WESTERN ATTACK.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 December 1917, Page 5

WESTERN ATTACK.

A SUCCESSFUL WITHDRAWAL. ■ GERMANS BA'DLY PUNISHED. , BRITISH IN STRONG POSITI™-'. London, Dec. 7. British eorresipondents at the front state tliat the withdrawal from Bourlon Wood salient was carried out with the greatest discipline. Success depended on the enemy's ignorance of the move and the valor of our rearguards. The enemy became suspicious owing to the strange silent emptiness of Bourlon Wood. Later on, groups crept forward to the sugar factory, on the Camhrai Road. Large bodies now advanced with bayonets fixed, peering around and evidently fraring a trap. The silence of our guns puzzled them. Our artillerymen waited till the ground was black with moving Germans, and then, at a pro-arranged signal, they opened fire. The Germans were caught and badly punished.

A considerable body of men also assembled for a mass assault, but the artillery shattered them in a sunken road.

We now occupy a secure position taken from the eßfflny, with good observation and strong lines behind. SUCCESSFUL AIR RAIDS. GERM AX TERRITORY BOMBED. London, Dec. 7. Sir Douglas Haig reports: There is great air activity on both sides. On Wednesday we carried out long distance reconnaisances, bombing and firing with j machine-gunß at gTound targets, including the Goutrode and St. Denis Westrem aerodromes and the Douai railway Nation. ' The fighting continued ;<ll day. Ten German machines were brought down. Five of ours are missing. 'Another successful raid was made on German territory to-day. Infantry action on the Camhrai front last night was confined to patrol encounters. There is increased hostile artillery (ire astride the Searpe river. FORMIDABLE CONCENTRATIONS. SEASON" FOR WITHDRAWAL. j Paris, Dec. 7. •Le Ma tin state? that General Byng's withdrawal was due to ft warning of formidable concentrations behind Cam- J brai of no fewer than fifteen divisions, | probably from Russia. Another heavy concentration is proceeding behind Rheijns. STUBBORN GERMAN ATTACKS BEATEN BACK BY BRITISH. j HOW THE WITHDRAWAL WAS MADE. United Press. Received Dec. 0, S "> p.m. London, Dec. 8. We are firmly entrenched in our positions defending the Ilindenburg line, which the British to-day repulsed every attempt to retake. The Germans attacked stubbornly from Orival Wood towards Flesquieres, but were driven off with considerable losses. The enemy reformed behind the wood for a second try, but the British artillery practically wiped out the attackers. It is estimated that some 2000 were killed at this spot. Machine-guns broke an attempted enemy attack at La Vacquerie. The British retirement completely puzzled the enemy, who, for hours after Anneux had been evacuated, laid down a terrific bombardment and then attacked the empty village. The garrison at Bourlon wood, owing to the necessity of constantly wearing gas masks, was obliged to leave the wood in order to eat comfortably. It was difficult to dig, owing to each spadeful of porous ground liberating a dose of gas, wherewith it was saturated. It was obviously advisable to advance or retire, it being folly to remain. The bridges at Marcoing, also over the Nord Canal were blown up by our men when we had retired and the guna and ammunition were safely hauled back. There were practically no casualties during the withdrawal. When the enemy discovered the movement he kept in close touch, and is now in contact along a large part of the front. Twenty-five German divisjpns have been identified in this fighting since General Byng's smash. Their losses have been of the heaviest.

| FRENCH REPULSE ATTACKS. i ASSAILLANTS DRIVEN TO TRENCHES. A. and N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Rcuter. Received Dec. 0, 5.5 p.m. London, Dee. 7. A French communique states: On the right of the Meuse, after a violent bombardment, the enemy twice attempted to reach our lines in the direction of Bezonvaux and Beaumont. Our Are smashed the attacks, and drove back the assailants to their own trenches, HOSTILE ARTILLERYING. AIR RAIDS ON FRENCH FRONT. Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Reuter. Received Dep. 10. 1.30 a.m. London, Dec. fl. Sir Douglas Tlaig reports: Local fighting occurred eastward of Boursics. On the remainder of the front there lias been no infantry but hostile artillcrying took place on our positions in tiie neighborhood of the Fresquieres-jUonchy le I'reux-Passchendaele sector. We downed two enemy aeroplanes lour of ours are missing. A French communique states: A big German laid on Beaumont completely failed. Seven persons were killed mid twenty Injured as the remit of an air r'sid on Calais on the nisht of December

ENEMY TRENCHES CAPTURED BRITISH LINE IMPROVED. SUCCESSFUL AERO RAIDS. • Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assoe. f.nd Renter. Received Dec. 0, 5.5 p.m. London, Dee. 3. iSh' Douglas ITaig reports: The enemy's artillery was active during the night in the neighborhood of Flesquieres, northward of the Menin road. We were successful in a local operation at dawn northward of La Vacquerie. The Ulsters captured the trenches constituting their objectives, thereby improving our line. A hostile raid was repulsed north-east of Ypres. Aeroplanes bombed hostile billets throughout Thursday, and were particularly successful in ;i raid against the Valenciennes railway station and sidings, where fires started. Every opportunity was taken of ma-chine-gunning the infantry and trenches. There was much fighting, wherein eight hostile planes wore downed.

ARTILLERYING ON FRENCH FRONT. •BOMBING RAIDS. Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Itenter. Received Dec. 0, 5 5 p.m. London, Dee. 8. A French communique reports: There has been considerable artillerying at Maison do Champagne, on the right of the Mouse. Aviaton bombed the railway stations of FrTßourg and ' Thionville and various enemy depots and cantonments behind the front. STRONG BRITISH POSITION. ENEMY REINFORCEMENTS DECIj MATED. WITHDRAWAL FROM ANNEUX. BOURLON WOOD CHOKED WITH GAS. Received. Dec. !t, 5.5 p.m. London, Dec. 8. Mr. Philip Gibbs reports: We hold a strong defensive position southward of Bourlon Woody westward of Gonnelieu and Villc Asguislan, with the Ilindenburg lines, the c.'d Ilindenburg front and support lines behind us. The enemy on Thursday afternoon was (till in doubt regarding our new line. His patrols were so strongly resisted by our outposts that he was compelled to send up reinforcements of infantry, which reconnoitred in force in the direction of Orival Wood, a small copse south-eastward of Graineourt. Our guns opened lire with such intensity that the German dead are roughly estimated at •2000. Similarly three battalions advancing to the attack at Graineourt were utterly shattered and dispersed. We abandoned Anneux at the same time as Bourlon Wood. There was only one casualty while we were evacuating Bourlon Wood. The men were glad to get away, as the wood was so thoroughly gassed that they were often compelled to work, fight, and sleep in their gas jmaAs. and dared not remove the masks to drink or eat.