HEAVY FIGHTING.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 December 1917, Page 5

HEAVY FIGHTING.

EXEMY DIVISIONS POURED IX. FIELD PILED WITH DEAD - ®«PEI?3TE GERMAN EFFORTS. TO REACH .DECISION BEFORE AMERICANS ARRIVE. United Press. Rewire'.! Dee. 5, 1.15 a.m. London, Dec. 4. There has Wn heavy lighting nil day, particularly in the neighborhood of La Vncquerie. Von Hindenburg keeps givinj* Prince Rupprceht fresh divisions, which are pouring in from all directions, including probably, Russia. Prince 'Rupprccht flinging those men in the •struggle fifteen waves deep. Information gathered m captured documents suggests that,-'the Germans are desperately anxious to force a decision .before tho American man power begins to tell, and the question that is being asked is whether this assault is a bid for that decision

The assailants include Bavarians, Prussians, Saxons, and Grenadier Guard divisions.

. The fields arouna General Bonn's client to Vendhuile ate- piled with the Kaiser's dead, white the Britishers are fighting in the highest spirits and only abandoning gram'd in tlis-ir own good time, after repulsing all attacks. As at Mastiieres the slopes are eTey with flcrman corpses. The actual lighting is as I>wy as the war has seen, attacks and counter-attacks succeeding each other endlesslv.

The Americana, who have had some, lossfts, continue to do tlioir' bit amongst the British, and are proud to beamohirst tlie first to suffer.

ENEMY ATTACK AT FLEURY,

DRIVEN BACK BY FRENCH. . HEAVY LOSSES INFLICTED. Ails, atid N.Z. Cable Assoc and Router. Received Dec. 5, 1.50 A.m. Loudon, )?cc. 4. A French communique states: There has been great artillery activity on the sectors north of the Chemin des Dame-, and intermittent artillerying on the right hanfc ol' the Jleuse ' The enemy, after a violent bombardment at \\ oeuvre, attacked our positions north of Kleury, but our lire drove them back, indicting heavy losses.

VIOLENT ENEMY ATTACKS.

REPULSED WITH HEAVY LOSSES. BRITISH POSITIONS MAINTAINED. LINE SLIGHTLY ADVANCED. Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Reuter. Received Dec. 5, 1.15 a.m. London, Dee. 4. Sir Douglas Haig reports: The enemy resumed liis offensive willi great violence. To-day's fighting was exceptionally severe from Gonnelieu to Marcoing. The enemy delivered his attacks in great strength, and with large forces, and was repulsed with heavy losses, our positions being maintained' everywhere, except at Lavacquerie and eastward of Marcoing, where our line was slightly Withdrawn. The enemy broke through at one point southward of Marcoing, but immediate counter-attacks restored the situation. We advanced our line slightly northeast of Polygon Wood. . GERMAN REINFORCEMENTS. BRITISH HEROIC VALOR. Received Oec. 4, 11,10 p.m. London, Dec. 3. Mr. Philip Gibbs 9avs a new German division was brought from Flanders to participate in to-day's renewed attacks on La Vacquerie and Gonnelieu. .The British are holding the lines with heroic valor. The ground is strewn with German dead.

A SINGLE COMMAND. DIFFICULTIES IN THE WAY. Received De«. i, 5.5 p.m. Paris, Dec. 3. The Echo de Paris states the difficulties prevented the conference from establishing a single command, but a great advance has been arranged towards unity of action RUMORED MASSED GERMAN ATTACK. Ottawa, Dec. 3. A cable from Paris states that the GeVmans are preparing to tise Italian captured guns and troops from the Russian front for a mighty blow on the Al-sace-Lorraine front.