WESTERN ATTACK.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 November 1916, Page 5

WESTERN ATTACK.

THE BRITISH ADVANCE. IMPORTANT POINTS HELD. RECENT WORK SUMMARISED. r.cccived Nov. 2, 5.5 p.m London, Nov. 1. Genera] Sir Douglas H.iig, summr.nsing tile recent operations, states:—The heavy rain falls almost daily. The cliall; soil in the upland between" Ancre and the Soranie is a wilderness of mud. Nevertheless, we progressed on the front, advancing towards Butte de Warlen Court and the vicinity of Gucudccourt and Les Boeufs; from'the Schwaben Redoubt, whither on the highest point, the ridge northward of Thiepval and the Stuff, and Regina trenches runs due east for wOOC yards to a point 1200 yards north-eastward of Courcelettc. ' The enemy defended both with great tenacity. The German regiments, in an order dated the 20th October, were urged to recapture Schwaben Redoubt, which was the pivot of the German position. This attack was not merely a matter of jetaining trenches, because they were formerly in German possession, but the recapture was extremely important. Received Nov. 2, G. 50 p.m. Since losing the main portion of the Schwaben Redoubt, the enemy has made eleven counter-attacks in the neighbourhood. They were repulsed each time with heavy losses. That on the Redoubt on the 21st was opportune. We replied, and took the whole of the Regina and Stuff Redoubts, a'nd pushed our advance posts well northward and north-eastward of the Schwaben Redoubt, and captured nearly 1100 prisoners. The Canadians and troops of the New Army conducting the operation deserve great credit for this signal and most economical victory. The enemy has latterly increased his aerial activity, but this has satisfactorily been dealt with by us. The total prisoners secured by us on the Somme battlefield 1 are 31,1.12. General Haig reports: Conjointly with the French, we made a local attack eastward of Les Bocufs, and gained some ground. Our front between Lcsars, Guedeo„ourt, and the neighbourhood of Sc-hwabcu Redoubt was heavily shelled. We bombarded the trenches southward of HuXucb with good result? FRENCH IMPORTANT CAINS. GERMANS MAKE GREAT EFFORT. COMPLETELY AND SANGUINARILY DEFEATED. Received Nov. 2, 10.20 p.m. Paris, Nov. ?. An official communique states: North of the Somme we made important gains during the day, following up the night successes. North-east of Les Bocufs we captured two new enemy trenches. We made another attack south-east of Sailliesel. The capture of a strong trench system on the western fringe of St. Pierre Vaast Wood is confirmed. The German attack on Sailly Salliosel in the morning was a great effort to eject us from the village. The enemy defeat was complete and most sanguinary, judging by a number of bodies left on the battlefield. Reuter's Service. On the Verdun front there is an artillery duel of the most violent kind at tiic Douaumont sector. We have taken at Verdun since October 2't a total of ((Oil unwounded prisoners. The material captured since October 2-1 alone, so far as it has been counted, comprises fifteen guns, including five heavy, as well as 51 trench, gnus, 144 machine-guns, and two wireless installations. The day has been quiet on the rest of the front. Two German aeroplanes fell in air fights on the Somme yesterday. , A GERMAN STORY London, Nov 1. A German communique declares that ■the English attacks from the Courcc-lette-Gueudeconrt-Le.s Bocufs line broke down. FRENCH MAKE PROGRESS. London, Nov. 1. A French communique says: —We progressed north-east of Les Boeufs, We broke up violent attacks on Sailly-Sail-iiscl from the cast and north, and dealt similarly with an attack south-west of Altkirch. RAIDS ON ENEMY TRENCHES. London, Nov. 1. Sir Douglas Haig reports successful raids on the enemy trenches north-east of Festubcrt and Messinos. BRITAIN'S PRE PAR ATIONS. London, Nov. 1. M. Frederick Coudert, who has visited the west front, says that England will reach the zenith of her preparations in the spring, when she will have five times the present number of guns.