WESTERN ATTACK.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 February 1917, Page 5

WESTERN ATTACK.

MORE TRENCHES TAKEN. ENEMY LINES ENTERED. Received Feb. 13, 6 p.m. London, Feb. 12. (Field-Marshal Sir Douglas Haig reports:—Yesterday, in the neighborhood of the Beaueourt-Puisieux road, we occupied fiOO yards of trench without difliculty. A counter-attack southward of Serre Hill was caught by our artillerv barrage, and easily repulsed. We en- / tered the enemy's line in a number of places, and exploded an ammunition dump south-east of Armentiere*

FANTASTIC BRITISH RAID. , \ SOLDIERS IN NIGHTSHIRTS, t 3EKMANS FALL EASY VICTIMS. Eeeeived Feb. 13, 5.30 p.m London, Feb. 12. Mr. Philip Gibbs humorously explains the German communique with reference to British snow-shirted troops. The front was recently enlivened by curious .stories of officers" shopping in French, •villages and buying up ladies' nightdresses. The Canadian trenches echoed •with laughter at the sight of 100 brawny men donning nightdresses on a bright moonlight night, when they went out to snow-covered "No Man's Land," though many of the white robes were stained with red before the adventure end-d. but the Germans, on getting a glimpse of the fantastic figures, quickly surren- | dered or were slain, jnd the so-called j Pierrots returned lightheartedly, bringing their prisoners. The Gordons carried out a similar successful raid, wearing white smocks and jrhite painted helmets. BECIPROCAL ARTILLERYING. j , Received Feb. 13, 7.30 p.m. London, Feb. 13. 'A French communique states:—There is intermittent reciprocal artillerying in tlie Bezange sectors of the Vosges. MINOR FRENCn SUCCESSES. London, Feb. 12. A French communique records minor successes, including two coups de main in the Argonne sector and at Hill 301 respectively, in which prisoners were A French air squadron bombed the railway stations at Venay, Dnn-snr-Meuse and Athies. ABSURD GERMAN REPORT. *" London, Feb. 12. A, wireless German official message nays':—We repulsed English attacks eastward of Annentieres and southward of La Bassec Canal. We repulsed six night attacks between Serre and the Anere,. The assailants wore snow shirts and suffered heavy losses in hand-to-band fighting. We evacuated trenches south-east of Serre before the English attacked. IMPORTANCE OF BRITISH ADVANCE. Paris, Feb. 12. Newspapers pay great attention to the British advance, characterising it as of real importance. They suggest .that the British 3houl t I definitely ascertain whether the German retirement is wholly forced, or represents some new 'Jactic*! device.