WESTERN ATTACK.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 July 1916, Page 5

WESTERN ATTACK.

IMPORTANT SUCCESSES. BRITISH TAKE SEVERAL | IMPORTANT POINTS. ,; FIERCE FIGHTING STILL IX PROGRESS. HEAVY EXEJII CASUALTIES. ARTILLERY CATCH THEM IN OPEN. Received July ft, R."> p.m. London, July S. General Sir Douglas Haig reports that despite stubborn resistance our infantry, well assisted by artillery, pushed the I'dvance with the utmost gallantry throughout this morning's fight, and gained several important successes. .Alter a fierce bombardment we assaulted and carried a further portion of an immensely strong work known as 'Leipzig redoubt," south of Thiepval. The redoubt is situated in a salient off the German line. The enemy exercised all his ingenuity in its fortification curing Hie last twenty months. Further south, one of our brigades, attacking from the west, forced its way a toss five hundred'yards of the Herman front trenches into their defences. At the Oviliers fierce lighting is now in progress for the possession, of a village. Following last night'- successes eastward of La Boisselle we advanced over a, maze of German trenches on a front nearly two thousand yards to a depth of five hundred yards. Northward of Fricourt. linking with the above attack, we drove the enemy from two woods and three lines of trenches. At about ten in the morning the Prussian Guard was thrown into the fight east of Cont-a-maison in a desperate effort to force us back. Our fire crushed the attack, The enemy subsequently fell back northwards, leaving many prisoners. At noon we stormed and carried Con-tal-maiscn, but were forced out by a strong counter-attack. The enemy's casualties to-day were very severe. Our artillery caught large numbers retiring in the open, and heavily shelled the villages of Bazctin and Le Petit at a time when they were full of German reserves.

ENEMY'S HEAVY ATTACKS.

i-. - COMPLETELY CRUSHED. IMPORTANT TACTICAL SUCCESS. London. .Tulv 7. General Sir Douglas Haig reports tli.\t tin- enemy last night heavily bombarded our new positions at Bernafay Wood, Mnnta.uban, and La Boisselle, using lacbrymatory shells. Tlie enemy suffered heavy casualties. Severe fighting oc-eurr-d eastward of L.i Boisselle. " We i.iiptiircii a r .treiKh on a front of a thousand yarns, wherein ve are now firmlv cs'tablishi-d. We completely erushi r[ a determined attack on our new lines south-west of Tiiiepvitl. The enemy's artillery was particularly active in the Loos salient and Uullucli. We resumed i! vigorous offensive this morning in certain sectors east of Albert. the Hermans simultaneously launched heavy attacks in the vicinity of the Ancre, norih 'i Frieourt. As a result of violent fighting progress was made over the whole front between the Anere and Montauban. The infantry has already had important tactical successes in the vicinity of Ovillers, La Boisselle, and Con-tai-roaison. The enemy regained 250 yards north-west of Thiep'val. New York, July 7. Sir Douglas Haig reports that the J ritish have captured a thousand yards of trenches after severe fighting east of La Boisselle. There were heavy enemy casualties. BATTLE MAY LAST MONTHS. Paris, Julv 7. Renter's correspondent savs that the first stage of tlie battle of "the Somme lias ended and the second begun on at least one sector of the British front. >vhere, according to a semi-official report, the methodical bombardment of the enemy's lines has recommenced. This "reat battle may last weeks, or even months. Tf it is necessary to use them we have loth men and material. Meanwhile it ;s reported that the Germans are withdrawing troops from Verdun. GERMAN REINFORCEMENTS. Amsterdam, July 7. Various frontier reports say that the Germans are rushing reinforcements, mostly Bavarians, to the number of 110,000, via St. Quentin. Twenty-si* train-loads of wounded traversed Liege on Thursday.

NO SUCH HAVOC SEEN.

A PRISONER'S STATEMENT. EFFECT OF FRENCH BOMBARDMENT. ENEMY'S PREPARATIONS. Received July fl, 5.5 p.m. London, July 8. . The Daily Chronicle's Paris correspondent states that a Bavarian captain, who '•as taken prisoner, says that everything possible was done to strengthen the defences. The number of machine-guns was tripled in view of the expected attack on June 28. For Hirer days more the bombardment continued, with increasing violence, and our moral and physical resistance began to diminish. We counted !>(HI shells a minute. The French must have discovered a new explosive as we had not previously seen such havoc.

GERMAN LINE BROKEN,

IF PEROXXE SEIZED. Received July 0, ">."> p.m. London, July S. The military authorities believe.that (lie German line will be broken if the French seize Peronne. behind which the Germans are unprepared. Peronne, linwnver. is heavily fortified, and also defended by the wide canalised river Lacy, and a marsh half a mile wide.

ENEMY'S SURPRISE ATTACK FAILS.

GOOD WORK AT THIAUMOXT. Received July 9, f1.5 p.m. Paris, July S. A communique states: There is nothing to report from the Somine. A surprise enemy attack between the Oise and (he Aisne. near Moulin and Sous-tout-vent, failed. After brisk fighting at Thiaumont the enemy succeeded in gaining a footing in our advanced elements, but a counterattack drove them out, with serious enemy losses.

SUPREME MOMENT AT HAND.

MIGHTY GERMAN EFFORT DYING. DISINTEGRATION IN SIGHT. Received July 9, 5.5 p.m. London, July S. Lord Esher, writing from France, urges the people to throw every ounce into the scale. "The frame is going fast and in favor of the Allies, and the ball has now been passed to us for the final rush. The supreme moment is at hand, when every man, every shell, gun. and ship should be concentrated.'' He adds: "The mighty German effort is dying away, and there ire manifold signs of their disintegration and lowering morale."

BAVARIANS SUFFER HEAVILY,

A REGIMi'.NT SURRENDERS. Received July <9, 5.5 p.m. Paris, July 8. Between Bclloy' and Estrees the Bavarian 17th Division suffered seriously in six successive assaults. The French inaehine-gun batteries ploughed through two regiments. A Bavarian company was surrounded in a building at Belloy Berney and surrendered. k

ADVANCED LINE NEEDS STRENGTHENING.

ACTION FAVORABLE TO ALLIES. Received July 9, 5. 5.m 'Paris, Jtilv S. Semi-official.—Before the battle can resume its victorious course the British and French sectors must be brought into line. The successes of the British yesterday ended the formation of a sinuous line, and this must be rectified by a subsequent advance, for the action con-' Unues to he completely in favor of the British, and is in conformity with the plan of the Anglo-French command.

FURTHER IMPORTANT SUCCESSES.

SEVERE ENEMY LOSSES. AN APPRECIABLE ADVANCE. Received July 9, 11 p.m. London, July 0. Sir Douglas Haig reports: The fighting to-day was principally on the extreme right flank. AYe had further important successes. We stormed the line of trenches eastward of Bernafray wood and gained a lodgment in the strongly defended Trones wood. ' The enemy's losses were severe. A strong counterattack in mass that was made across the open was broken, and the enemy rehired in disorder Hand to hand lighting continues among the ruins of Ovillers, where an appreciable advance was made. Our aeroplanes exploded an ammunition depot and bombed some billets.

ANGLO-FRENCH ATTACK.

i OBJECTIVE GAINED. COUNTER-ATTACKS REPULSED. Router Service. Received July 9, 11.40 p.m. Paris, .Inly il. A communique states: Notwithstanding persistent rain and fog, the French this morning assaulted the village of Hardecourt and the lull northwards, in conjunction with the British, who attacked Thrones wood farm, south-east of the wood, and the French gained their objectives in thirty-live minutes. Two German counter-attacks on the hill in the afternoon were shattered, There is an intermittent bombardment on the left bank of the Meuse, and vjoleu artillery activity northward of Souville and Damloup. '

.HE FRICOURT ASSAULT A VIVID STORY. GERMAN'S SXIPE BRITISH OFFICERS Tire MEX "SEE RED." Received July 0, p.m. l.ondon. July !). Mr. Ehilip f;ibbs. writing to (hp Dailv Diroiii.-1... says: "I watched tlic liritisliits to flic assault nt. Fricourt. Hicy picked poppies and cornflowers, put Infill in their holt-', and caps. and went into battle with smil'm;; faces. Under sweat and dust r saw tlic same men rc--1 iii-niii.tr. Tlie o.Ticers had a lonely look. 'I hero was not a lai-fte number left of the men who went to the first assault. Tlif.v were simple Yorkshire fellows, ordinary lads, not created to face iielllire. When they spoke, some were still shaking, and their words faltered. Many could remember nothing of the first rush ncross Xo Man's hand. They had suddenly fOllll,l themselves, with bombs in tlieir hands scrambling over the Herman parapet.-. Dead men were everywhere. When flic f.'ermans in llie dii;:-outs saw our waves coiniiur. the r.'unners rushed i.pstairs to their wrecked trenches and maimed the Kadi gunner was accompanied by a sniper, to pic-); oil' British officers. So many subalterns were killed that every Britisher had to carry on by himself. Tt was bloody work for the boys, who were not butchers bv instinct: but passion cau ri lit them and ilicy saw red."

v ORKSHIRES FOUGHT LIKE TERRIERS. CAPTORS A\"D CAPTIVES SHELLED. HUX TREACTttRY. The Yorkshire boys foupht single ■ will, big Germans 1 iki> terriers ■vorrying nits. Directly flic trench was taken thoir captain tired a rocket, the guns lifted and our shells crashed into a shelter wood beyond. The Germans also saw the rocket'and knew the trench was captured. They lowered their range, shelling ?aptors and captured alike. The captain called for ten volunteers, and led a party (o explore the shelter wood. They found the wood full rf Germans, and decided it would re•'•lire at least a thousand men to capture it. so they crawled hack to the 'trench, where they spent the night amid Ml intense bombardment of shells and ■ dirapni'l. The same divison captured I he shelter wood 011 the following day. There were many grim episodes. A badly wounded Vorksliireman, crawling through tin' wood, passed a German, crouching ,il>o on hands and knees, from which blood was ooz.ing. The German Mtarcd at the Hritislier. who, crawled on. The German raised himself, and, while "till kneeling, .shot the lad with a revolver The Voikshireman immediately dropped down on his hands and crawled to a lirilidi comrade who chanced to witness llie murder. A rifle shot ripped through the trees and the German crawled no more. Another German surrendered, but as a wirkshireman approached to make him prisoner he pulled out a detonator bomb -"lid raised his hand. The Yorkshireman's quirk thrust, with the bayonet so lerrilied the German that he forgot to throw the bomb, which blew the German to pieces, the Yorkshirenmn being uninjured.

GERMAN SURRENDERS. ••XO MONKEY TRICKS." YORKSHIRE SERGEANTS HUMOR. Received July !). J].', p.m. London, July fl. Mr. Gibbs continues: Most of the Germans when tlio Britishers were within ten yards flung up liicir hands-and cried )or merey to those whom they had tried to blow to bit# a moment beffire. It 'vas rather late, but merey was given. "I surrender," said one German, putting his head out of a hole in the earth. "I am an ollieer and have wounded men with mo.' ''Alright, replied a Yorkshire sergeant. "feteh them up, and no monkey trieks.' Out of the hole came forty men. and each of them said "Karnerad" 10 the sergeant, who answered "Good day to you." HIGH COMMISSIONER'S REPORTS. Wellington, Last Xiglit. ' 1 lie High Commissioner reports: London, July S, 2.30 p.m. General Hug reports heavy rain yesterday afternoon and evening impeded operations between the Ancre and the Sommo. We spent the night chiefly in improving the positions gained yesterday. Fighting in the neighbourhood of Conunecourt, we bombarded the enemy's trenches with field guns and trench mortars. At Nenville, St. Yaast and northwards oi Kobincourt the enemy are active. 'lhey exploded a mine north-eastwards of the former without damage. ri!" enemy exploded mines under existing craters at Hohenmllorn redoubt without advantage. North-east of Hulluch 11 mine of ours destroyed a hostile gallery. Hespite unfavorable weather our aeroplanes did valuable service in actively co-opeiating with the artillery in important- reconnaissance work. Tliev bombed a hostile aerodrome ai Douai, comDlfitelv wrecking the hangar and doino- othe'damage. During the last few days "*e captured twenty guns, fifly-oi | e guns, anil numbers of auton t (1 trench mortars, uiinemverfer, and othe l ' war material.