COUNTER-ATTACKS AT HIGH WOOD BROKEN

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 205, 28 August 1918, Page 5

COUNTER-ATTACKS AT HIGH WOOD BROKEN

CANADIAN PROGRESS ON SCARPE BATTLEFIELD. (Received 10-50 a-m.) LONDON, August 27. Sir Douglas Haig reporte:—There was severe fighting on Monday afternoon between Maricourt, north of the Somme, and Bapaume, and also north of that town. The enemy counter-attacked repeatedly in strength, suffering great losses from our fire, but he wae unaMc to arrest the progress of the ttnglisli and Welsh, who ruehed through Montauban and along the crest of the ridge, capturing High Wood, 2J mile* oast of Pozicrea, and reaching Longueral. Here a heavy counter-attack at 6M in the evening forced us back towards Uazentin le Grand and High Wood. On his line we broke up the enemy's attack, and again advancing established ourselves well eastward of High Wood. Early in the night the enemy counter-attacked for th« second time, and was driven off by rifle fire before reaching our positions. Northward of High "Wood the enemy twice counter-attacked in the neighbourhood of 1-iigny Thilloy, pressing back our advanced troops four hundred or five hundred yards. Hie infantry were then stopped and driven back. The New Zealandors, after fierce fighting, established therueelvcs on the northern outskirts of Bapaume. Tlie Knglish further north made progress towards Beugnatrc after hard fighting about Croieillee. On the right of the battlefront the Australians continued to advance astride the Soramc and made substantial progress towards Bompierre and eastward of Suzanne. On the left of the battlefront the Canadians in the afternoon captured the ridge eastward of Wancourt and established themselves eastward of Guemappe, northward of the Scarpe. The Scottish, renewing the attack at night, made substantial progress towards liouvain. The prieoncnt since the morning of the 21st August exceed 21,000. A wireless German official message states:—The enemy penetrated our line running west of Mory and Bapaume to Martinpuich. We threw him back on the Thilloy-Martinpuich line, recapturing both places. The enemy took Cappy. Southward of the Ailette we captured a height southeastward of Pont St. Mard, taking prisoner 400. The German evening official message states:—We regained Longueval. and Montauban.—(A. and N.Z. and Rcutcr.)