WESTERN FRONT.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 26 September 1917, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

.. ENEMY ATTACK AT VERDUN. REPULSED WITH GREAT LOSS. LONDON, September 25. French communique: The Germans on the right of the Meuse, after bombardment, attacked trenches north of the Bois le Chume, on a- front of two kilometres, four battalions, leading, supported by Stasstruppen, The attack was broken by our fire, and did not reach our lines, except in a few elements in the centre, where fierce hand-to-hand fighting resulted in the enemy’s ejection. The Germans simultaneously made two secondary attacks north of Bezon Vaux and south of Beaumont respectively, but they were sanguinarily defeated. Our troops, leaving their trenches, rushed out to meeet the assailants. Two fresh attacks during the afternoon on the Bois le Haumo only increased the enemy losses. FRENCH REPULSE ATTACKS. Received 11.35. LONDON, September 24. French official: The enemy attacked in the direction of Beaumont. Despite the extensive use of flame-throwers he was repulsed with heavy loss. A BRITISH REPORT. Received 10.30. LONDON ,Sept 24. Sir Douglas Haig reports: We made successful raids eastward of Epehy. An enemy attempt to rush one of our forward posts north-east of Lens was repulsed. The . enemy’s artillery is active east and north of Ypres. An Admiralty report states naval aircraft dropped a large number of bombs on sheds hangars, and aeroplanes at Barsinaire aerodrome. TERRIBLE NATURE OF THE FIGHTING. Received 10.30. AMSTERDAM, Sept 24. Germaq correspondents describe the latest battle as more terrible than its predecessors, and which has assumed Gargantuan proportions. The English are still striking stubbornly. All forms of warfare are assuming wilder and more monstrous shapes. GERMAN METHODS CHANGING. ENEMY BECOMING HARDPRESSED. LONDON, Sept 25. Reuter’s French Headquarters cor respondent states that a terrific bombardment is forcing the German High Command to revise their tactics. A recently captured army order admit*, that the German front lines are regularly battered to pieces before the actual battle begins, and it urges the necessity for hiding trenches, batte. ies and other means of defence from being photographed. Therefore an entirely new system of defence is needed; namely a zone organised to s depth that is extended towards the rear. Such a system, with the defences hidden as much as possible, and the troops echelonned ip the depths so that their lines in from their from become progressively denser towards 1 the rear, ought to enable us to pas; from the defensive to the offensive with troops occupying the more thie’ ly held positions in the rear. That means that we must abandon trenches and retire to shell-craters anct redoubts held by machine-guns. The order indicates how craters must be organised and connected as far as possible. The order stresses that the essential point, is that a crater from above must be indistinguishable from thousands of surrounding craters. LONDON, Sept 25. Sir Douglas Haig reports: Under cover of bombardment, two attempted raids in the neighbourhood of Monchy-le-Prieux and a third southward of the Arras-Douai railway were repulsed. The enemy left a numbei of dead. Another party raided Westward of La Bassee without result. Our patrols were active and a number of prisoners were brought in. Ojar aeroplanes were successful yesterday in dropping bombs on billets and hutments and aerodromes. Fifteen German ftiachines were brought down. Three of ours are missing. GENERAL CABLES BUTTER IMPORTS TO BE CONTROLLED. Received 10.30. LONDON, September 24. Lord Rhondda has appointed an Advisory Board Committee of eight* in-' eluding three large importers, to arrange details of a scheme for the complete control of the imports of butter.