IMPORTANT TOWN CAPTURED.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 April 1917, Page 6

IMPORTANT TOWN CAPTURED.

BRITISH ENTER LENS. Received April 10, 12.5 a.m. London, April 15. The British have entered Lens. T.ons is a town with a population og 27,000, 10 miles north-north-east of Arias. It is an important coal field, and has iron and steel works, sugar and soap factories. PRELIMINARY OPERATIONS. SUKBOUNDING VILLAGES SEIZED. FIERCE FIGHTING. HEAVY ENEMY LOSSES. Received April 10. I a.ni; • _ London, April K>. Field Marshal Sir Douglas Hiig reports:—This morning we captured Lievini. south-west and adjoining Lens, taking considerable quantities of war material. In the afternoon ave seized Oite and St. Pierre, north-west of Lens. We pressed on our .whole front on the Scarpe river, south of Loos, and reached points from two to three miles east of Vimy ridge. There was heavy daylight fighting south of the Scarpe. Wo everywhere maintained the positions previously captured, and inflicted serious enemy losses. I We progressed on a wide front north and south of Bapaume on the Cambrai road, fierce encounters resulting in our favor south-east of Fayet to within a few hundred yards of St. Quentin. We carried Cracourt village at the point of the bayonet. The enemy stubbornly resisted and attempted a'hostile counter-attack, but it was broken. Our aeroplanes on Thursday and Friday dropped large quantities of explosives with good results on enemy stations, ammunition depots, and aerodromes. We successfully attacked enemy infantry convoys, with machine guns. Four German aeroplanes were brought down and six driven down. Twelve of ours have not returned.