DETAILS OF THE ADVANCE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXVII, Issue 9127, 24 October 1917, Page 5

DETAILS OF THE ADVANCE.

STRONG ENEMY RE&I&TANCE. ; V

MIST HAMPERS THE ALLIES

(Received Oct. 24, 10-.40 a.m.)

LONDON, Oct. 23.

Mr Philip Gibbs writes:—The attack on October 22 was not over a. wide i>oat or a great depth, but it brought the French' and English to the veryedge of the dense woodlands oi' the Houfchulst Forest.

The greatest depth ot our advance was near Egypt House. Tlie enemy made a strong resistance, and a count eiattaek followed immediately, and is still in piogresa. Though the weather had been fine, aod a brrghfc sun has bhoiic foi eight days, the ground has not di ied, and is still difficult.

Our hurricane artilluy iiie at dawn must have killed manj Gennuns, but some machine-gun emplacements weie not destroyed, and these held up our pieti for' some time. When the Germans launched a counter-attack along the,Ypies-SUwien railway, our artillery was nuable to range on^them owing to a thick grey misfc^ ai'jd. the attackers forced back our men a short distance.

The progress of the counter-attacks is hbt~'jin:owri, but the fog has cleared, and ''ito aerbplanos are now able to signal the guns, thus, allowing us to BUppoft/ the infantry by sma&hiaig the eiiemy's concentration.

Mr Philips, in a later account, says: —^We are fighting on the outlying fragments of the Houthufst Forest and along the- Westrooobeke Road, where we overcame a number of German defences in difficult marshy ground.

German counter-attacks regained a' slight portion of the ground lost-along

:iation.—Copyrigtit. ;

the Staden railway,

The effect of our advance is to bring ■our flank closer to the high - ground at Passchcndaele. ■