THE GREAT ADVANCE

Taranaki Daily News, 6 July 1916, Page 5

THE GREAT ADVANCE

FIGHTING ALL DAY LONG. ENEMY ATTACKS REPULSED. BRITISH GENERAL'S DEPORT. Received July 5, 9.20 p.m. London, .'July 5. General Sir Douglas lTaig reports: lighting was continued all day long. In tile southern sectors we slightly progressed at some points. The remainder of a whole German battalion surrendered in the vicinity of Fricourt. There was a bombing encounter at Laboisselle. Our troops have complete possession of the village, and easily repulsed, with loss, a bombing attack upon the positions held by us south of Thiepval, between Thiepval and Ancre. Our newly won trenches were heavily shelled. There was considerable artillery activity at Loos and Hohenzollern. The German raid south of Armentieres broke under our rifle lire Our bombing aeroplanes successfully attacked the railways at Comincs, Combles, and Saint Quontin. The offensive patrols worked far into the enemy's country, and encountered hostile aeroplanes in great numbers. There was much fighting, seven German planes being downed. London, July 4. The studied moderation of Sir Douglas Haig's reports is conspicuous. The nation is at high tension, but the underlying feeling is confidence that the obstacles will surely, though slowly, be overcome. Red Cross trains are arriving in London and great sympathy is shown for the sufferers. A sign of quickened interest is the crowds round the map shops. The success of Monday's operations on the French front was largely due te the dash of the colonial and iloroccan troops, who in many places stormed the last of the enemy's second line position? and reached the third line, capturing many. The advance of the French centre was remarkably effective. Many important defences on the right win" were seized. After a magnificent assault a series of hills were occupied dominating those between the new front and the Somme. valley. General Foch is now hopeful that he will soon engage the enemy in the open field. Sir Douglas Haig reports:— Torrential rains interfered with the offensive. The prisoners exceed 5000. EXTENDING FRENCH GROUND. GERMANS RE-TAKE THIAUMONT. Received July 3, 10 p.m. Paris, July 5. A communique states: The French sector north of the Somme was calm Kouth of the Somme, despite the bad weather, we extended our positions towards the east and south. We captured the woods between Assevillers and Barloux, also the village of Bedleyensanterre and captured Kstrees, except an isolated position, which the (Icrmans are holding. We took live hundred prisoners at Estrees alone. The enemy made redoubled efforts at Thiaumont. After repulsing several attempts of large enemy forces, they succeeded in capturing the position for the fourth time. There was intense artillery activity at Damloup and Lalaufc. Our aircraft bombed Longuyon station, some cantonments at Challerange and Savigny and the military establishments at Laon. FORCING THE GERMANS 3ACK. FROM THE SOMME. Received July C, 1 a.m. Paris, July 5. The French are three miler from Peronne. Their guns completely dominate the Personnc-Chaulncs railway. From the plateau of Flancourt they are shelling the station, interrupting the German communications. This • will probably compel the enemy to fall back beyond the Somme. GERMANY'S DESPERATE NEED OF MEN. NUMBER OF BOYS CAPTURED. Received July 5, 5.5 p.m. London, July 4. The discovery lias been made that large numbers of boys are opposing the eastern end of the French front. They have been taken prisoners from as far westward as the Somme. The fact is interpreted as a sign that Germany is in desperate need of meu. Only the direst strains would .justify the sacrifice of the boys, who will be urgently needed after the ,vur to build up German trade and repair the losses of population, ISOLATED ATTACKS. COLONIALS CONSPICUOUS. deceived July 5, 5.5 p.m. Paris, July 4. Apart from the main British activity isolated attacks continue to be made. The Worcesters, New Zealanders and Australians are repeating their gallantry. THE BATTLE IN PICARDY. ALLIES PRESS ON, Paris, July 4. The Petit Parisien states that the battle in Picardy turns more to the advantage of the Allies. The French southward of the Somme are rapidly Hearing Peronne. The Germans have massed many divisions against the British.

A STRIKING SUCCESS. FREXCH WELL OX THE WAY TO IT. WEDGE DRIVEN INTO ENEMY'S THIRD LINE. SUPPLY ROADS COMMANDED Received July p.m. London, July 4. Mr. Adams, the Paris correspondent of the Times says it is now possible to stair without exaggeration that the I'Tench soli til of the Somme are well on the way to a striking success. A weds'c lias now been driven into the German third line at Fhiucourt The French me also masters of tlie plateau of ,'l'eroime and are within three miles of the township. The battlefield south of the Somme consists of two zones, the northerly section being a valley wherein the stream scatters the waters into large ponds and marshes, doited with clumps of trees. The southerly section is a hare, wellknit plateau of defensive positions. The capture of Fceillers and the neighboring hills enabled the French artillery to assist in the sterner struggle north oi the Somme. After passing the German second lines, the French on Monday found the way to Peronne barred. The tremendously fortified little village of I'iaucourt was stormed with great dash, being exceedingly embarrassing to Ihe Germ-ins, because it leaves them will: only three sulppl.v roads, which the l-Yeuch dominate. Sometimes the roads borne a kilometre across the marshes i,;i ~lender bridges, and are ■sasy marks for the artillery. Three fortified villages, Belloy, Ensanterre and liaricti.v bar the way to Peroime, but the success 011 the Assevillers front will enable the French to reach open country, compelling the Germans to evacuate Peronne. GERMAN MACHINE-GUNS. HINDER ALLIES. BOY PRISOXERi London, July 4. Mr. Beach Thomas says that one group of surrenderors with their hands up waited patiently for the Britishers to arrive, but they were unable to approach owing to .nachine-gun (ire. and finally the Germans scuttled back into their tienches. The Britishers constantly bring back prisoners singly or in parties, and there are constant messages such as "Don't fire; the Germans arc trying to surrender." "'Knock out the machinegun over there." The whole front is stiff with our guns. The courage of the German machine-gun-ners is greatly in excess of that of the infantry, but they savagely attacked British .founded, turning upon them their devilish weapons like a hose as the wounded lay in the open. The British mostly charged at a walk. The infantry was splendid, and one of the best advances and finest fighting was done bv recruited Lancashire clerks. The Morning Po-t's correspondent says that a sergeant of the Manchester* said he was ashamed to bring in lads of fifteen, out they were nice boys and cut off their buttons and offered them as keepsakes. There were a fail number of middleaged prisoners. Our men harbor 110 deep rooted animosity against individual Germans. They say they ar> clever people, but they are compelled to obey their superiors implicitly. The war will teach a lesson. They will never be top dogs while Englishmen are alive. Lively artillery work on the Belgian front caused destructive fires in the German positions at Driegachon and east of lleenslraete. Genera! Koch commands the French offensive on the Somme. Paris, July 4. A communique says: The Germans suffered enormous losses in •* iravinc north of Assevillers and 011 the slopes north of Hcrbecourt. Our reconnaissances were most active between the Aure and the Aisne. They penetrated the enemy's first line and even reached tile second line and brought back prisoners. The German attempted attack on Mort Homme was wrecked by our fire. We progressed in the night on the south-east border oC Fumin Wood and captured a portion of the trench northwest of Damloup. PRUSSIAN REGIMENT SURRENDERS. JUST AFTER IT DETRAINS Paris, July 4. An entire battalion, the lOtli Prussian Infantry, from the Upper Rhine, surrendered to the British at Frincourt, The battalion was rushed to replace the heaviest casualties, detrained immediately and occupied tnliclies which proved shallow and an indifferent protection from the devastating British artillery. After a short shov of resistance the survivors, 20 officers and 000 men, left the trenches and made signs of surrender. FRENCH FEROCITY FEARFUL MASSACRE OF GERMANS. London, July 4. Tlie capture of Frise was due to the unflinching heroism of the French in a two hours' operation, which involved fierce bayonet fighting and a fearful massacre of Germans. A German column attempted a Hank movement, but was intercepted and captured According to prisoners many units were wiped out. Thi; carnage has greatly shaken the enemy. The suburbs of Frieourt are carpeted with dead, while, the roads beyond, where the fleeing Germans maintained a runI mug fight, are strewn with prisoners.

PRESSING THE ENEMY HARD. enormous power of our ARTILLERY. A GLORIOUS ACT OF SELFSACRIFICE. GRAPHIC PICTURES. Received July 5, 8.25 p.m. London, Julv 4. Mr. Phillip Oibbs, the Daily Chronicle's win- correspondent, writes: AVe are slowly, but steadily gaining ground. Progress since Saturday is seen by the elevation of our shell fire. The German mms are also retiring in order to escape capture or direct hits, proving that we are pressing the enemy hard, and that lie is unable to bring up his supports to secure his defence. Describing his visit to a portion of the battlefield, Mr. Gibbs says: The great bombardment of shrapnel is still rafting at Fricourt, and the. enemy is shelling the captured placos. Our guns are putting a heavy barrage upon the positions. Our batteries are firing single rounds and salvos in the direction of Contalmaison, and all are concentrating on the enemy's lines behind l'rieourt, Mametz Wood, and Laboiselle. Shells from the heavy guns arc .screaming overhead, and the field batteries are firing rapidly and continuously. Our guns bad the mastery, our infantry hud some! liing behind tiicm that was not all flesh and blood against great engines as id the earlier days. The enemy replied, cliicflv about Boissellc, though with nothing like our bombardment, which was heavy enough to increase the cost we had to pay for our progress. We could s"C our men moving up quietly, I'd in r. leisurely way, while -hell.; vliinirg and rending the air i:.'(ue Oiheads, some being occupied in layi-.ig . ■h'plioues over the newly captured mound. Up at Laboisselle the shelling is still intense, but our troops bad already surrounded part of the position, and, after concentration of our fire, advanced and captured about 250 of the enemy, who stayed in their dug -outs while our shells s-.n.islied the ground. A German doctor, a giant of a man with a grmt heart, attended the wounded until Me bombardment was such that none ccu'd live there. He carried the wounded to the dug-out and stayed there, expecting death. When the English soldiers came he said: "Mv friends, I surrender," am! afterwards helped to attend to our wounded, and did good work. The German doctor said: "We are killing each other to 110 purpose. It is a war against religion and civilisation, and 1 can see no end to it, for Germany, England and France are so strong that it is impossible for one side to crush the other " Under our gunfire we found another German who, although wounded in nine places, still maintained a deadly machine-gun fire. Mr. flibbs visited Fricourt, which, he says, is just a heap of frightful ruin, every yard being littered by war's aftermath. Many prisoners expressed joy when thev escaped out of our terrible gunfire, and the otiieers acknowledged the new power of our artillery and the courage of our men. The action at the Gommccourt salient was one of the most heroic in British history. The enemy concentrated a great mass of guns lieiv In the belief lhat the i lain attack would extend to Lille and Rove. As soon as our men left the trenches, the enemy barraged (he front support trenches with a most infernal fire. We advanced through this barrage as if on parade, and, in spite of heavy losses, made our way over the 500 yards of No-man's-land to the enemy's front, line. The Germans also behaved with great courage and carried their machine-guns right through our barrage until they met our men in the open, <vho swept them with fire so that large numbers fell. The attack failed, but it served to draw on the enemy's reserves, and was a glorious act of self-sacrifice. NO GERMAN SURPRISES. BRITISH PLANS PROGRESSING. NO RAPID DEVELOPMENTS LIKELY. Received July 5, 11 p.m. London, July 5. A correspondent of the Morning Post states that fighting on the West front failed to reveal the Germans' possession of any surprises. The much heralded terrible weapons did not materialise, but patience is necessary to overcome their unscrupulous tactics and tricks. The British plans are progressing normally. Officers and men are performing prodigies of valor. Home people must patiently trust not to expect rapid developments. The reserves were busy at Maine//, burying om dead. The doctors worked like heroes in separating the living from the dead and attending the wounded, who had lain in the open for hours. The correspondent was disappointed | at an incident between Mametz and Fricourt. He was posted where be was told he would see "a fine scrap." A few hundred Germans tenaciously clmifc to the trenches. Oui infantry, supported by bombers, dashed to the end of ilie trenches. The Germans threw grenades and fired a few rifle shots and then ran for their lives with uplifting hands and floundering handkerchiefs, yelling "Kamarad!" Some of the dug-outs were palatial. They contained prodigious quantities of sausages, potted meats, preserved vegetables, cheeses, cask's of beer, whisky, and gin. One officers' suite was fitted with an electric bell to summon servants from the adjoining kitchen. The correspondent adds that prisoners state there was such devastation by the artillery on the French front that thirtydie German battalions were completely disorganised by their trenches being wrecked, preventing control by the high command. THE BELGIUM GARRISON. SHIFTED TO THE BRITISH FRONT. Received July «, 5 p.m. Amsterdam, July 5. All German garrisons in Belgium have been depicted and are hastily reinforcing the Fiends!) front. The remaining troops are ready to leave at a moment's notice.

[NO DRAMATIC DEVELOPMENTS THE PUBLIC WARNED. Received <7illy 5, 10 p.m. : London, July 5. The exchange is i|uiet and buoyant. There is a further slight hardening in prices in keeping with the stct-dy progress in France. There lias been nothing sensational. The public are fully warned not to expect dramatic developments. Consols are at. £Ol 5a and the war loan stock at £97 ss. A REMARKABLE FACT. KNEMY AIRCRAFT BEATEN BACK. Received July 5, 10.15 p.m. Paris, July 5. A serai-official message records the remarkable fact that since the first of July, no enemy airmen has been able to cross the French lines. As aircraft are the eyes of the artillery, we blinded the enemy. THE DEATH ZONE. A TERRIBLE SIGHT POWER OF FRENCH GUNS. London, July 4. Wounded continue to arrive. Remarkably few have shell or shot wounds: they are mostly bayonet wounds. The Gordons led the charge. One states that the death zone was an unforgettable sight. They encountered about a thousand corpses and human limbs were scattered over the battered defences. There were some plucky onis among the enemy. The Bavarians knew how to use tile steel. The new big French gun eclipsed the German lOin gun. It wiped out a village on the Sonnne front on Friday. Each shot swept away dozens of houses, The Times correspondent at headquarters says that a gratifying large proportion of the wounds are slight, from shra-pnci and machine-guns. Only the smallest proportion will suffer permanent disablement. Fifteen hundred German prisoners have arrived at Southampton. FREXCH OFFICAL REPORT. iParis, Jly 4. A communique states that six enemy attacks north-west of the Thiaumont work were repulsed by our curtain of fire and rifle lire with heavy loss. The night was calm. North and south of the Somme the enemy had not attempted to counterattack the captured positions which we had organised. Three more batteries, two of which are heavy guns, have been captured. THE ARMIES IN THE WEST. THREE ALLIES TO TWO GERMANS. A British officer, writing two months ago, in summing up the prospects cf an allied offensive in the West, said:—"The British armies are mobile troops in the sense in which the dotards of the Landstnrm never can be. The main facts seem to be that our troops are now | superior as tactical and mobile units to those of the enemy, and that we should possess a great superiority of force. The (ierman troops on the Wes'tern front are usually estimated at 2,000,000, but they could be, and no doubt would be, considerably reinforced in view of an attack being directed against them shortly. None the less they would still be very inferior in point of numbers. The French armies on the western front cannot be less than 2,000,000 strong, probably they are more, while the Prime Minister has told us that at the end of 1015 we had a million men available for the firing-line in France. During the spring months there ought to have been a steady flow of the new armies across the Channel, and this should counterbalance, or more than counter-balance, any reinforcements eitlier of first line or newly-raised enemy troops which can l>e moved up during the same period. At the lowest estimate then we should be able to put three Anglo-French soldiers ;<gainst two (Jermans, while a concentration of two to one on the sectors selected for attack could be made with complete safety to the rest of the line. This estimate errs'very greatly on the side of prudence—for throe to one or four to one would be a more probable figure at tile decisive points. The German stall would be able to give a far more accurate estimate than this of the probable concentrations against them, but it is little use foreseeing danger if you have no men to meet it with."