WESTERN FRONT.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 7 August 1917, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

CLOSING ON LENS CANADIANS MAKE ANOTHER ADVANCE. LONDON, August 6. Mr Philip Gibbs reports; The Canadians successfully pushed forward their outposts at Lens, working their way through the German defences at Cite de Moulin (an eastern suburb.) GERMAN GUNS KILL GERMANS LONDON, August 6. Reuter’s headquarters reports that the weather is improving. There has been much further progress, but the position is obscure. The enemy’s attacks on the new front all failed, with appalling losses, the German bombardments inflicting considerable losses on their own infantry owing to the guns repeatedly shooting short. Captured officers state that the adult 1918 class are regularly employed with many of the 1919 class in the field.

INFANTRY SHOWS MARVELLOUS GRIT. LONDON, August 6. Mr Philip Gibbs writes: Words are not good enough to describe the infantry’s grit. The men attacking east of Zillebeke had abominable adventures. It was almost pitch dark and battalions became hopelessly mixed. The barrage went ahead and they had to struggle in a morass without the barrage’s support and being shot at by the Germans on the flanks. Fellows who stopped to / pull out comrades were dragged in themselves. It took 45 minutes to clear two lines of undefended trenches. Whole platoons were bogged, while German snipers were busy nearby.

ENEMY ATTEMPT REPULSED

LONDON, August 6.

Sir Douglas Haig reports: After heavily shelling positions southward and northwards of the Ypres Canal, the enemy attacked asti’ide the Canal and secured a foothold in Hollebeke, but a counter attack immediately drove them out. Elsewhere the enemy attacks failed.

THE GERMAN STORY

Wireless German official Shock troops penetrated French positions at Justincourt. THE FRENCH STORY A French communique states: South of Juvincourt the enemy .delivered a serious attack at midnight. After lively fighting the assailants were driven from a portion of a trench where they had gained a footing. The line was re-established in its entirety. EXPLOITS OP THE TANKS. LONDON .August 5. Mr Philip Gibbs, describing the earliest stages of the action in Flanders, says:—Two tanks were constantly in action for 17 to 24 hours respectively. The crews were cramped between the engines and the guns, with no head space, and the engines going full blast. The heat within was terrific, and the occupants were flung about in traversing the rough ground like fi'sherman in a wild gale. They stared through the periscopes until their eyes ached watching their own infantry signals and the enemy barrage. For 17 hours this work was done, wdth a chance of death all the time—a severe test to the strongest. The rain turned the ground into a quagmire, and the tanks were frequentl}- bogged Near St Julien the crews emerged and worked for a couple of hours under shell and machine gun fire to extricate them. UNSUCCESSFUL GERMAN attacks ON NEW BATTLEFIELDS Received 9.45 LONDON, August 6. Sir Douglas Haig reports: The enemy attacked in the neighbourhood or Hollebeke, but were driven off before

Touching our lines. An attack under cover of a heavy barrage aginst Westhoek was equally unsuccessful. We repulsed a raid east of Epehy. GERMANS TIRE ARGENTINA RELATIONS ARE THREATENED. BUENOS AYRES, Aug. 6. Argentina has broken off discussions with Germany regarding the sinking of the Argentine ship Toro, and has forwarded a Note to Berlin demanding a clear and final reply to Argentina’s demands. Meanwhile the Government is deciding whether it will break off relations if the reply is in the negative.