WESTERN ATTACK.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 October 1917, Page 5

WESTERN ATTACK.

I BRITISH ATTACK AGAIN, ! r STILL iSWEEPING ON. CARRYING ALL BEFORE THEM. London, Oct. 12. ■Sir Douglas TTaig reports: We attacked at 5.2"> this' morning on a six-mile front north-eastward of Ypres. Wc are progressing jatisfaeicrily. There was heavy rain during the night. The British have taken all their first objectives and arc still sweeping on carrying all before them. Considerable batches of prisoner* are coming in. The battle front extends six miles south from Honthulst Wood. Everything was going well at noon and tiie troops were within a very short distance of Passchendaele. It is too early to estimate the numbers of prisoners. The fighifcig continues vigorously. Aeroplanes are swooping up and down in swarms at a low altitude freely liring with machine-guns o:i,the enemy infantry. The French did not participate in the attack. The rain ceased at dawn though the clouds were heavy and. low, but the visibility was fair. The enemy artillery was active during the night on the central and southern portions of the battle, front, especially on the B-roodsc.incle Ridge, Anzac Ridge, and the Roulevs railway, rutting over a considerable number of gas shells between i and 4.'M. ' When the British barrage began the enemy machine-guns answered with a terrific- rattle, imt thj artillery replied tardily and erratically. A wireless German official message says:--' Between the 1,-ys and the YpresMenin road firing increased suddenly to drumfire in the morning. New enemy attacks then commenced on wide sectors. There was intense artillerying north-eastward of Soisscns and eastward of tbe Meusc. * The Admiralty reports that, despite the .weather, naval nireraft dropped many bombs on Spnrrappelchoek aerodrome vesterodav. All our men returned. A headquarters correspondent telegraphs:—Wo have driven the Germans practically the whole depth of tlieiv defensive front over a width of several thousand yards. The result is that the German* must now oppose, us inure than on any previous occasion since the first battle of Ypres with flesh and blood instead of dug-outs, deep trenches and concrete redoubts. A barrage morn terrific than any before", crawled ahead of- our lads, searching every .yard traversed. The enemy artillery response was somewhat ragged, ami many reports show that the Germans were short of big guri ammunition. Certainly army orders invariably admonish them to husband this as much as possible. Recently the enemy was seen firing at us some of our own shells captured from the Russians. The fact that they are bringing these so far is, in view of the great transport. #l'iiculties, significant

The United i'rcri; correspondent continues: Rain reduced iiie battlefield ground to a perfect loblolly, but the Britishers and Aiwacs navigated the mini seas and mill) mountains like miraclemen. I talked to Sir Douglas Fluig yesterday, and he was full of admiration for the men. He said the entire history a: Flanders shows that mud was always the soldier's worst enemy, and this is true co a greater extent now than ever because the natural draina.e is slapped. Nevertheless, the Britishers of all parts of the Empire, also the French, were undaunted before the mud and the Hermans. The Field-Marshal concluded: "They are all simply splendid." Amsterdam, Oct. 12. The Wegener correspondent of the Cologne; Gazette gives a description of the tremendous development of ihe British war machine. Ife says Belgium is an enormous war camp-, networks of rail\Yu.ys spring up, bridge after bridge is ! built over the Yser Canal, the country is covered with ammunition dumps, aerodromes, encampments and masses of airmen. The unexampled new tactics of intermittent drumfire are designed i.o destroy the nerves. What the German soldiers have endured is beyond description.

FUTURE OF ALSACE AND LORRAINE. CENTRAL POWERS MUST EE BEATEN. Paris. Oct. 2. Von Kuehlmann's emphatic declaration about Alsace is a tonic rf comment in the newspapers, which urge the redoubling ol Ci'i'ovls vo secure victory, as it is clear they will either have to defeat the ■Central Powers or abandon the hope of liberating Alsace and Lorraine. MUTUAL ARTILLERY ACTIVITY. GERMAN ATTACKS FAIL. Received October 13, 5.5 p.m. London, Oct. 12. A French communique elates:—The night was marked by - ; reat and mutual artillery activity and a series of German attempts in various parts of the front, including west of Cemy and west of Maison de Champagne and the regions of Soinin and Au'uerivc, all whereof failed. The artillery' duel continues in the ri'gion of Bezonvau.-; on the right of the Mouse. WARSHIPS SHELL GERMAN

POSITIOXS. Souter Service. Received Got. I t. 11.50 p.m. Amsterdam, Oct. 14, Advices hare Wn vm'ivMl Hint warsWp» an f!)e!!;yi::: the German positions 0:1 the Belgian const,