WESTERN ATTACK.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 July 1916, Page 5

WESTERN ATTACK.

THE TAKING OF OVILLER3. DEFENDERS' fIORRIBLE SUFFERINGS. BARRICADE OF DEAD GERMANS. Received July 1!), 8.50 p.m. London, July 10. Tlio Daily Chl'oniele* Paris correspondcut tlnis describes the grand fight ftnOvillers. After a furious bombardment a brigade advanced on three sides. The defenders, who were conspicuous for their valor, engaged in a depcrate hand to hand truggle among the broken walls and cellars. Many of them had not tasted food for two days. Everywhere corpses were lying unburied. The bombardment wrecked two strong ficldworks which were barring the entry to the vilage by the Dapaume road. Our troops found here a frightful barricade of 8(10 German corpses. Out of the entire brigade of the .Imperial Guard 12(i survived, many suffering agonies of hunger and thirst. Some died from poisoning, after drinking at a filthy pond, while others went mad and fought each other. Our men forged up without presented arms, niul the storry remnant of the Prussians' proudest troops marched in the rear. TRENCHES CAPTURED. ARTILLERY ACTIVITY AT FLEURY, Received July 20„T.!10 p.m. Paris. July 10. A communique states: There was only a small operation to enable the capture of the Somme trenches south of Estrccs. There is intense artillery activity in the Henry sector. 1 - EKEMY DISPERSED. ■' KIPPING AN" ATTACK IN THE BUD. ■ Received July -20, 7.M p.m. London, July lfl. General Sir Douglas Ilaig reports: We dispersed a large number of the enemy who were massing for an attack cu Waterlod farm from the direction of Guillcmont.

GERMAN COUNTER-ATTACK. A TEMPORARY REfIATN. Wellington, July 20. The TTij»h Commissioner reports tiniler date London, .Inly Ift (3.-15 p.m.) :-» ttcner.il Tlaig reports that an enemy attack. tlie bft<jfinnin#r of which linn illready been reported, was directed during tile night agaiiut. our new positions east of Bazentin village. Very largt; Herman reinforcements were collected for 1 lie attack and, after intense artillery '(ire, the first assault was delivered in dense masses at 5.3(1 p.m. The lighting emitinned particularly violent at Melville Wood throughout the night. After suffering very heavy losses the enemy .succeeded in recapturing ft portion of,the Belvillc Wood, and also obtained a footing in the northern outskirts of Longtieval. Elsewhere the attack, including three separate assaults on the Waterlod farm, completely broke down under our fire. From the rest of the front tlie news is unimport^"'- - THE LOST GROUND. mostly retaken; London, July '2O. General Ilaig' reports that most of the ground at Longneval and Belville Wood lias been recovered. THE GERMAN REPORT. Amsterdam, .July 19. A, Berlin communique says:—We captured the village of Longueval and Belvilli. Wood at niglit after iiercct fighting by the Magdeberg 2(ith Infantry Regiment. In addition to'sanguiiiarv losses the English had 8 officers and -»S0 men taken prisoner and left a considerable number of machiee-guns. Our curtain of lire dispersed enemy attacks north of Ovillers and on the southern border of IV.ieres. The. British had not the slightest advantage anywhere.

French local attacks nortli of Barleux and near liellov failed. The enemy continued fruitless efforts against the German lines at Torre Froide on the right bank of the Heuse CAPTURE OF BIACHES i'ORT. AN OFFICER'S RESOURCEFULNESS. " " ' iParis, July 1!). 'A lucky French ruse captured the liiaches fort on July 1). It was so well concealed and protected that the bombardment failed to destroy the works, and a German company held out for 24 hours. Then a sub-lieutenant and eight men found a vulnerable spot and entered the fort unseen. An officer and a man rushed forward throwing grenades and shouting "eharge with bayonets." One hundred and thirteen Germans came out of shelter without resisting; the six other French sprang forward with great fury and utterly deceived the enemy, who flung down their arms, and the Diaehes fort was captured without the loss of a Frenchman. A communique savs: The night was calm on all fronts. Poar Solomon Stead lay sick in his bed, 'Twas a cold that lie's contracted, With longs like lead, lie was all but dead And his wife was nigh distracted. Overcome with grief she shook like a loaf But such anguish was premature, Her mother rushed in, replacing hot gin With Woods' Great Peppermiiif Cure. A microbe niav have caused that Cough. SYKES'S CUUA COUGH will k.U the microbe, All stores, Js Gd bottle. For Bronchial Coughs, take Woods' Greet Peppermint Cure.

GERMAN* SACRILEGE. London, July T \ _ Mr. Warner Allen, who is with mt French on tlio Somnie, destribea tin* sacrilege of the (icrman* wlio mailt forlresse-s at C'urlii in the graveyard, emptying the graves and vaults and using them Us Tlie.v Hung out the Collins and corpses, uprooting the headstones and railing* for barricades and linking up the whole with subterranean passages, forming elaborate defence works full of concealed shelters for machine guns. Ilere the Germans, when driven from the village, linallv took refuge, compelling the French to concentrate their artillery and lay the church in ruins before they conquered.