WESTERN FRONT.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 24 September 1917, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

GERMAN ASSAULTS FAIL. UNDER MERCILESS FIRE. LONDON, September 21. United Press correspondents say that notwithstanding cyclonic enemy shelling of places northward of the YprosRouler railway the British positions to-day are firmly consolidated. Germans northeast of St. Julien, massing for assault, dwindled under our fire, and their counter-attack did not develop. More northward local affairs improved the British positions. Southward of the railway the Germans were shelling intermittently, sometimes heavily. A wounderd lance-corporal summed up the prevailing impression when he said: "Let Fritz, counter-attack; we are ready for him. By the time our new barrage rolls over him a couple of times, with machine-gun variations he will be a mighty sick man. A TERRIFIC BARRAGE. GERMAN GUNNERS' TRAPPPED. LONDON, September 21. All our troops agree that there never was such a barrage. It shattered the German "pill" boxes, and soir.e of them were completely blown out of the ground. The gun crews inside were dead, and concreted, organised shellholes and _machine-gun emplacements were filled with corpses. By the roadside we saw scores of our wounded men laughing, joking, and drinking tea with wounded Germans. DESPERATE GERMAN COUNTERATTACKS.

REPULSED WITH HEAVY LOSSES OVER 3000 PRISONERS TAKEN. LONDON, Sept 21. The High Commissioner British official: Further evictenco shows the continuous and obstinate nature of the enemy's counter-at-tacks yesterday, in which he suffered exceptionally heavy losses, but failing to'gain any advantage. Prisoners so far reported as a result of yesterday's fighting number more than 3000. LONDON Sept 22. Sir Douglas Haig reports.—Hostile 1 counter-attacks continued yesterday evening on the Ypres front. Considerable German forces were employed, but without result, except a heavy increase of the enemy's losses. At dusk the enemy launched a .powerful Counter-attack in massed formation on a wide front eastward of St Julien. At one point he succeeded in penetrating for a short distance our new positions, but wa s immediately driven out by counter-attacks. At all othe points the West Lancashire and London troops repulsed the enemy's infantry with great loss after two hours' fierce fighting; the whole line remaining intact. The attack was dej livered with great determination, the enemy's losses being exceedingly severe. Early last night, after their failure in the attack on the Tower Hamlet ridge, during the afternoon the enemy attacked strongly again on both sides of the Ypres-Menin Road. Here also heavy fighting ended i their complete repulse. Later in the evening a third hostile counter-atta r eastward of Lahgemarck was crush by our artillery. Admiralty report:—Our ships bombarded the naval works at Ostend this morning, with satisfactory results. Three of the seaplanes assisting the enemy were downed. GALLANT ANZACS. THEIR IMPETUOUS BRAVERY. Received 8.45. LONDON, September 23. Mr. Gilmour, special correspondent at the front of the Australian and New Zealand Press Association, pays a tribute to the Australians' fighting. The Australian army was never ki such splendid battle condition. Impetuous dash, combined with perfect training, were the features of their victorious advance. As well as the extraordinary intelligent restraint of the officers and strict cohesion and discopline of the men. . He adds: "It cannot ficers and strict cohesion and v9i"scipwhelmingly predominant; much was left to the infantry to accomplish." GERMAN COLUMNS ASSAULT FIVE TIMES. Receded 8.45. . PARIS, Sept 23. The Petit Parisien says the German columns at Langemarck were brought up four times to assault the lost ground. Each time the hellish fire smashed the attack and decimated the battalions. One prisoner declared that out of his company of two hundred only four were not killed on the spot. .

TOLL OF THURSDAY'S BATTLE. 40,000 OUT OP ACTION. LONDON, Sept £3. PARIS, Sept 23. Marcel Hutin, the French military expert writer, says that Thursday's battle cost the Crown Prince 32,000 dead wounded, and prisoners, and the bombardment 10,000. "1 GREAT BRITISH SUCCESS. LONDON, Sept 22. Sir Douglas Haig reports: Further evidence shows' the continuous and obstinate nature of counter-attacks yesterday, wherein the enemy suffered" exceptionally heavy losses while not gaining advantage. Minor fighting occurred to-day at different parts of the front. We advanced our line at a number of points and beat off counter-attacks. This morning the English .County troops on our right captured a collection of trenches and strong concreted points southward of Tower Hamlets. The enemy later launched against Tower Hamlets ridge a powerful counter-attack, which we repulsed. After heavy fighting, the Liverpool and Lancashire regiments eastward of St Julien gained possession of a fortified farm and cleared" up a number of dug-outs and strong points fronting the new position. Our artillery broke a counter-at-tack eastward of Langemarck. Prisoners in yesterday's fighting so far reported exceed 3000.- During the first two hours yesterday, low clouds and drizzling rain made flying almost but our aeroplanes flew low and bombed an aerodrome near Courtrai and attacked bodies of infantry. The weather improving later, contact was maintained with the advancing troops. Aeroplanes and balloons carried .out observations of the location of troops preparing to counter-attack and reported these to the artillery, which dealt with the situation.

During the attack the aeroplanes fired 28,000 machine-gun rounds from a height of from 100 to 1000 feet at infantry trenches, shell-holes and approaching reinforcements. German aircraft, during the middle of the day were active in attempting to interfere with our artillery and bombing our low-flying machines. When the weather improved in the evening they kept well to the eastward of their lines and Were disinclined to fight. Ten enemy machines were destroyed and six driven down. Ten of our are missing. > ENEMY OFFICERS' DISMAYED. LONDON, September 22. Reutcr's correspondent at Headquarters says the German positions are held so tensely that it is estimated that, there are four Germans to every yard of front. Several of the best German divisions have been shattered' as to necessitate their withdrawal. We have won a victory which leaves the enemy in this wide tract of Flanders at a serious disadvantage. Captured officers who were hitherto haughty and supercilious, now literally bow to their captors. They confess a defeat in what they regarded as their strongest point. TJiey now view the future with dismay. NEW ZEALANDERS' WORK ACKNOWLEDGED. LONDON, September 22. Mr. Robinson, the "Times" correspondent says German officers abundantly confirm the importance of the success. They testify to the overwhelming artillery and the brilliance of the infantry advance as things incredible. They do not attempt to disguise the seriousness of the defeat. Mr. Robinson adds: The New Zealanders' work was praticularly valuable, for besides laying 30,000 yards of cable they repaired all the roads and trenches, Describing the German methods, Mr Robinson, the "Times" correspondent, says: Instead of a single strong line, they have now based their defence on a great depth by crowding troops- into very narrow fronts supported by strong reserves further back/ (ready for immediate counter-attacks The whole area is sprinkling with concrete redoubts, with massed guns, 4000 to 7500 yards behind the front line. This elaborate scheme was the last blossom- of German strategists and carefully worked out and framed with enormous industry, we have broken it. GERMAN METHODS FALL. LONDON, September 22. Mr. Philip Gibbs says: Yesterday's attack proved that the new German method of holding lines lightly in blockhouses with reserves behind for counter-attacks has broken down. If the Germans revert to tne old system of strong front lines, they will suffer as they suffered on -the Somme.

THE GERMAN ACCOUNT. LONDON, September 22 ' A wireless G*man official message states: Nine British divisions, including several Australian divisons, supported by armoured cars and flamethrowers made yesterckiy's attack in close formation. The enemy penetrat-. ed a kilometre deep in our defence zone and advanced further at Passchendaela He gained ground northward of the Ypres-Menin road, but was throws? back with very heavy losses elsewhere. His reinforcements were unable to make further progress. Villages in the fighting zone remain ours. A wireless German official message states: After an hour's very strong drum-fire last night from Langemarck as far as Hollebeke, the English attacked at many points, but were repulsed after hand-to-hand fighting, especially between the Boesinghe, Staden and Ypres-Eoulers roads, and further south as far as Hollebeke. THE CENTRE OF THE ATTACK. LONDON, Sept 22. Mr Percival Phillips' account emphasises that the Australians were the centre of the attack. There was much hard fighting between the Roulers railway and Menin road before they cleared Glencorse Wood and Nonneboschen. The Australians planted the Commonwealth flag on Anzac Redoubt. They drove nearly half-way through Polygon Wood, yet nearly all their programme was fulfilled to time-table. They went over the parapet at 5.40 amid heavy shellfire because distress signals called all the German batteries into action. The barrage caught some stretcher-bear-ers and woundeds. GERMANS' FEARFUL HAMMERING LONDON, Sept 22. Mr Gibbs emphasises the fearful hammering inflicted by the British bombardment. At least fifty per cent. of the German prisoners were wounded. Many Germans around Polygon Wood and GlencoTse Copse were buried in shell-holes between the blockhouses. The Blockhouses themselves were smashed up or so battered that the garrisons Were dazed and demoralised. HIGHLANDERS' DESPERATE FIGHTING. LONDON, Sept 22. The reserve " German divisions which were brought up had a dreadful time. Counter-attacks were particularly fierce against the Highlanders on the Zonnebeke road on the Australians' left. The Highlanders were driven back for a while, but the Scottish rifle fire broke every attack of German storm troops. Six times the latter came on with much deter- i mination and six times their waves were broken. Finally three German battalion s drove against the High- 7 landers at Delva Farm and Rose House. The Highlanders rallied at eight o'clock and 'swept the Germans out and away. ARGENTINE. ARGENTINA'S LABOUR TROUBLES. A FATAL CONFLICT. Received 8.45. BUENOS AYRES, Sept 23. A fatal conflict occurred between the railway men and the troops. A general strike is imminent. ARGENTINA AND GERMANY. THE ULTIMATUM GERMAN REGRETS. Received £.15. BUENOS AYRES, Sept 23. After the Government sent the ultimatum to Germany crowds in the streets cheered the ultimatum. Ger :f man business houses took the precaution to barricade their premises. The German. Note states that Germany exceedingly regrets the Luxburg affair, and absolutely disapproves of the views, which are his own personal ideas. This will have no effect whatever on the decisions and promises of the German Government. The railway men have decided on a general strike on Monday. GERMANY GIVES SATISFACTION. Received 10.15. BUENOS AYRES, Sept. 23. Official: Germany has given satisfaction for the Luxburg affair.