THE ADVANCE ON THE BRITISH FRONT

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3056, 18 April 1917, Page 7

THE ADVANCE ON THE BRITISH FRONT

PROGRESS NORTH-WEST OF LENS TOLL OF PRISONERS STEADILY MOUNTING The High Commissioner reports:— ... London, April IG, 12.15 p.m. A Biitish official dispatch states:—"During the night we captured Villeret, south-eastwards, of Havrinoourt. .We made progress north-westwards of lens. Full particulars of booty captured at Liovin and Souchez River are not yet available, but it is exceedingly largo, inoluding a 6-inch naval gun, thousands of rounds of # ammunition nf all calibres, and transport material. The Bavarians' losses recent fighting wore vory large, moro than onethird ef the prisoners talten.wero Bavarians."

DETERMINED GERMAN ATTACK ON MONCHY. ' _ . . , „ mi London, April 16. Sir Douglas Haig reports: — The enemy's attack at Monchy le Preux on Saturday was most determined. The Third Bavarian Division, which fought at Loos in 1915 and at Higlvwood in 1916, was ordered to retake the village at all costs. It suffered the heaviest, losses."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reu-ter. . . . \ ■ THE ATTACK/ ON THE BAPAUME-CAMBRAI ROAD I FOUR GERMAN, DIVISIONS HURLED BACK: , " t, • t, • • • Paris, April 16: The "Petit Pansien states, that four German divisions participated in the rounter-attacks on- the Bapaume-Cambrai road in the attempt to recapture important points. , It was the most ambitious programme undertaken by the Germans for months, as hitherto tliev had merely attempted to stop ■ the Allied advance. . The fighting was ; extremely fierce. When Lagnicourt was partly lost, important rcinforcemcnts, supported by formidable artillery, rushed into the flame and, smoke, and captured the Villace and re-estab-lished the line.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. PRUSSIAN GUARDS CUT UP BY THE AUSTRALIANS ' , London, April 16. The Australian counter-thrust cut up the Prussian' Guards at Lagnicourt iipon their own entanglements, killing fifteen hundred. The Australian rifle fire inflicted the most appalling slaughter. The Prussians screamed, and sought to escape like rats in a trap until they dropped. Correspondents describing the recapture of Lagnicourt state that the German victory was short-lived. Our men rested, re-formed, were stiffened with supports, and went forward again under cover of a- barrage. They advanced in alternative companies, orte halting and firing whilst the other advanced, on |the principle of a flanking fusillade. AVhen the positions were reoccupied after three hours' absence, fifteen hundred Germans corpses lay among a much larger number of wounded, while three hundred prisoners were ' taken. At a most' 1 conservative estimate, tlie Germans lost two-thirds of a division.—Aiis.-N.Z. Cable Assn. , • e> ' AUSTRALIAN GALLANTRY AT BULLECOURT IMPETUOUS DASH THROUGH THE HINDENBURG LINE. ■ 1 -< . London, "April 16. The "Evening Standard" states that the Australians'suffered by the check experienced at Bullecourt (two, miles south of Croisilles) on Easter Monday. They broke Hindenburg's line, and went ahead for two thousand yards. The Australians were tlien caught in a snowstorm, deprived of aircraft observation and artillery co-operation, and were forced to retire.—Aus.N.Z.'Cable. Assn. ; ; . ' ■ ; V , THEY EARNED UNDYING FAME. ■• . ' /-i • r, ,i' i i- . '■' Sydney, April 17. Captain Be'an, tho Australian official war correspondent, cabling on April 16, describes the Australian attack on the Hindenbhrg Line as a feat that will live in history as long as history lasts.. Under machine-gun fire and through such wire fortifications as wore hitherto unknown, they seized two lines of trenches and captured the village' of Reincourt (three miles east of Bullecourt) and pushed 2000 yds. beyond tho Hindenburg Line. Here their wonderful effort sprint itself, . and the ranks .were thinned'down to a handful of men, who were unable to keep down the machine-gun fire and sniping. The Germans, heavily reinforced, drove ;them baok. Though the Australiansdid not succeed, the extraordinary gallantry of the attack had a marked efi feet on the progress of the'troops elsewhere.—Press Assn. A BLACK DAY FOR THE PRUSSIAN GUARD V • AUSTRALIANS TAKE TERRIBLE.TOLL. ! . '■ ■ ■'' (Rec. April 17, 10.30 p.m.) \ London, April 16. _ y Mr. Philip Gibbs,; in a further dispatch, gives vivid details: of the Australian* success i-.afcj Lagnicourt. "It was one of the bloodiest episodes in the long tale of slaughters; Tho" enemy before daybreak heavily attacked in masses, and achieved a brief success against, the Australians. ' The charging waves of Prussian Guards drove a deep wedge in our position. The Australian Staff officers swiftly prepared a counter-How, and at 7.30 o'clock companies of Australians, with irresistible spirit) swept forward, forcing the Prussians to retreat obliquely, panic-stricken, 'under a shower of shrapnel,. , resulting in the greatest disaster, because they wore cut off by their own ' broad belts of entanglements. The most' appalling slaughter followed, corpses being piledupon corpses in long lines in the tangled mass of spiked wire. The .cries of . the wounded, in long, tragic wails, rose , high above the ro't.r of the rifle-firo and bursting shrapnel: The Australians, quiet and grim,, shot continuously, until over fifteen hundred German corpses lay before the position. A dire fate has followed the Prussian Guard throughout the war. This massacre is the worst episode in their history, and will be remembered in Germany,as a black and fearfiil'thing."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. : ', V CAUGHT IN A FATAL MAZE. i / (Rec. April 17, .6.15 p.m.) . , ' • Describing the British, counter-attack at Laßniroßrl^Suter^coSM-' • T a , n li Were ° aught in thei <" own wire, which was not cut in the direction in winch they were torccd back, mile they ran wildly up and down, trying to find a passage, our men, firing with deliberate aim, shot them down in hundreds.' The intensity of the rifle fire has not been equalled since- the Hays of the Mstrne. Many of our men fired hundreds of do " b ! ed n ; ghtWk 011 . UPWARDS OF 14,000 PRISONERS TO DATE BRITISH CAPTURES IN EIGHT DAYS. • • \ (Rec. April 17, 8.30 p.m.) .Sir Douglas Haig reports--".We have taken npwards°o?°fourtS thou-' sand prisoners and 194 guns^ since the moriung _of April 9. Heavy rain has this afternoon, and there is nothing or special interest to report "" ,r-Aus.-i\./i. Cable Assn.-Renter. 1 THI\ BOOTY OF BATTLE. 1 , , : (Rec. April 17, 6.15 p.m.) ■ Reutor's correspondent at British Headquarters ,l l ava ' .mentioned m the official communiques, is being e.nplovR 11 i t' ll ® Germans. Other booty included great quantities of-8-inch shells, bombs, high explosives, and steel rails."—Renter. GERMAN OFFICIAL REPORT ti... ~ it- i t> ' „ London, Anril 16. 4.1. ; PPru'n-eless Press.—A German official message states:—"On the north bank of the Scarpe,- north-east of Croisilles, our thrust drove*back ' tho enemy to Lasn,court. _To the sanguinary losses suffered by the Austra--5 prisoners, 15 machine-guns, and 22 guns captured. Fi encll attacks near Chivres failed. Intense artillery fire' is going on between feoissons and Reims, where infantry fighting has developed T Se p f S ' r'r reneh stormiM ijttempts on-. the Lorraine plain and at Burgundy Gate failed. Between Soissons and Verdun the enemy lost eleven aeroplanes vestcrday.—ins.-N.Z. ,Cable Assn. , • • * '