WESTERN ATTACK.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 July 1916, Page 5

WESTERN ATTACK.

ALLIES' TEMPESTUOUS ADVANCE. CHECKED BUT NOT ARRESTED. GERMANS AN UNHAPPY FAMILY. TERRIBLE TOLL OF OUR MEN. Received July 7, 8.50 p.m. London, July 7. Router's representative at Headquarters states that ''the push" is proceeding. Much is anticipated. The Germans have recovered from their staggering surprise. A tremendous blow was struck where they did. not expect it. and they are now endeavoring supremely to stem the crushing pressure. Reserves have been taken from everywhere on the front and flung on the second line, but the tempestuous advance, though checked, is not arrested. The Allies are busy consolidating their gains. Meanwhile there is incessant battering, bombing and bayonetting. Enemy prisoners testify that all is not harmony in the enemy's ranks. The Saxons are unanimously tired of the war and are glad to be captured. It is now possible to write with some fullness the story of the northern attack. One almost shrinks from recording so terrible a toll as was taken of our men. The East Lancashires and York Lancashires, advancing as if on parade, lost the heaviest. They concentrated on the enemy machine-guns. Of one battalion only an officer and six orderlies were unwounded. The Warwicks, the Rifle Brigade, the Somersets and Hants regiments also suffered fearfully. SUPERHUMAN COURAGE. OF THE BRITISH TROOPS. IN ONE OF THE GREATEST BATTLES OF HISTORY. ENTER HELLISH FIRE AS IF ON PARADE. Received July 7, f1.45 p.m. London, July 7. Mr. Philip Gibbs. who visited the battlefield north of La Boiselle, says that over this stretch of a few miles wide was fought one of the greatest battles in history. Many thousands of our men advanced with marvellous self-sacri-fice, beyond the ordinary courage of men, and faced hellish fire unfalteringly when the bravest might have quailed. Something supernatural animated them. Their losses were heavy because they counted not the cost of assaulting terribly strong positions. The enemy's losses were frightful too, and his courage great, because they were brave men on both sides. His machine-gunners displayed amazing courage and audacity, and elimbe* the parapets in "No Man's Land" and swept our ranks with his bullets as with a scythe. We went on charging the machineguns with bayonets. Wave after wave swept over the enemy's first, second and third lines, even to the fourth. Some men went as far as Serre. They never came back. Human courage could not reach greater heights than these North Countrymen showed. Amongst them were Midlnnders, West of Englanders and Eastern Counties men, with battalions of Irish and Scots. They approached the trenches in parade step amidst a storm of shell. Fierce trench fighting ensued, till most of the enemy were killed. From the men who had gone to Serre came the urgent message; "Help! For God's sake send us bombs!" But the enemy's barrage was so violent and deep that it was impossible to send relief. Even the terrific sound of the bombardment obliterated the more terrible sound of the myriad enemy machine guns sweeping "No Man's Land." Into this blast of flame our men marched unfalteringly. The very heart of this storm was quite calm. As gaps were made in our ranks they were filled. The men cleared the dug-outs. As they passed, the enemy came out and bombed them from the rear, but they could not resist the attack of our men, who collected tt.eir strength in the Thiepval 'Wood among the trees, which were being slashed to pieces by German shrapnel. Here they withstood '' ; German counter-at-tacks. The lightly wounded had two miles to walk to the dressing stations. It was a long two miles for men weak and dizzy from loss of blood, yet they called out: "We got 'em on the run!" "NO SURRENDER." GLORIOUS BUT DEADLY. THE VALIANT ULSTERS. Received July 7, 8.5 p.m. London, July 7. The Morning Post's correspondent says the Ulster division had a glorious but deadly position in the great advance. To gain their nu.in objectives they had to pass an obstacle at every yard, of which the Germans knew the exact gun and rifle range. The Ulsters, with a heavy hail of shrapnel from the front, were enfiladed by machine guns on either flank. They pressed forward amid shouts of "No surrender! Remember the Boyne!" They withstood the shock of successive counter-attacks with invincible courage, and only retired when it was impossible t • send reinforcements or ammunition. They inflicted heavy damage upon the enemy and captured many prisoners.

A CONTINUAL ANXIETY. | Coughs and colds are an anxiety to mothers as children rarely get through the winter without them. For young children a medicine that acts quickly is 'necessary or croup may develop; it must contain no opiates and be a medicine the children like. Chamberlain's Cougli Bemedy acts quickly, contains no opiates, children like it and it is everywhere regarded as a certain •jure for coughs, colds, croup and whooDinj; cough. Sold everywhere

PROGRESS AT CERTAIN POINTS. GENERAL HAlfi'S REPORT. Received July 7, 10 p.m. London, July 7. General Sir Douglas Haig reports:— After violent bomb fighting we progressed at certain points in the main battle area. weather interfered with our aeroplane work. The Welsh I'usiliers. by a raid, destroyed three mine shafts, inflicting 130 casualties. Received July 7, 10 p.m. London, July 7. General Sir Douglas Hnig reports a further slight advance near Thiepval. COUNTER-ATTACKS CHECKED. BY FRENCH FIRE BARRAGES. Received July 7. 10 ,m, Paris, July 7. An official communique states: The enemy countcr-attaifo north of Item and between Estrees and Belloy-en-Santerre has been checked by our fire barrages, great losses being inflicted on the enemy. Two companies were annihilated in the latter region. There has been artillery activity on both sides of the Mouse. Ou" batteries blew up a munition depot north of f.ancuville. An aviator bombed the Hcm-Xesle railway station and damaged several places. ENCOURAGING MESSAGES. TO VERDUN HEROES. Paris, July C. General Joffre recently addressed a message to the Verdun army upon the Russian successes in Galicia. He said: "The plans ripened bv the councils of the coalition are now in full swing. Sftidiers of Verdun, it is to your heroic resistance we owe this. Our future victories will be based on that resistance, which lias created on the whole theatre of the European war a situation whence to-morrow the definite triumph of our cause will result." General Nivelle sent a similar message to the defenders, saying: ''The Germans are launching furious and desperate attacks hoping to arrive at the gates of Verdun before being attacked themselves by the united forces of the Allied armies. You will not let them pass, comrades." GERMAN REPORT. FOR AMERICAN READERS. | New York, July 0. The Berlin correspondent of tlie New York Times says that military critics consider the recent results of the great offensive in the west are not encouraging to the Allies. General Moraht, in tlie Tugeblatt, says that the enemy over-ran and demolished the German first trenches in several places. Our resistance could not be great, because little except the dead re mained in the ploughed up trenches : but the enemy's later successes are small.