WESTERN ATTACK.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 June 1917, Page 5

WESTERN ATTACK.

CLOSING IN ON LENS. GERMAN RETREAT CONTINUES. THEY FEAR THE WORST. ENIEMY AIRMEN FOILED, United Press. i Received Juile 28, 5.5 p.m. London, June 27. The headquarters correspondent states that the British continue closing in on Lens. The advancing patrols nre keeping in touch with the retiring Germans. Southward of the city the Germans retreated into Avion, -behind the Marl-court-Avion switch line, using the ruins of Lens suburbs, the railway embankment) and the slag heaps as machine-gun fortresses for holding up "the British, Jn the west of the village the diffieulties of the attackers are tremendous, but prisoners admit the Germans, are sorely pressed and fear the worst. The British are holding all the high ground of the sialient. The enemy's airmen are frantically trying to solve the riddle of Sir Douglas Haig's offensive, whether it is against Yipres, Messines, Lens, Arras, or Bullccourt, but r captured document confessed that the aeroplanes Were stopped before they flew over our front lines. PRESSING THE RETIRING LINE NOT A REARWARD FIGHT. ENEMY ARTILLERY UNUSED. Received June 28, 8 p.m. 'London, Juno 27. The headquarters correspondent says the Germatis' resistance to our present push Can scarcely foe called rearguard fighting, since we are pressing the whole retiring line. Tho enemy cannot employ artillery much, because lie would probably punish his own infantry equally with ours. . FACILITATING RETREAT. BRIDGES ACROSS THE RHINE. Received Juno 08, G ft.m. London, June 27. Basle newspapers report that ftve bridges on boats have been -built across the Rhine near the Swiss frontier, it is conjectured to facilitate the retreat of the Oermanß. WHY THE FRENCH ARE FIGHTINC. GENERAL PETAIN'S VIEWS. Received June 28, 5.5 p.m. -Paris, June 27. general Petain, in an article in the bulletin des Armes on "VFhy we are fighting," says Germany had desired the war for years with both Russia and France. She proposed to drive Russia into Asia, wipe us out, and dominate Jiuro-pe. The pan-Germans confessed they wanted Flanders, Artois, and Lorraino's agricultural and mineral resources, and a tenfold greater indemnity than m 18711. What she did to France she would soon do to the rest of Europe. SUCCESSFUL RAIDS. London, June 27. 1 ® lr Douglas Haig reports: Our artillery this morning prevented the development of a counter-attack north-west of Fontivine-les-Croiselles. We successfully raided westward of Oppv. Our fire stopped a raid south-west" of La Bassee. Received Juno 28, 8.5 op.m. London, June 28. Sir Douglas Haig reports: We repulsed raiders northward of Roeux. There was sharp fighting, with considerable enemy loss. We brought down six and drovo down two aeroplanes. None of oursi is missing. A French communique states: Greater reciprocal artillery activity was displayed in the Hurtcbise, Craonne, nnd Avocourt sectors, and on the heights of Moronvillers. The artillery straggle continues In the region of Hurtelbise. Among the organisations captured on the 25th was a stronghold point d'a.ppui. They contained much valuable material. The enemy counter-attacked. SECOND AMERICAN CONTINOEXT. Paris, June 20. The second contingent of American troops has arrived. A GERMAN REPORT. Received June 28, 8.50 p.m. London, Juno 28. Wireless German official: We heavily repulsed English attacks in tho Lens salient and at Fontaines. In tho evening we occupied «. trench on both sides of the Arras-Lens road. Our artillery successfully shelled Dunkirk. The artillery is lively at Narajowka and southward of the LembergTarnoipol railway. HINDENBURG LINE. RATHER A SEPULCHRE THAN A CRYPT. BATTERED BY BRITISH SHELLING. London, May 22. Mr. Beach Thomas (Daijy Mail) says that the Hindenliurg TTne is rather a sepulchre than a crypt. Over 200 of the German dead have been counted. How many were buried no man may conjecture. Our airmen photographed it "before and after" as a sort of advertisement for the artillery. The first picture reveals a neatly-chiselled trench witfc trim, regular traverses, and edges cut behind the protection level, and regular bands of wire. The second reveal? a chaos, wherein no trace of cither trench or wire may be found amongst the holes drilled thickly by the six-inch shells. The fighting proves the extreme value of the instruction in musketry. Men who trust their rifles and know their

own skill show superior confidence to the rest in holding a trench without undue appeals for artillery protection or excessive supplies of bombs. Mr. Krrie ftobinson (The Times) says that tha lighting in the neighbourhood of t6ntaih«'l4j»or6isfilea and aling the Senseft River resulted in giving us 3()00 yards more of what was once the Hindenburg line. The IrOiips report that the Hindenburg line is now undiscoversljlr, so battered is it bv our artillery. Prisoners say that the British shelling was terrific. Their morale is so* shaken that it is Almost gone. In spite of the Mindenbttrg line being obliterated as a whole, the German, position, with the cover of the ruins of the village, and the obstacle of the river and valley, was so strong that it made a formidable posi> tion to attack. Therefore the performance was altogether creditable to the English and Scottish troopi participating. • The first attack, earlv In the morning, gave us the Whofc of the enemV's p'ositions over a distance of 3001) yards. BRITISH HOLD HINDEXBORQ LINE. The second attack, early in the evening, resulted in the taking of the secondline positions along the Hindenburg support line as far as the line could be defined north and south of the river. Counter-attacks were broken up, and there remain now in German possession only about 2000 yards of what was once the redoubtable Hindenburg line to the west of Bullecourt. Fighting is continuing in the Bullecourt area. The situation is full of promise. The Germans have totally failed to shake our hold on Bullecourt village or the trench-lines adjoining. How desperately the enemy is fighting here is best indicated by the fact that during the past six weeks he used against the British and French over 00 divisions. The 4Sltli Reserve Division, which has been badly hit, was recently brought from Rouinania. Others came from Russia and the liorthern part of the Western front. The German resistance has indeed been immensely costly.