THE DECISIVE POINT.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 July 1916, Page 5

THE DECISIVE POINT.

i STATEMENT BY GENERAL HAIG. TERMS OF PEACE MUST BE WORTH HAVING. Received July 23, 5.30 p.m. , Paris, July 22. ; (.o Matin states thai., in tlie course oi • "•in interview, Sir Douglas Haig stated . the supreme decision of the war is to be ■ gainedon the West front. We must im- '' pose there terms of peace worth having, ': because we shall have paid for it. VERY HARD FIGHTING. ; • FOR IMPORTANT POSITIONS. .' GXBMY USING HEAVIER BATTERIES GRAVE ANXIETY AMONG GERMANS, , a Received July 22, 5.5 p.m. London, July 22. Mr. Philip Gibbs considers that tho present stage of the advance is causing Us very hard fighting for important positions on the high ground which must he gained and held before new progress is made over the open country. The enemy is gathering bis reserves and is flinging ' them against us to check the onward movement at all costs. Apparently the enemy has brought up new batteries of a heavier calibre, because his fire is increasing. German prisoners reveal the grave anxiety that is reigning behind the German lilies, where they do not minimise the greatness of our menace, and are straining every nerve to formidably resist it. On Thursday the enemy lost many men and some valuable ground in their engagement against both French and English. Early on Thursday morning', after a long bombardment, we attacked beIween" the Delville high roads and westward of these posif «. The enemy being in great strength maintained a strong defence, but suffered severelv, being forced to retreat in disorder. Upon some parts of the line some of the Scottish soldiers had a bad time, as they lay under the cross fire from the great British and German shells, issuing from the field batteries. We were firing twelve and fifteen inciters, which were roaring through the air, and when they exploded, causing vast earth shaking crashes. The attack was made before dawn on the '.. rising ground towards the high road, ■ which used to go across from the high ' wood to Delville Wood, but there are I now no roads. Our bombardment Ims torn the earth into a series of dee{ (■raters. The Germans had a line of dugouts here, which they had built in great 1 haste. Till') ATTACK DESCRIBED. Since July 1 our troops have been working round the high wood and in tha ' centre met, advancing on the wood itself over fallen trees and bodies of German dead. They determined to get on and hold on. During the day they organised their strong points and captured the western side and all the southern part ol the positions situated between Longttcval and Delville Wood. On the Northeast of that village there has been a i-crv full measure of trouble for us ever ; since our Highland regiments took them : on July M. Nevertheless, the Highland- ' cr-, held on with dogged endurance for liearlv a week- and frustrated the onemv's ofi'orts to recover their old ground. HIGH LANDERS' GREAT EXPLOIT. The gallantry of the Highlanders wai • wonderful. Their lire and dash at Lollgueval proved to lie one of Hie finest ' exploits of the war. Led by their pipe! ' into the thick of the battle, one ref "■intent advanced tn the tune of "The s Campbells are Coming." Then the pipei - screamed the charge, the most awful 1 music to tho=e who have the Highlandare aialnst them, With fixed bayoncti

they stormed the German trenches, where there were many concealed machine guns. The emplacements and dug-outs were so strong that no shell could smash them, hut the Highlanders Hung themselves by twos and threes into the vaults where the enemy wore packed, scornful of all danger. The Germans defended themselves with the most stubborn courage. The Highlanders dug trenches across the village, but the enemy barraged the village with progressive lines of heavy shells, yard by yard, hut stopped short where some ranks of tin Highlanders were lying down in fours. The casualties were heavy among both officers and men, but the Highlander." l held on. BRITISH TRENCHES INVADED. ENEMY IMMEDIATELY DRIVEN OUT. AN AIR BATTLE. Received Jnly 22, S.lTi p.m. London, July 22. General Sir Douglas Haig reports that there is a comparative lull in the main battle area. The enemy's bombing attack on the north edge of the Leipzig salient succeeded in entering our front trenches, but they were immediately (riven out. Our aeroplanes continue bombing important military points. The enemy aircraft was inactive until the evening, and then there was much fighting behind Ihe German lines. One of our offensive patrols encountered eleven German machines, three of which were brought down, one In flames. In another encounter, lasting fortyfive minutes, between four of our machines and six German, one of the former was brought down and another damaged. It is now established that the enemy's iissault on Delville Wood, over a front of two thousand yards, on July 18, was made by at least thirteen battalions from four different divisions. The enemy's losses were correspondingly great. $