WESTERN ATTACK.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 October 1916, Page 5

WESTERN ATTACK.

BRITISH ATTACK. ON *\N EXTENDED FROST, SUCCESSFUL AERO RAIDS. Received Oct. 19, 10.35 p.m.> London, Oct 19. General Sir Douglas Haig reports: This morning we made an attack on an extendi front northward of Gueudecourt. Our aircraft on Tuesday miull many reconnaisauces and three bombing raids, railway stock and station buildings being damaged, and a train hit and derailed. Four enemy machines were driven down damaged, and a fifth fell into a lake. Four of our machines have not returned.

IMPORTANT FRENCH CAINSFIRST GERMAN LINE CAPTURED. SOUTHWARD OF THE SOJDIE. Received Oct, 19, 8,30 p.m. Paris, Oct. lfl. A communique says: We captured the whole of Sailly-Saillisel and expelled the enemy from the crests south-westward and north-eastward of the village. We carried with a rush the first German line along the whole Masonette-Biaches front southward of the Somme.

MAORI WORK PRAISED Received Oct. 19, 6.10 p.m. 'London, Oct. IS. Mew Zealand soldiers who participated in the capture of Flers s; xk with enthusiasm of the magnificent work of the Maori Pioneer Battalion in constructing saps in the newly-captured grouud.

REDUCING ENEMY STRENGTH' Received Oct. 19, 5.5 p.m 'Paris, Oct. IS. ■Between October 9 and 16 the Allies on all fronts took 18,000 prisoners 'STEADY PROGRESS MADE. London, Oct 18 A French communique states: Our fire broke three attacks at Sailly-Saillisel. In an enemy attack east of Berny-en-Santerre small parties penetrated our advanced trenches. Our counter-attack killed or captured them or drove them back in disorder. We penetrated the trenches, taking prisoners, at Frcsnieres, south-east of Rlieims. Sir Douglas Haig says: We made progress between the Albsrt-Bapaume road and Les Boeufs,

HIGH COMMISSIONER'S REPORTS. Wellington, Oct.'in. The Ilißh Commissioner reports under date London, October IS, 1-2.10 p.m.: A British official report states that, notwithstanding the rain, we progressed at points between the Albcrt-Bapaume road and 'Les Boeufs, taking some prisoners.

The High Commissioner reports under date London, Oct. 18, 2.55 p.m.: French reports say: North of the Somme yesterday the enemy renewed his attempts on Sailly-Sailliscl, but three attacks were broken successfully and the enemy suffered serious loss. All our gains were maintained intact.

South of the Somme the Germans attacked this morning eastwards of Berny-en-Santerre. Portions of our advanced trenches were penetrated, but the enemy wis immediately thrown back :'ny a counter-attack, the enemy retiring in disorder. He was caught by our barrage of fire and had many killed. BELGIAN ENGINES FOE RUSSIA. Paris, Oct. 18. Le Matin states that the Belgians have shipped to Byssia eighty large locomotives, which had been moved to France when Belgium was invaded.

IN THE OPEN. A GERMAN COUNTER-ATTACK. FACED BY WEST AUSTRALIANS. (From Captain C. E. W. Bean, Official Press Representative with. ■ the Australian Imperial Force.)

Copyright reserved by the CrownBritish Headquarters, France, August 14./ It was during the latest phase of this series of battles which the Australians have been righting beyond Pozieres. The line had advanced northwards, for several nights—sometimes heavy fighting, sometimes comparatively easy. It had gone about half a mile since the battle of Pozieres Ridge. Then the shelling began, and was very heavy. For a night and a morning the Germans poured heavy shell and shrapnel into that area. The shelling gradually rose crescendo, suddenly the enemy's shell fire lengthened.

Now, in this war, when enemy's bombardment lengthens, it generally means one thing. Every soldier on both sides knows that. And this time the muchtried West Australians for onee found exactly what they were longing for. Over the edge of the hill slope, not s< very far away, came a line of heads advancing quickly. They were in a good line, and they were coming up at a rapid walk. Our men could see that the German had their bayonets fixed. A spatter of rifle fire from our side rapidly increased to a rattle such as has seldom been heard by Australians since they left Gallipoli.

THE ATTACK REELS. The Germans, I am told, came on very bravely. The line was now clear up on the hillside in front of the trench. The effect of our fire was abviqus to those who looked to see it. Men in the advancing line were falling, men spun round, men dropped, men tried to run away and then tumbled. Men flung , themselves down, and began to crawl

backwards. There was a creeping to shelter, a hopping out of some spot found dangerous into some cover which looked safer—such men as remained standing seemed to be looking for something they could not find, as if they had lost themselves. They went to the ground as the rest had done. The first wave had melted. The noise had scarcely died down and movement censed, when over tin- hills came a second hunch of heads, ft was no line this time—just a clump of men in no recognisable formation. Goodness knows what terror they had met on the way up to throw them into ihat disorder. Perhaps a scramble oi" other men rushing back; perhaps they had winced when they saw what had happened to the first wave, and their officers had only managed to organise them into that hastily gathered crowd stumbling up hill for the honor of their regiment and the Fatherland. They, too, seemed, so I am told, to he looking for something which they could not find. The rattle of the rifles crashed out again. The second wave melted like the first! A little later on came a third over the bend of the hill. This fell as the others had done.

THE LAST STAGE. Some men in that attack had reached further than others—too far to get back easily into the shelter of the valley. Besides, by this time the shelter of the valley was treacherous enough. Our artillery was' drenching it with shell. It had been turned on very quickly. The Germans could be seen scrambling from one scrap of cover into another. Th» movement gradually subsided. Some twenty Germans at least of those who had come the furthest were out in front of our trenches. They had no chance of getting back. Someone beckoned to them, and they came on straight into our lines. It was part of two German regiments that had attacked. They never gained any semblance of success. The enemy, seeing that lit had failed, turned on his artillery again, and the day ended as it began.

ON THE SEA!

TWO BREMENS CAPTURED. A THIRD EN ROUTE TO AMERTCA. VALUABLE DOCUMENTS SEIZED. Received Oct. 19, 8.35 p.m. New York, Oct, in. The New York World states that the first Bremen was captured in the Straits of Dover. When the submarine was following in the wake of a vessel she became so entangled that it took two days to release her from the net. Five ot the crew were then dead, and the remainder were exhausted. Valuable documents and mails were captured. The ' British also captured a second Bremen, and a third is en route to America.

A VISIT TO THE FLEET. • ADMIRAL JELLICOE'S ADVICE London, Oct, IS. At the invitation of the Admiralty, representatives of the chief Dominion newspapers are visiting the Grand Fleet, the cruiser squadron, the shipbuilding yards and the munition works.

Admiral Jellieoe, on the Iron Duke, received and entertained the party, and, in response to a request for a message to the Dominions, said: "Tell them to go on as they have begun." Later, the party visited other ships, including one on which Vice-Admiral Jen-am said he was glad that representatives of the Dominions were able to sea the ships in working trim. The more the Mother Country and the Dominions saw of each other the better for all concerned,

THE MOST POPULAR CRUISERS. Received Oct. 19, <UO p.m. London, Oct. IS. Amongst other warships which the Dominion; visited were the Australia and New Zealand, which are now with the cruiser squadron.

RUSSIA.

ALL ATTACKS REPULSED Petrograd, Oct. IS A communique states: We repelled the enemy south-east of Ozeriany. They fired gas shells. There was fierce lighting north of Korytnitza. We reprised all attacks at Dorna Watra. We repulsed the Turks and Kurds seven times south-east tof Erzingan.