WESTERN FRONT.

Taihape Daily Times, 24 October 1917, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

STAND BY ARGYLLS. BATTALION “IN THE AIR.” LONDON, October 7. Details of a fine'stand by two companies of the Argyll and Sutherland Regiment show that they wore filling a gap in the line in the course of a German counter-attack on Tuesday. The storming troops of at least four divisions were employed and when they bent back our line, the Argyll were left well in the open, smothered with German shells, arid cut off by their own barrage. Doggedly the gallant Scots stuck to the position. They seem surprised at the suggestion that they have done anything uncommon. They could see how the front on both flanks had been pushed well back by the weight of German numbers and might have judged that it was impossible that supports could reach them, although their commander, with another company of the battalion, was lying close up to the barrage awaiting his opportunity to penetrate. The Anzaes on their flank throwing back waves methodically in order to restore the temporarily-dis-placed lino, and before the brilliant British counter-attack was launched in the afternoon the Australians had repaired the back. Although this counterattack was splendidly successful in proportion to the superiority of the enemy, the former front was not entirely reached, and at nightfall the Argylls were still “in the air.” They might have withdrawn in the darkness, but they had been told to hold the position, and meant to do so< as long as possible. So, when in the morning the whole line advanced, there were the valiant Scots in their place. The battalion boasts that in spite of the heavy attacks it did not lose a prisoner.

ANOTHER OFFENSIVE. ALL OBJECTIVES ATTAINED . ENEMY CASUALTIES HEAVY. Received 9.20. LONDON, Oct 23,:;, f Sir Douglas Haig reports highly successful minor operations ' by the British this morning, in the neighbourhood ( of Poelcapelle, also, in conjunction with the French southward of Houthulst Forest. Battalions of Norfolk,, Suffolk Essex and Berks Regiments and ’ the Northumberland Fusiliers, ' attacked eastward of Poelcapelle on a one and a-half miles’ front. They captured a number of strongly-fortified buildings that had been converted into redoubts on the hill, eastward of the village.

A night’s rain made the ground slippery and the task of assembly difficult, but the whole of the objectives were- captured after fierce., fighting, wherein many Germans Avere killed. .We pressed ,on sputh-eastAvard of Poelcapelle and carried other valuable positions beyond our line of objectives. The Gloucester and Cheshire, Fusiliers, Manchester and Royal Scots further north, co-operating with the French, attacked on a two miles front from the Ypres-Staden raihvay to northward of Manyclare. We captured, after severe fighting, the southern defences of Houthulst Forest and a further series of fortified farms and strong points. The Allies Avere formerly estab : „ lished Avell beyond the southern boundary of the forest, but strong local counter-attacks in the vicinity of the xailAvay checked our advance astride the raihvay line, but the enemy Avas unable to prevent our progress elseAvhere. Enemy casualties were heavy. FINE WORK BY THE FRENCH. LONDON Oct 22. 7 French communique.—B'etween October 11th and October 20th, 19 enemy machines and three balloons Avere brought doAvn. TAventy-eight aeroplanes were seriously damaged. French Eastern communique.—Our artillery is continuing a destructive bombardment of enemy positions in the regions of Doiran and the Yardar and north of Monastir. In the course of operations for clearing the ground in the vicinity of our new Joosfitions north-west of Pogradec we prisonered a number of Austrians.

CABINET CRISIS RESIGNATION NOT ACCEPTED. Received 11 a.m, Pololwing the Cabinet Council, M. PARIS, October 23 Painleve tendered the Cabinet’s resignation. M. Poincare refused to accept it, pointing out that the Chamber on Friday voted confidence in the Government. Ministers thereupon placed their resignation in the hands of the President of the Council, who will examine the situation.

BRITISH AERIAL ACTIVITY. GREAT DAMAGE WROUGHT. LONDON, Oct 22. Sir Douglas Haig reports: There was fine weather and an improvement in visibility on Sunday. Much artillery observation work was done. Four tons of bombs 'were dropped on aerodromes near Courtrai and Roulers and on a big gun position near Douai. Three tons were dropped during the night on the Roulers and Licbtervelde railway stations, where fires were started i as well as the above-men-tioned aerodromes, one pilot reaching the aerodrome as the enemy’s night bombing machines were leaving, and dropped bombs among them. There was heavy air fighting, chiefly well over the enemy’s line. Sixteen hostile machines were brought down. Eight of ours are missing, including a night bomber. Naval squadrons attached to the army have been fighting throughout thaae operations. They accounted for a large share of the machines brought down. Australian squadrons who have hitherto' been training have commenced active work and have already proved themselves worthy of the high opinion formed of them on arrival. LONDON, Oct 22. German official. —An enemy attack in Flanders failed, with the exception of small gains near Veldhoek Eastward of Langemarck,. a British attack on the Menin-Ypres road broke completely. GROUND RECAPTURED AT POELCAPELLE

LONDON Oct 22. y Correspondents at the front state that despite thick mist and strengthened machine-gun defences, w r e recaptured the ruins of the brewery adjoining Poelcapelle after heavy fighting. We made progress’ -of some* hundreds of some, hundreds of .yardsnnear Houthulst Forest^ahd*f- nprthward .of Poelcapelle. A counter-attack involved th(j ‘enemy in. heavy losses. , ( A , lajter i lmessagei records '; another fierce i counter-attack., along the., railway Visibility has Improved, enabling our gunners to exact severe toll from the enemy. French communique.—During the day the enemy artillery reacted feebly in Belgium. Our troops consolidated their positions on conquered ground north of Veldhoek. In the attack this morning two field guns were captured. THE NEW OFFENSIVE. GRAPHIC DETAIL OF FIGHTING. PROGRESS AT HOUTHULST. Received 10.45 j LONDON, October 23. Mr. Phillips Gibbs writes: The attack on the 22nd was not over a wide front, or of great depth, but it brought the French and English to the’ very edge of 'the dense woodlands of Houthulst forest. The greatest depth of our advance was near Egypt House. The enemy made a strong resistance and counter-attack followed immediately, which is still in progress. Though the weather has been fine and with a bright sun, for eight days, the ground has not dried and is still difficult.

Our hurricane artillery fire at dawn must have killed many Germans but seme machine-gun emplacements Avere. not destroyed, and these held up our men for some time. When the Ger mans launched their counter-attacks along the Ypres-Staden railway /our artillery Avere unable to get the range on them, owing to thick grey mist. The attacks Avere forced back by our men a short distance. The progress of counter-attacks was not knoAvn, but the fog cleared and aeroplanes Avere uoav able to signal the guns, alloAving us to support the infantry by smashing the enemy concentrations. Mr Phillip’s latest a ccounts says, avo are fighting the outlying fragments of Houthulst forest and along Westrocbek road, Avhcre- avc overcame a number of German defences .in difficult marshy ground. German counterattacks regained a slight portion of the ground lost along the Stadcn-raihvay. The effect of our advance is to bring our flank closer to high the ground at Passcheudaele. AUSTRALIAN NEWS Received 9.40. SYDNEY, this day The river Murray is still rising, inundating thousands of acres of Avheat country. The Murrunbidgee is flooded on the western side; Wagga is isolated and enormous damage is reported. MELBOURNE, this day. All Ithe rivers /in -t'noMh and north-eastern districts of Victoria are flooded, the position being serious; railways are disorganised. The date of the elections has been altered to the loth November