE ON LENS.

1 AGGRESSIVE TACTICS-, " GERMANS' NERVES SHAKE*. LONDON, July 2. " The British First Army, under General Home, continues aggressive fighting, and a French commentator xegards the evacuation of the eastern portion of Lens as imminent. A Berlin semi-official, preparing the public for the evacuation of the Lens salient, says that the once-flourishing town is now a heap oFruins ""between slagleaps. Shaft-towers have been shot to pieces, the winding-gear destroyed and the shafts inundated. French national property valued at "millions has been destroyed by the English artillery. Mr. Beach Thomas says the Germans are retreating a wide area, devastating and blowing up everything. Lens as a habitable place no longer exists. But the retreat resembles the withdra'waF of a flock of sheep, with the English ana Canadian troops acting as the .shepherd's dogs biting the G"ermaTr"heels if they do not move in the right direction. The German guns attempt to regulate the pace of the retreat, but the British artillery and raids are much too strong, causing ~a recent rapid acceleration of the retreat. Rcuter's correspdadent at headquarters says that strong battle patrols are maintaining aggressive contact with the enemy south and west of Lens, where the British continue to gain ground. The right flank of the present advance appears to be upon the Arras-Lens railway, and the present push extends beyond Reservoir Hill —otherwise Hill 65. The enemy's resistance can scarcely be called rearguard fighting, since the British are apparently pressing the whole

of his retiring line. He cannot em- , ply artillery much, because he -would probably punish / -his own infantry equally with their pursuers. The correspondent relates that during the fighting in the vicinity of Lens a detachment of the Durhams beat off a German counter-attack with shades. The Durhams were digging a new trench iu the darkness, when the enemy infantry suddenly appeared. The Dur- ««- hams had no time to seize their rifles and summon help. They went for the "Westphalians with uplifted spades, felling several and scattering others. A second counter-attack by so-called * * storming" troops iwaj& ,an equally miserable failure. These troops were mere youths of 18. The German attacks were commanded chiefly by noncommissioned offiiers. The morale of these lads were badly shaken by. the •constant shelling and nightly raids. The spirit of our own troops is indomitable and beyond praise. Here is a little episode which suffices to prove that these are not words of extravagant eulogy. A little advance post south of the Cojeul Eiver held by 15 of our men was the object of. a surprise attack during the darkest hour of Wednesday night. Following upon a sudden shower of bombs, which wounded 10 of the little garrison, 20 German "storming troops rushed the post. Tlie remaining five, standing back to back, made a stand that recalls Eorke's Drift. The xtoise of the bombing and firing soon brought up reinforcements and the Germans took to their heels, leaving two prisoners in the hands of the five The Germans took back -with them none but their own wounded.