WESTERN ATTACK.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 April 1917, Page 5

WESTERN ATTACK.

BATTLE OF ARRAS. THE SECOND PHASE HARDER THAN THE FlltST. Received April 24, 5.5 p.m. London, April 23. Mr. Philip gibbs writes: The battle or Arras has entered its second phase, which is harder than the battle of the '•'tli, and this morning k'foro five o'clock the English, Scottish and Welsh attacked eastward of Arras, between' Gnvrellc, Geinnppe, Fontainel and Croisjlles, of which the last lias .a switch lino lu'.oabouts between us and the main Hindenburg line. So far the day is in our favor. Wii gained important ground, inflicted great losses, and made prisoners of a thousand in the neighborhood e.f Fontainel. 'Everywhere there is hard fighting, as the'enemy wore aware they would be attacked, soon,, and their guns Avree moved up. The . Germans were told to hold on at all costs and brought up many new batteries, and massed machine-guns in villages and trenches covering the line of advance. Fighting progresses at all points, Sometimes our men are beaten back, ami then, re-attacking, go forward. Gavrelle is certainly ours, thus breaking the s'e-called Oppy line, northward of Scarpe. We are now beyond Gemappc, southwards of Scarpo, though fighting is proceeding around a village on the extreme right. The, enemy suffered disaster northward of Croiselles, where we made prisoners of and killed many. At the outset the enemy resisted fieroelj'. Last night was terribly cold. Our.men lay in shell holes and shallow trenches, and suffered severely. A HURRICANE FIRE.

Received April 24, 9.25 p.m. London, April 23. The British bombardment was steady throughout the night, and broke into a hurricane fire at dawn. The artillery barrage wan brilliantly successful directly the attack commenced, but the Britishers had hardly risen from the shell holes'and ditches before the German counter-barrage staited. A furnace blast of machine-gun fire'from'the two small woods in front of Monehy ar/fl Ojnappc also commenced. The enemy tranches below Monehy were defended by enfilade fire from redoubts along the Camhrai road. When tha Britishers swept down the Germans quickly fled to the cover of the wood of Bois Ausart. . BRITISHERS HELD UP,

The Britishers elsowhere along the Scarpe were held up for some time by the intense- machine-gun fire, and had to await tho arrival of a tank. Still further north tho Scottish battalions quickly advanced towards Roeux, passing a fortified farm and chemical works, where tho enemy lost very heavily in trying CS escape from the ruins. A BRILLIANT EPISODE. The capture of Gavrelle was a most brilliant episode of the left side at'tack. Tiie Germans set great store on Gemappe—a bricks deriving its importance from its position upon the Cambrai road. The Third Bavarian Division held the village, where there was deadly hand-to-hand fighting. WHOLESALE SURRENDERS. The First Pomeranian Regiment was in the neighborhood of Fontaine], Scroi and'Selles. The Pomeranians for several days were bombarded , and their nerves were bo shaken tliat they came wit from their dug-outs. Five hundred surrendered Without attempting to fight. Between. Cojcul and Senses rivers, where the British advanced along the curved line following the shape of the rising ground, we took at least twelve hundred prisoners and a battery of field guns.

GERMAN VERSION. Received April 24, 9.25 p.m. tondon, April 23. A wireless German official message states that the new English assault at Arras broke down with heavy enemy losses, !-j'"J—ATTACKS REPULSED. ALLIES' DESTRUCTIVE FIRE. Received April 24, 11 pjn. London, April 24. A French communique states: We completely repulsed several attacks upon various. points in Belgium and between the Sijmme and the Oise. The batteries' destructive fire against tiie German organisations between the Aisne and Chemin des Dames progressed north of Sancy. The artillery_ duel was particularly severe on the sector of Hurtshire Farm. Thera was inuch successful aer'ial fighting.

THE SCARPE ATTACK. „.., NO DEFINITE OBJECTIVE, STUBBORN. FIGHTING. • Received April 25, 12.50 a.m. London, April 24. The correspondents at the British headquarters says three days' fine weather precede;} the Searpe attack, which was on a front of 12,0QP yards. At least two thousand prisoners were taken. The attack was considerably less important than that on the 9th April, because there was no definite objective, like the old German first line ,but instead a continuous trench system. The British were facing rolling country, dotted with many isolated posts and short lengths of trenches. Such a- country offered the artillery no defined target or object of attack. Many of the Germans in the second .lines fought stubbornly, and there was considerable bayonet lighting. It is evident that the Germans are making every effort to complete their defences in the rear.

NEW BRITISH OFFENSIVE. A GALLANT OFFICER. HUN TREACHERY. Received April 24, 9.45 p.m. London, April 23. Mr. Thomas, describing the new British offensive, describes the great concentration of new German reserves and batteries on botli sides of the Searpe to meet the renewed attacks. He says ■that one of our officers rushed his men past the German curtain fire, and then paraded up close to their own barrage. The moment the curtain lifted our men were in the enemy's trenches and bay■onetted the whole garrison, save a handful who were taken prisoners. The Germans fought to the death. A group were nearly surrounded, and held ■up their hands, but as the British rose from the shell holes the machine-gun-ners behind, who had been pretending to surrender, opened fire in all directions. 1 never met Britishers-, coming from tattle with such passionate words of fury. Much air fighting prefaced the battle. Six German machines were downed..

. ON THE SCARPE. FIGHTING. FORWARD, 1000. PRISONERS TAKEN. Received April 24, 0.45 p.m. London; April 22. Sir Douglas Haig reports: There has been heavy and oontinueus righting all day on both banks of the Scarpe, and important positions were gained. A marked feature of the operations is the frequency and violence of the counterattacks, wherein there have been very heavy enemy losses. We. captured Gavrelle village and two ahd a half miles of defences to the southwards of the village as far as Rolux cemetery. We. fought our way forward on the right Jiank of the Scarpe, on a wide front south-east of Monchy-le-Preux, and captured Gemappe, making prisoners of considerably over a thousand. We also progressed south-west of Lens. There was great aerial activity on Sunday. Fifteen German machines also four lute balloons, were downed. Four British machines are missing.

FRENCH OFFENSIVE. - GREAT ARTILLERY BATTLE. ' i ENEMY ATTACKS REPULSED; London, iAlpril 23. ' A French communique says: —There was a greab artillery battle at night south of St. Quentin and between Soissons and Rheims. Our batteries effectively beat down a violent enemy bombardment east of Craonne. It was preparatory to an attack which did not take place. Our artillery and machinegun fire broke an attack last night pn a salient north-east of High Mount. In Champagne tho enemy renewed his.attempt at night on the crests wo hold of the Moronvillers Massif, where the strugglo was keen at certain p "iats, resulting everywhere to our advantage.

THE UNCONQUERABLE TANK. i >——— USEFUL THOUGH DISABLED. London, April 23. The Morning Post's correspondent says that German experts spent the winter devising iwiays to" combat the tanks, -which are, however, still unconquereijj During tho Arraß advance they roamed round and smashed redoubts. When put out of action the usefulness of the tanks is not finished. One crew continued to kill Germans long after the craft was helpless. The commander and another toqk a Lewis gun, opened fire and killed a whole detachment of 21 Bavarians who had designs on them, and returned unhurt. Another tank scoured tho Seayal marshes for two days, and after it had exhausted its ammunition amused itself 1 by smashing concreted shelters and then returned. ' THE GERMAN REPORT. ;' Londoii, April 23. A German official report says:—The English on Sunday penetrated our first line north-west of Lens on a 900 motres front. A counter-attack drove them back. Infantry fighting recommenced in the morning on a wide front. A strong French attack north-west of the La Cilleauz Bois was heavily repulsed. Wo brought down VI aeroplanes.