WESTERN ATTACK.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 October 1917, Page 5

WESTERN ATTACK.

BRITISH ADVANCING. ON WIDE -FRONT. New York, Oct. 4. Sir Douglas Haig has opened an offensive on a wide front, and the British are winning all along the line. London, Oct. 4. Sir Douglas Haig reports: The enemy heavily bombarded this morning positions 'between Awer Hamiets and the Polygon Wood. His infantry attempted to advance, but our artillery broke the attack on the bulk of the front before it reached our lines. A few penetrated our bairage northward of Menin Road. Our infantry completely repulsed them and" our positions are intact. There is a great artillery duel eastward of Ypres. Our aeroplanes dropped eight ton? of bombs on Tuesday, hits being observed on three aerodromes in the Courtrai area, and iv fourth near Cambrai. We successfully attacked dumps near Douai and sidings at Roulers. The enemy was attacked by long distance bombing at places far east of the line. Mr. Gibbs writes that the artillery battle round Ypres continues fierce and far-flung on both sides. The enemy is trying to make things as bad as possible for a distance of 12 miles behind the line in our back areas. This is the technical term for villages which have been broken to bits during these last three years and for camps, ammunition dumps, rtuckboard tracks, light railways and I trossroads.

It is always astounding to see how' little difference this -hostile shelling makes and the way our men carry on the war.

Rain fell yesterday, and the ground in craterland is already sticky, and again there are many pools and ponds. Rain clouds are gathering. FRENCH FRONT QUIET. London, Oct. 4. A French communique says: —There is artillery activity north of the Aisne and on both banks of the Meuse, otherWise the front is comparatively quiet. SEVERAL VILLAGES TAKEN. GERMANS SURRENDER IN BATCHES. London. Oct. 4. The United Press correspondent says that the British advance is a mile deep in places. Several villages have .been taken. The Germans are surrendering in batches and the prisoners already exceed 1000. THE BRITISH VICTORIES. OOL. REPINGTON SATISFIED.

ENEMY SMITTEN HIP. AND THIGH. Times Service. Received Sept. 5, 7.30 p.m. Loiulon, Oct. 4. Col. Repington says the British victories. which are the latest phases of the third battle of Ypres, are exceedingly meritorious, because they were obtained under unusually arduous conditions. For weeks past the .British alone have been attacking, the chief lighting of a total frontage of ]<soo miles being confined to a frontage of twelve miles, the enemy being enabled to bring lip his men. guns, and aircraft from all fronts to concentrate against us, wholly to his advantage. Deßpite these conditions, our arms defeated the Germans every day in battle.' The German people ami the remainder of the world know of the successfulness of British arms, which have smitten the enemy hip and thigh. A comparison of the German reports with the actual facts reveals ludicrous discrepancies. The only course of action likely to imperil success would be the withdrawal of the bombing squadrons for the purpose of replying to London's score before the present operations .in Flanders were concluded.

ONE OF THE BIGGEST BATTLES. BRITISH CHARGE BEHIND THE BARRAGE. HEAVY ENEMY CASUALTIES. Eeeeived Oct. C, 9.5 p.m. United Press. London, Oct. 4. The British, at six o'clock in the morning, assaulted the German positions in a misty drizzle on a wide front, centring about the Broodseinde and Drawenstfel ridges. The Tommies at noon appeared to be carrying everything before tliein along the entire line, and advanced over a mile deep in places. One group of prisoners exceeded five hundred. The battle impresses the correspondents as one of the biggest of the war. During the night the Germans shelled Glnneorse Wood and Inverness Copse. The British charged behind the tornadolike barrage and reached their first objectives with comparative ease. The British at Zonnebeke encountered three enemy divisions, who were also ordered to attack at three in the morning on a two-mile front, in order to rej capture the ground lost on the September 26. The British barrage churned the poor devils into Moody loblolly. One company was reported to have lost practically the whole of its bayonet strength. Elsewhere the 'Germans came in with hands up a minute after the British barrage had begun. The British quickly silenced the cleverlv-hidden macliine«uns, and broke a counter-attack from I Broodseinde.

Quickly overcoming the difficulties, they crossed the Stroombeke stream and briskly advanced beyond. - • —'