SATURDAY'S WAR NEWS
WESTERN FRONT. < BATTLE OF RIDGES, i P A BRILLIANT VICTORY. London, Sept. 20. Mr. Pircival Phillips writes that the battle of the Ridges, fought by the Third and Fourth armies, proved one of the most satisfactory victories since August Bth. As the day wore on the enemya discouraged troops began to wilt under the steady British pressure. A grand German counter-attack at 5 o'clock was a complete failure and the Germans wore broken. Officers taken prisoners attributed our victory to the smoke screens, which blinded them. Other simply cursed their men, who would not fight. The 'honors of the daj were shared by battalions from all parts of Britain. The First Australian Division took Harigcourt and Villeret, and the Fourth Australians took leverguier. Both divisions went through to the Hindenburg outpost system, near the canal, which they stormed and held in the greater part by nightfall, completing its occupation so far as concerns the front by a fresh attack just before midnight. The Germans opposite the two Australian divisions held. a series of wellfortified positions with three divisions, the Thirty-eighth and Fifth Bavarians and the llftth. The Australians commenced their attack on he front of the canal at 11 in the morning. They had a mile to go over naked country from one ridge to another across a valley swept by machine-guns, then through deep belts of wire. Before noon the Australians were through the wire and fighting their way alopg the first troches on the northern half of the front. They were held up by a sunken road on the south, but waited patiently until eleven at night and then attacked, clearing the road and goina through to the remainder of the Hindenburg outpost system. The last advance of the First and Fourth Australian Divisions took the 'British army where it lias never been in tliis region. We now have complete observation of the canal and over all the country behind. English and Scottish troops on the Australians' right had harder fighting, attacking over extremely difficult, welldefended ground between Pontru and Boljion. At the same time the French i attacked the Manchester Redoubt, the historic mound \Hiich was defended to the last man on March 21 by the Manchester. The British losses were light. Many battalions took twice as many prisoners as they had casualties. The spirit of the German divisions generally Is not good. New York, Sept. 20. The British have recaptured Moeurvps. The Australians are continuing their penetration of-the Hindenbunr line, and have reached Bellenglise, four miles north-west of St. Quentin.—Aus.-N.Z Cable Asoc.
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Taranaki Daily News, 23 September 1918, Page 7
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429SATURDAY'S WAR NEWS Taranaki Daily News, 23 September 1918, Page 7
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