WESTERN ATTACK.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 September 1916, Page 5

WESTERN ATTACK.

THE RECENT FIGHTING. - PRAISE FOR THE FRENCH, >• STEADY AND INEXORABLE PRESSURE. New York, Sept. fi. The Paris correspondent of the New York Times has visited the. Somme front and says that in the two days battle the French inflicted a crushing defeat on the flower of the German forces. They stormed what the Germans claimed were impregnable fortifications and, with a minimum of loss on their own side, caused jB.OOO German casualties. The correspondent asserts that the Germans are trying to fight the war on the lines originally laid down, but the French have adapted their tactics to the changed conditions, with the result that since July the French have advanced along a 15 mile front to a depth of from five to ten miles, holding and strengthening the captured ground and not trying to break through the German line, but exerting steady, inexorable pressure before which the whole sector is eventually forced to give way. LEUZE WOOD CAPTURED. ' ARTILLERY ACTIVE. London, Sept. C. Sir Douglas Haig reports: Wo captured the whole of Lenze Wood, and made a successful gas attack, at Goinmecourt. Fighting continues between Leuze Wood and Combles, also round Ginchy. The artillery was active on both sides northward and south of l'ozieres and Mouquet Farm, We effectively shelled the hutments in the Polygon Wood, eastward of Ypres. i A GERMAN REPORT. ALLIES GAINS ADMITTED, Received Sept. 7, 5.5 p.m. London, Sept. C. A German communique says: There is undiminished intensity in the battle on both sides of the Somme. Twenty-eght Anglo-French divisions (580,000 men) were engaged. The enemy gains of ground were small. Clery remains his. We maintain our first position against a fresh French attack at Barlcaux to the south of Chilly. Up to last night, south of the Somme we took 1408 prisoners. REPRISAL CAMPS ABANDONED. Received Sept. 7, 8.35 p.m. Paris, Sept. 7. As tile result of Germany's negotiations with France it has been agreed to abandon reprisal camps, notably in Courland and Poland, and to return French prisoners to ordinary war camps. ENEMY ATTACKS STOPPED. ' London, Sept. 0. A French communique savs: Our curtain of fire broke many attacks against our new positions southwards of Denniecourt. We stopped an attack on Floury, ANGLO-FRENCH BOMBARDt MENT

A WORLD'S RECORD. THE GERMAN -KRESS HOWLS. Received Sept. 8, 1,15 a.m. Amsterdam, Sept. 7. Correspondents emphasise the terrific character of the Anglo-French bombard' ment. The Berliner Tageblatt says it was the maddest gunfire the world had uver experienced. Never anywhere have guns been brought together in such masses as. in front of Maurepas. Clearly the cnemjr attempted to cover every inch of the German lines with shells, fighting with nothing else. It was brutal money wherewith he bought his shells. General Gallwitz, the Gprman army chief on the Somme, said: "We may lose our projecting points, but they will never break through." SEVERE FIGHTING AT GINCHY. . AN ENEMY PARTY SCATTERED. Received Sept. 7, 8.20 p.m. London, Sept. 6. General Sir Douglas Haig reports that severe fighting ensued at Ginehy. Our artillery caught and scattered a large party emerging from Courcelette. FRENCH SUCCESSES. , A FURTHER ADVANCE. j Received Sept. 7, 8.20 p.m. Paris, Sept. 7. A communique reports: Desperate fighting continues in the Chilly district. The French captured the northern position at Vcrmandovillers. A spirited attack enabled us to carry the major portion of Berny-en-Santerre, also the first line of the outskirts of Chaulnes, and also along the Cliaulues-Royc railway. GERMAN SUBMARINE DESTROYED. Received Sept. 7, G.oO p.m. Amsterdam, Sept. fi. British airmen blew up a damaged German submarine at Zeebrugge harbor.

THE RECENT ADVANCE. DESCRIBED BY MR. GIBBS. ATTACK UNEXPECTED BY ENEMY. GUILLEMONT. RUSHED, \ Received Sept. 7. 6.45 p.m. ! London, Sept. G. Mr. Philip dibbs, in the Daily Chronieie, continues iiis vivid description of the capture of (jiuillemont, Lenze Wood and l'alfemont Farm. Curiously enough, hi; states, the enemy did not seem to expect the attack, after they had Hung thousands of gas shells into the British trenches. The British went forward steadily, despite machine-guns sweeping the ground. They yuickly reached the outskirts of ruined Guillcinont, and rushed the village, displaying the finest valor. The iirst wave reached the German dugouts, and had a little fighting underground, a few proud Germans refusing to surrender quickly enough, hut the rest came out immediately, rejoicing at their luck. ■Half an hour later supporting troops advanced over the sunken road, where other Germans were captured. ADVANCE ON FALFEMONT FARM. After reorganisation, some of the victors of Guillcmont advanced on Falfemont Farm, but this was too far for one day's work, and they were driven to the outskirts of the wood by a counterattack by the Prussian Guard. The Germans, for once, faced British bayonets in the attack on Falfeinont Farm. WEDGE WOOD CAPTURED The capture ot Wedge Wood by the British was continued next day, Wedge Wood being a solitary copse of naked sticks, and Lenze Wood on a ridge above. Some waves broke into Wedge Wood, which was soon crowded with British soldiers, who seemed in a kind of scrimmage, from whence presently came a body ,of German prisoners. Waves of Britishers continued advancing steadily on Falfeinont Farm. They crept nearer the edge of the wood, and finally secured another body of German prisoners. A GERMAN SURPRISE FAILS. Then strange things began to happen in the (lerman lines. il'arties from Lenze Wood dashed towards the Falfeinont Farm. The Prussian Guardsmen advanced shoulder to shoulder and made a serpentine line across the ground. Then suddenly the right end k)f the jline crumbled away, and gaps opened, disclosing a thick bar of mm. Our machineguus were raking them like ninepins. The Prussian Guard/ fell face forward, those not wounded falling with the dead to escape the bullets. COUNTER-ATTACKS BROKEN. A counter-attack followed twenty minutes later, and a second German counter-attack was broken up in confusion. We took the wood in a battle that ended in darkness and a great rainstorm.