WESTERN FRONT.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 16 July 1917, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

THE BATTLE IN FLANDERS. 1 A FIGHT TO THE DEATH. MOST BLOODY HAND-TO-HAND BATTLE. LONDON, July 13. The United Press correspondent at ? Headquarters says that nothing in the war surpassed the fury of the fighting in the sand dunes. The British taken at a tremendous disadvantage, fought to the last man, scarcely any survivors coming out, unwounded. These escaped by swimming the Yser. The Gorman bombardment began at six o’clock in the morning upon the front line, then lifted, deluging the support trenches and reserve positions all day. It reached its intensity at three o’clock in the afternoon. Droves of German aeroplanes came over low, firing machine-guns and directing the artillery. Already the British had suffered heavily, but the remainder stuck to their posts, awaiting the attack. The battlefield had become a maelstrom of smoke, steel and flying sand and the Germans barraged the front lino the evening, while marines charged. Hardly a British machine gun was workable,- being choked with sand. Then ensued the bloodiest hand-to-hand battle. Revolvers bayonets and clubbed rifles, were used until practically none survived of the English lads. A heroic wounded man swam back over the Yser with a rope, enabling wounded non-swimmers to pull themselves across Reserves counter-attacked southward of Lombardzydo, retaking a section of the trenches.

A GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION. A STAND NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN. LONDON, July 13. Mr. Philip Gibbs says that at the heroic battle of the dunes at Nieuport, the King’s Royal Rifles and the Northamptons made their last stand behind the Yser Canal in a manner which can never be forgotten. The bombardment early in the morning of the tenth was not expected by the British, who only a short time before had taken over the sector. The men were luxuriating in their position on the seashore , and some were bathing when the attack opened. The enemy began by putting a barrage down on the front line from many batteries of large howitzers. After an hour there was a pause and then a wall of shells crossed the canal and churned the sand for another hour. This alternation of the tornado of steel between the front and the support line continued. During an interval of a quarter of an hour officers went down the line telling the men they must fight to the death, as the bridges were broken behind and there was no way of escape. It was impossible to get messages to the rear and practically impossible to leave the dug-outs and to reconnoitre the situation. Eight aeroplanes overhead, flying low, poured machine-gun fire. After twelve hours all the German batteries poured in shells for three-quarters of an hour without a pause, and then the first three waves of marines advanced with bombing parties, and heavily outnumbered the few scattered groups of the King’s and Northampton. They came on in crescent formation, and were one hour in trying to work around the flank of the King’s and outflank the Northamptons. A party of German machinegunners crept along the line of sand, advancing at low tide and enfiladed the support lines. Another party attacked a tunnel in which were the headquarters of the King’s. Two platoons of the King’s fought almost to the last man, a little group of five behind a sand bank finally remaining. Meanwhile the Northamptons, fighting desperately, sent a message to the British at Lombartzydc to form a barrier to prevent the enemy coming through. The Northamptons had no chance of escape. Their machine-gunners were put out of action and buried in the sand. One got his gun into action, but it jammed. With a curse, the gunner flung it into the Yser, jumped in himself and swam back to the British lines. Another tried to drag him back to the canal with the hope of swimming back with him. “Donf mind me,” said the gunner “smash my gun and get back.” There was no time to discuss the matter, so the gun was smashed. The wounded man left a sergeant of. the Northamptons, who swam back and saw the end of a little group of officers. They were surrounded by marine bombers, and they fought to the last with their revolvers. Meanwhile, on + he banks of the canal Britishers, too weak to swim and dripping with blood, were trying to get back to the British lines.Some gallant fellow on the Nieuport side swam with a rope under heavy fire and fixed it so that the surviving Northamptlons would be able to drag themselves across. There were few of them, but enough to reconstruct the tragic tale. The enemy did not reach the cannl bank, but dug themselves in ”00 yards awap.

GERMANS CLAIM' SUCCESSES. LONDON, July 14. Wireless German official. —An artillery duel is intense in several sectors in Flanders and Artois. We repulsed thrusts eastward of Nieuport, south-east of Ypres, near Hulluch, and southward of the Scrape. Artillery was intense on the west bank of the Meuse. Our stormers recaptured the trenches on Hill 304 lost on the Sth. The enemy lost nineteen aeroplanes. Wireless Gorman official. — An English attack near Lombartzyde broke dow r n. We occupied and held against count-er-attacks ,positions and trencher southward of Bois Sonlains, north of Rheims. We frustrated an attempted thrust south-west of Somraopy. We downed 21 airmen. THE FRENCH OFFENSIVE. LONDON, July 14. French communique.—There has been mutual artillery and aerial activity. The Germans heavily shelled Rheims. LONDON, July 14. French communique. We checked several enemy attempts south of St. i Quentin. There is violent artillery activity on the left bank of the Meuse. German aeroplanes bombed the entire region north of Nancy. Two women and children were killed. BELGIAN COMMUNIQUE. LONDON, July 14. Belgian communique.— The enemy violently bombarded the region of Steenstraete and our communications. Enemy attacks on positions southward of Lombartzyde were repulsed. Various enemy raids were unsuccessful.

STRENUOUS AIR FIGHTING CONTINUES. LONDON, July 15. General Haig reports, heavy reciprocal artillerying and air fighting. Fifteen German planes were downed and seven of ours are missing. GERMAN ATTACK REPULSED. Received 11.40. PATHS, July 15. A communique reports fighting at Courcy, where the German attack was repulsed. There are lively artillery actions at numerous points. MESOPOTAMIA. ESTABLISHING A TRIBUNAL. Received 11.40. LONDON, July 15. The Observer understands the Government is introducing a bill establishing a statutory tribunal for Mesopotamian purposes, consisting of judges, laymen and the military, to consider the findings of the Commission and examine accused persons, the verdict to be the basis of further Government action.