WESTERN FRONT.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 July 1918, Page 7

WESTERN FRONT.

FEEBLE ENEMY COUNTER-ATTACKS

. AMERICANS' BATTLE CRY. London, July 7. Mr. Gibbs writes:—After the Australian attack on Hamel, the enemy, whose guns had been almost silenced, shelled some of our new .positions rather heavily, and made three counter-attacks in the. evening on the Australian line, but they were feeble and unsuccessful.

Groups of German machine-guns were established within 50 yards of the Australians, who decided not to tolerate their close approach. A number of Australians, during the night, drove baclc the German outposts, and captured 50 prisoners.

The Americans fighting were not many as compared with the Australians, but these few companies were eager to meet the enemy for the first time, and provsJ their fighting qualities to the hilt to the utter surprise of the enemy. The silencing of the enemy's guns made the 'battle leas feapful than the Americans expected. The intensity of our gunfire was the most horrible feature. After *he barrage had passed, the Americans and Australians found groups of strange, uncanny creatures with ga g masks with tneir hands up. Any who showed fW,t had not a chance of life. The Americans were not tender-hearted They went forward with fixed bayonets shouting "Lusrtama" as a battle cry. The shout seemed to strengthen the Americans' souls and to terrify the enerav. The •'crmans might well be terrified", for the uipitania ig a call to vengeance. Mr. Robinson writes that the' Americans at Hamel behaved magnificently, if:they had a fault, it was their excessive kindness. They suffered more casuaities owing to pressing into their own barrage. A corpora!, aged 21, was wounded three times and killed seven Germans; a sergeant captured seven aingJehanded.—Aus.-N.2. Cable Assoc.

PROGRESS MADE, London, July 7. ■ir Douglas Haig report?:—The Australians, on the night of the nth, advanced their line north-eastwards Villers Bretonneaux on a front of 2000 yards.

Sir Douglas Haig's aviation report says:—There has been little air fighting We carried out a large amount of successful artillery work, and dropped 19 toii3 of bombs on selected targets, A French communique says:—West of Chateau Thierry, we made progress in the region of Hill 204, and took"prisoner«. It was quiet elsewhere- Eighteen enemy aeroplanes fell, and 5 to 8 tons of explosive were dropped on the enemy zone on July l-«.-Aus.-N.Z. Calle Assoo. and Renter.