STRONG POSITIONS CAPTURED

Taranaki Daily News, 22 September 1917, Page 5

STRONG POSITIONS CAPTURED

MHS TRIUMPH QVjER CONCRETE. BRITISH GRIT AND SKILL BEAT THE GERMANS. Received Sept. 21, 5.20 p.m. London, Sept. 21, The Morning _ (Post's correspondent fitatcs that a series of strong positions have been captured. Our troop-! lmvo advanced a mile in depth and reached Eonnebeke. The prisoners taken are probably a thousand. , The infantr v aro fighting triumphantly. The casualties are very light. Mr. Phillips, the war correspondent, writes that the greatest battle in intensity is between St. Julien and the cemetery of Holiebeke, where the greatest) gains have been secured. The British are fighting with the utmost enthusiasm. They have swept over more broken area, fortified farms, and innumerable "pill boxes." It has been a very complete triumph for the infantry, which never attacked with more determination or vigor; for the artillery, which furnished the finest set of barrages yet seen, and for the men behind, who planned the disastrous surprise for tlio enemy. It has been a triumpli of men over concrete, of guns over "pill boxes," British grit and skill over German tactics. As the Tesult of the day's strugglo our line has been placed on better ground beyond many of the barriers confronting us for so long. The most important gains are those between Holiebeke and Westhoek, southward of the Ypres-ißoulers railway, along a Stretch of open farm land, thence northward. Fighting is in progress around and beyond the high ground on either side of the Zonnebeke-Langemarck road. HEAVILY FORTIFIED COUNTRY "IMPREGNABXjE" POSITIONS GAINED. HEAVY FIGHTING. Received Sept. 21, 10.35 p.ni. London, Sept. 21. Mr. Phillips says that the important element in the defence was a scries of fortified farms, which were heavily bombed. The surviving members of the machine-gun crews emerged and were made prisoners, Schuler farm, hitherto impregnable, was surrounded by water on three sides and flanked by the Schuler gallery, a long line of "pill boxes" arranged to meet attacks from several directions. These points were the scene of heavy fighting. A regimental crdgr found on prisoners shows that the garrisons of these advanced forts a« one o'clock in the morning were warned to | expect the British to assault the German 'batteries. Between one and two o'clock we heavily bombed this portion, On the front south of the Schuler farm prisoner.-; profess the attack was unexpected. All the evidence shows that the German command was aware that trouble was imminent, but was unable to ascertain the extent of the attacking front. Zonnebeke redoubt, a massive concrete structure on the fork of the railway and road, was stormed after some trouble. The capture of the redoubt midway between (Westhoek and Zonnebeke was effected by flanking parties, who bombed and shattered the doors The remnants of the garrisons surrendered. The Germans only resisted when they thought the shelters were shellproof and" bomb-proof. The fighting in the wooded country in the centre of the attack was as satisfactory as the fighting northward, but slower owing to the mud and water and masses of broken timbers. We were through Glencorse Wood and Conneboschen before eight o'clock. The most difficult tijsk in this sector befel the troops south of Inverness copse, where the mud was deep and full of broken wire, and there was much machine-gun fire. Nevertheless this difficult position was cleared, and we gained the tower and hamlets before it was anticipated we'would. A GREAT AND GLORIOUS DAY. MORE HARD FIGHTING. GERMANS MASSING TO COUNTERATTACK. BRITISH GUNNERS READY FOR THEM. Received Sept. 2'1, : M.30 p.m. London, Sept, 21. Mr. Phillips continues: Our new front was well established before noon, and fighting is progressing beyond. It. has been a day of hard lighting and there is more to come, as the enemy is massing for a counter-attack and hurrying along the roads in omnibuses. Our gunners are ready for them. All our troops partaking in the battle were specially trained to meet the new German tactics, and they succeeded to everyone's satisfaction. They went over without packs or other heavy kit, and the change was of great benefit, especially on the heavy ground. They were able to attack the pill boxes in a sort of skirmishing style. These had given them previously many a bad time. The pessi-. mists predicted they would kill any infantry advance, but our new tactics killed the pill boxes instead. As an instance of the lightness of our casualties, one battalion, which was advancing on a 500 yards front on difficult ground, had only three wounded. In another case a company had only five casualties, Reuter's headquarters correspondent states that a large percentage of the prisoners captured in the latest push are young men, chiefly Bavarians. IMPORTANCE OF GROUND GAINED. A messenger dog that was captured bore a message ordering that the high ground towards Molenaaresthoek must be recaptured at all costs, and ordering all the guns possible to range thereon. The work of consolidation is strenuously progressing under the protection of a heavy barrage. The ground won is of vital tactical and high strategical importance. The day has been a great and glorious one for the armies in Flanders.

GREAT SUCCESS. IMPORTANT tfOSITiONS WON. HEAVY CASUALTIES INFLICTED. SIR DOUGLAS HAIG'S REPORT. Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Reuter. Received Sept. 21, 9.30 p.m. London, Sept. 21. Sir 'Douglas Haig reports: In the attack tliia morning eastward of Ypres, on an eight mile front, between the YpresComines canal and the Yprcs-Staden railway, great success attended our troops. Positions of considerable military importance were won and heavy casualties inflicted. We assembled the attacking regiments without incident, despite the steady rainfall during the night. Our first objectives were captured at an early hour, including a number of concreted strong points and fortified farms, for the possion whereof there had been previous heavy fighting. The north country regiments carried Inverness Copse. The Australians stonn- j eel Glencorse Wood and Conneboschen. The Scottish and South African Brigades took the Potsdam, Vampir, and Borey farms. The West Lancashire Territorials carried the Iberian farm and the strong position of Gallipoli. We then advanced to the assault of our final objectives. The English county troops, on our right, reached their final objectives after sharp fighting, in the woods northward of the Ypres-Comincs canal, the north country and Australian battalions, in the centre, penetrated positions to a depth of over a mile, and captured the whole of their objectives, including the 'hamlet of Vcldhook and the western portion of the Polygon Wood. Further North Zevcnikok was captured, and the London Highland Territorials carried a second line of farms, including the Rose farm, Quebec farm, and Wust farm, on the line of the final objectives. The weather in the morning tlearod, so that our aeroplanes were abio to tike active part in the battle, indicating' the positions to our troops and repo/ling hostile concentrations to our artillery. In this manner a number of German counter-attacks were broken and others repulsed by our infantry. The prisoners exceed two thousand. We also captured a few guns. Ten German machines were brought down. Seven of ours are missing. BALKANS. ACTIVITY OF ROUMANIANS. ENEMY MASSING FORCES. Jassy, Sept. 20. In view of General Mackensen's complete setback in Roumania and reports that snow is falling and the enemy massing large reinforcements in Bukovina, the Roumanians are constantly active, Numerous small engagements have occurred in which the Roumanians liave been successful in capturing many prisoners, thus confirming the Roumanian' superiority of moral. SERVIA'S MARTYRDOM. AGONISING DETAILS. Received Sept. 31, 11 p.m. London, Sept. 20. Agonising details have been received of the situation of the Serbian population Normally 3,170,000. it is now only 2,218,000. The reduction of the male population is thirty-eight per cent., including practically all males from eighteen to 1 sixty. Thirty thousand Serbian women, children and boys from the Nteh district were deported, and are interned in Asia Minor, where eight thousand were delivered.to the Turks. A great number of the wom?n preferred suicide, throwing themselves ou': of the trains going to Asia Minor. Those left in Servia ar.; continually writing to friends: "Send us bread or we will die." At the present time only sijj thousand sterling is being spent monthly upon Servian relief, though there are two million sufferers. Sixty thousand families are without any means of living. AUSTROGEKMANY. AN OFFICIAL REPORT. Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Reuter. ; Received Sept. 31, 5.5 p.m. 1 London. Sept. 20. A wireless German official report i states: After a most violent fire between ; the south-west wood and Lys, the Eng- ; lish launched stttmg attacks on a broad; ! front at daybreak. French attacks yesterday near Hill 3M were unsuccessful. : We downed twenty aeroplanes. A Rus--1 sian attack westward of Arbora, in i Bukovina, was driven back. HONOR FOR LUXBURG, Received Sept. 21, 10 p.m. London, Sept. 20. Wireless Berlin official message: The Kaiser has telegraphed Herr Kuehlmann , his warmest appreciation of the faithful services of Count Luxburg, ex-German ■ Consul at Buclios Ayres, has rendered to his sovereign and the Fatherland. The Kaiser adds that it is his intention to appoint Count Luxburg to another diplomatic post in recognition of his merits. PEACE TALK. GERMAN CHANCELLOR TO MAKE A STATEMENT. Router Service. Received Sept. 22, 1.55 a.m. Amsterdam, Sept. 21. A telegram from Berlin states that. Dr. Miehaelis is to make a peace statement in the Reichstag on September 2T.