WESTERN ATTACK.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 June 1917, Page 5

WESTERN ATTACK.

THE ANZACS' PART. CAPTAIN BEAN'S .ACCOUNT. Received June 11, 5.5 p.m. Sydney, June 11. Captain Bean's cable, describing the capture of Messines, states: At the first streak of dawn, the British on the left, and the Australians and Xew Zeaiaiulers on the right, attacked under a hurricane bombardment. Throughout the whole of the night the enemy had 'drencled the whole of the landscape in front of him with gas shells, but, despite this, the attack went more precisely according to programme than any ever made by the Germans or British, so far as I know. Without the slightest hitch the Aus-

tralian Division crossed the river Douve in No Man's Land and advanced from one shattered trench to another, from ruined farmhouse to farmhouse, all the

time being within fifty to a hundred yards of the gradually advancing lino of its own shellfire. For two hours it 'Was impossible to see anything through the douse clouds of dust, shell, and smoke, and then the figures of the New Zealanders were seen moving up to the ridge top by the ruins of Messines, the British being away to the north, and the Australians in the Douve valley to the south.

Within a few hours the whole of the attack had succeeded, and the men were moving into position for a further advance, the Germans simultaneously massing for a counter-attack. The British preparatory bombardment appeared to catch this counter-attack and crush it. The Australians then attacked beyond Messines, along the whole right, and completed the capture of the ridge. Received June 11, 11.45 pjn. Sydney, June 11. Captain Bean states that the New Zealanders found at the German headquarters at Messines an order to hold the ridge at all costs, and also messages from the Kaiser and other high personages condoling with the 3rd Bavarian Division in their heavy losses in recent battles. The commandant assured the troops that the Iron Cross Division must bo a* double duty division. A further series of messages terminated, as a tank [SOO yards distant was approaching.

MAN-MADE EARTHQUAKE. LIKE A CLIFF FALLING (DOWN A PRECIPICE. TUNNELLERS' GREAT WORK. Received June 11, 9.30 p.m. London, June 10. Mr. Philip Gibbs says ths ground gained at Messines remains firm in our liands, the artillery breaking the attempts at counter-attacks in most cases before the enemy was able to advance. Only at Kleim zillebek'e, at the northern flank of the battle line, did the Germans temporarily gain a footing. There many of their dead lie, owing to the fierce fighting, which is still progressing. "I saw new batches of prisoners mopped up on Friday night. It is no wonder they don't regret capture after their experiences of our gunfire. They are young boys and middle-aged men, all sturdy and strong, but extraordinarily ignorant of the world-wide hatred Germany has aroused. They expect admiration for the way they fought. They want the war to end quickly, and care not much -whether it ends in a German, victory. "After inspecting the smashed German trenches I can understand the. German soldiers' desire to see the end of this kind of warfare. It is a marvel to me that any prisoners were taken. Every yard was ploughed and swept by shellfire. Messines ridge is utterly bare, and deeply scarred and .pitted by the tempest of shells. Some bodies of German soldiers lie in the ruins, but most o£ tho killed lio .buried under masses of earth flung up by tho shells or buried in their tunnels, which collapsed, while others were buried by the wild upheaval of the mines, which opened tho earth beneath them. Yawning chasms tliey arc, a hundred yards wide and sixty feet deep. '•The mining under the German lines had been conducted for more than a year by tunnelling companies from the Australian, New Zealand, and English mining districts. It was hard and dangerous toil because of the enemy countermining. There were frightful moments When the tunuellers heard the sound of picks very close, and they had to rush out lest "they be blown into the next world. The miners relieved one another in the darkness, lest the enemy aircraft should see and suspect them. "The Australian tunnellers waited on Wednesday night in a dugout not far away for the moment when their year's work would be accomplished by the touch of a little spring on a metal plate, whence an electric wire ran to the mineshaft below Hill CO. They waited with nerves strung tensely, deeply excited, , though very quiet. They knew exactly | the explosive power of the tons of ammonal packed under tho enemy's position. ' , "There was always the yisk of misadventure and tho appalling risk of failure, because this work of a man-made earthquake is a tricky business. The long spell of intense silence was broken at len minutes past three. 'Fire,' said the officer. The metal disc was touched. There was a noise of the earth in travail, a rending and rushing noise, breaking out in a vast roar like a, cliff falling down a precipice. Hill 60 opened and let forth a great eruption of flaming clods. "The troops waiting to attack rose to the signal. Some were flung down by the explosion. Wurtembergers and Jaegers rose from their holes holding up their trembling hands and asking for mercy. They shook with terror of the explosion. Some were found cowering in dark pits which before the explosion vero deep dug-outs or observation posts, heavily concreted." NEW ZEALANDERS' SHINING FEAT. London, June 10. Newspapers' describe th& New Zealanders' capture of Messines as one of the shining feats by overseas troops in the war. "The Australians shared thenglories,

A FORMIDABLE TASK.

NEW JZEALANDERS DO, THEIR WORK. WELL. Times Service. Eeeeived June 12, 1 a.m. London, June 11. The New Zealanders had perhaps the moat formidable part of the line, namely, the village of Messines. The German iguns were quicker at getting to work 'there than elsewhere. The 'New Zealandera heavily shelled the German infantry in their strongly [fortified positions. Stiff fighting resulted. The New Zealanders took the village and did everything that was asked of them within the time appointed, and then entrenched. The Australians, according to plan, went through. Tito New Zealanders then carried the victorious advance to the present line, a total of five thousand yards.' GERMAN PRISONERS BUT BOYS STATEMENTS BY HON OFFICERS. Received June 11, 9.10 p.m. Paris, June 10. i The Petit Parisien's correspondent at | the British front states that the age of most of the German prisoners taken at Mcssines is about W or 18. With the spontaneity of youth, they did not seek to hide their joy at having finished fighting. Officers said that the German leaders had for a long time not counted on winning, and do not believe submarines can bring victory. BLACK HOLE OF LILLE. ILL-TREATMENT OF AUSTRALIAN PRISONERS. . United Service. Received June 11, 9 pan. London, jrano 10. Two ■ Australians who escaped from the black hole of Lille, describing the state of the old underground fort, say there was not sufficient room to enaWe all of them to lie down. They were only allowed out for five minutes daily, and were supplied with but a limited quantity of nauseating black coffee, which they had to drink out of their helmets. Everyone was weak from hunger. The guards refused them water. Later the party was taken to Manquion, a 36 hours' journey, without food On arrival they ate grass and dandelions. Rain and cold were continuous, and they were - without blankets during the whole of the time. VALUE OF AIR SERVICE. ENEMY MILITARY MACHINE GREATLY IMPEDED. OUR-LOSSES UNDER 10,000. ~ A' NEW HORROR FOR THE HUNS. Times Service. Received June 11, 10 p.m. London, June 10. Mr. Robinson, the war correspondent, describing the value of the air service in tho Messines fight, says one squadron supplied reports enabling the gunners to silence seventy-two German batteries. Ono brigade sent in 390 calls. In response thereto our guns are known to have obtained 160 direct hits. Besides dropping explosives on all the enemy aerodromes, tho airmen flew down and attacked sixty German concentrations, immensely impeding the military machine. The German wireless messages are hilariously untrue. Our casualties when the wireless was issued did not exceed ten thousarid. Seeing the number of prisoners it was impossible to believe the German losses were under thirty thousand. Every known weapon, except gas, was used in our attack, including a new horror known as "milk-cans," or boiling oil. It is not permissible to describe the invention, but it throws to a distance projectiles containing highly inflammable stuff, bursting on concussion and scattering a conflagration widelj'. Prisoners say the "milk-cans" caused terror and did an immense amount of harm. FURTHER GROUND GAINED. SUCCESSFUL RAIDS London, June 10. Sir Douglas Haig reports: We have gained further ground at a number of points southward of Ypres. We made successful raids last night south-east of Epehy, south of Araentieres, north-cast of Ypres, and also repulsed raiders eastward of Le Verguier and south-west of La Bassee. A GERMAN STATEMENT. London, June 10. A wireless German official report says: We repulsed several English night advances between Ypres and Ploegsteert wood. The enemy lost, in Flanders, .16 aeroplanes during Friday and Saturday. IMPROVED TYPE OF TANKS'. Paris, June 10. M. Tudesq, a correspondent, states that thp British experimented in the Flanders battle with a 'new type of tanks, which are more powerful and rapid than those used in the Somme battle. ; AERODROME BOMBED. London/ June 10. The Admiralty reports that naval aeroplanes yesterday successfully carried) out a bomb raid on the aerodrome afj St. Denis Werem. All our machines ; returned safely.

ENEMY ARTILLERY ACTIVE.

A SUCCESSFUL RAID. Received June 11, 0.45 p.m. London, June 11. Field-Marshal Sir Douglas Haig reports: There were no further counterattacks southward of Ypres, but the enemy artillery is active here, also in the neighborhood of Fontaino les Croiselles. AVe successfully raided southward of the Souchez river, and downed nine enemy aeroplanes. Three of ours are missing.

\ French communique states: There was a violent artillery attack on the sector Nieuport-Les Baines, in Belgium. We severely damaged the German trenobes, 1 and downed twerity-ono enemy aeroplanes and two captive balloons during the week ended the June 7.