APPALLING SLAUGHTER ON THE SCARPE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3067, 1 May 1917, Page 5

APPALLING SLAUGHTER ON THE SCARPE

GERMAN COUNTER-ATTACKS BLOWN TO PIECES

THRILLING INCIDENTS OF THE BATTLE

-. . ' (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright). London, April 29. Sir Douglas Haig reports:—"A strong night counter-attack on our new positions northward of; Arloux-en-Gohelle was broken. Fighting continues in places northward of the Scarpo."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. (Rcc. April ,30, 5.5 p.m.) .. ; London, 'April 29. Sir Douglas Haig reports: "We have captured the German trench system, south of Oppy, on a milo of front, after heavy fighting and a stubborn resistance. , Several unsuccessful coun'ter-attaoks were launched.' Wo took 976 prisoners."—Aus.-N.Z. Cablo Assn.-Reuter.

"ONE OF THE BLOODIEST BATTLES IN HISTORY"

GRAPHIC PICTURE OF THE SCARPE OFFENSIVE

'- (Rec. April 30, 5.5 p.m.)

„.,, . , TT ■ , London, April 29. Mr.'Philip Gibbs writes: . Hard fighting began on Saturday morning on both sides of the Scarpe on difficult ground, and against stubborn reserves of the enemy, who had furthe r increased hie concentrations of men and guns in order to hold us back, at cost, from the Hindenburg line: The results of the battle must n o t (,<, reo koned by the number of prisoners taken, or the ground gamed. The real results consist in the supreme valour of our men in assaulting enor mous i y strong positions, , and ' then, though almost spent by the fighting, b ea ting back successive waves of coun-ter-attacks. The fighting is of .the wo rst possible kind, owing to file extreme difficulty of attacking high slop 65 defended by machine-gun redoubts, and isolated positions exposing, our attackers to enfilade fire. The gallantry of the British has been splendid. Co mpan j es 0 f platoons showed fine initiative. '■ . | "The Canadians' capture of Arleitx-en-Gohellc was tho result of hard fighting. The German shell-fire south of the Scarpo is the heaviest since the opening of the Sommo offensive in 1916. The enemy has employed many new batteries of heavy guns, and the strength of the German resistance has been surprising. They have been forced back more quickly than they expected upon the Hindenburg line, and are now throwing in their main reserves in order to prevont ns from breaking their line and imperilling their,' retreat. The Germans must do this, or suffer a real disaster. Already the' Hindenburg line' is iinsecure, and our heavy shells are falling in storms ovor Queant, which is the actual bastion of the Hindenburg position. "According to statements by prisoners, the enemy's losses recently were terrible. One Pomeranian company lost eighty men in four days,.paying a fearful price for von Hindonburg'e strategic plan, but they have nover fought more fiercely in this war. . This battle is one of the bloodiest episodes in history. The weather is fine and hot, and perfect for the work of the aeroplanes."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

- THE ASSAULT ON THE OPPY LINE AWFUL SLAUGHTER IN THE GERMAN' RANKS. ■ ' London, April 29. Reutor's correspondent at Headquarters states that the British Ist and 3rd Armies were engaged to-day k an attack extending from the Scarpe Valley northwards to the east of Vimy. Tho main goal was the Oppy line, a hastijy-eonstrticted northerly extension of the Hindenburg line. The fighting was of the fiercest. It was a fluctuating strugglo, with most desperate attacks and counter-attacks. There was nothing at Somme to compare with the number and fury, of the present counter-attacks. Tho correspondent instancos that the counter-attack to-day at Gavrelle was the fifteonth since the Germans lost the position. Onc'o, near Oppy, five waves advanced blindly, facing an appalling fire, in massed ranks. The survivors persisted through field gun, Maxim and riflo fire till they utterly collapsed. Often tho British rifles decided tho rout, but frequently there wore deadly personal grapples, in which tho bayonet, but more oftcner tho butts, were used.—Renter.

VON HINDENBURG GAME, SAW, AND WAS CONQUERED. Paris, April '29. The Paris "Journals correspondent at British Headquarters states: "Von Hindenburg was here a week ago, and saw his best troops driven froni the impregnable Vimy Ridge. He saw the Bavarians, worn out, give place to' the Brandcnburgors and Pomeranians. He saw.his lines here hacked to pieces and there shaken, torn, and indented by tho British guns. Ho saw lu's defence crumble before the ardent drive of a young and well-trained army. Ho saw Gavrelle heaped up with thousands and thousands of Gorman corpses. Ten times the Prussian Guard counter-attacked at tho village ; ten times they foil hack, defeated. Von Hindenburg camoi and saw, and went away conquered."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

BRITISH AGAIN MASTERS OF THE AIR (Roc. April 30, 7.30 p.m.) ... „ , „„ ~ „„ London, April 29. Mr. Beach J nomas writes: "Our airmen never before have hit tho German so hard as now. Ihcy are harassing him day and night. Wo seek •more opponents than will face us, and the enemy's losses in. purely fightin" machines is enormously greater than ours. We'hold again the mastery of tho air. Whether wo keep it will depend on the activity of the factories at Home. —United Service. - TRIBUTE TO SIR DOUGLAS HAIG SYSTEMATIC BREAKING DOWN OF THE HINDENBURG LINE. (Rec. April 30, 5.5 p.m.) i i r j. London, April 29. the correspondents at the front say that Sir Douglas Haig's third thrust opened splendidly, compelling von Hmdonburg further to deplete the famous strategic reserve which he is recklessly using as the only alternative to a retreat to the still unfinished Drocourt-Queant line.' The weather iB fine. The fighting has boon fierce north-eastward of Gavrelle, yielding important successes, and the Huns are continuously, but unavailing]}-, counter-attack-ing, with appalling losses. There are many French tributes to Sir Douglas Haig's masterly method of minutely collating all the possible elements of success before launching a woll-defincd and strictly limited offensive on a chosen front. Other French correspondents dwell on the signal evidences of British determination and valour in every corner of the battlefield.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. SLASHING ATTACK BY THE NEWFOUNDLANDERS * . (Rec. April 30, 7.30 p.m.) '. London, A£ril 29. . ■ Mr. H. Perry Robinson (correspondent at British Headquarters) tells how the Newfoundlanders at the battloo f ATrafe added a, new lustre to their.reputation jfor pushing the farthest. "The advance was difficult, and a section had to fall back .from an overwhelming counter-attack, holding the German masses till tho British fire checked the advance. Then came the Newfoundlanders' opportunity. The next half hour saw such a slaughter of Germans as has only been witnessed once or twice in the battle. It is believed that none of the enemy escaped. Between twelve and fifteen hundred dead were piled round the German trench;"—Tho "Times." A FIGHT THAT WENT BACK TO THE STONE AGE (Reo. April 30, 7.30 p.m.) London, April 29. Mr. Beach Thomas tells a wild barbaric story, which is verified by experienced officers. "A Bavarian battalion, seven hundred strong, drove out some of our men who were holding a captured trench, and pursued them so keenly that the Lincoln Regiment was able to cut them off. Our retreating party thereupon turned and faced : their pursuers, and the combat' hecame one of elemental savagery. Scarcely a man thought' of shooting with his rifle. It became a spear and club. Both sides relapsed to. a date before gunpowder. Some even throw aWay rifles and wrestled to the death, and picked up stones, shouting war cries suitable, to the Stone Age. Not ono Bavarian escaped, and very few siirrenrkred."—United' Seryicc.

ISOLATED ACTIONS ON THE FRENCH FRONT \ A SUCCESSFUL RAID IN 'ALSACE. London, April 29. 'A French official communique states: "There have been isolated operations in the region north and south of Courcy and north-west of Reims, and wo have appreciably enlarged our positions. There is a somewhat lively artillery duel in tho Champagne between Prunay and Auberive. Our detachments penetrated far into the enemy's - second line at several points in upper (Southern) Alsace, and lively grenade fighting ended to our advant-age."—Aus.-N.Z'. Cable Assn.-Reuter.

THE GERMAN REPORT ,-< „r- , t> . London, 'April 29. Admiralty, per Wireless Press:—A German official report states: "The enemy's principal thrust, northward of the Scarpe yesterday was against the positions between Acheville and Roeu X) whero the battle was most violent. Tho British forced their way into Arlcux and Oppy, and positions near Gavrelle and Rooux. Wo regained, in a hand-to-hand struggle,' the former positions, with tho exception of Arleux-en-Gohelle. There is a desperate battle also southward of the Scarpe, in the lowland, where tho British attacks failed heavily."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. ,

GERMAN-SWISS FRONTIER CLOSED ' , r , „ . / . , \ Zurich,' April 29. Ine dennan-Swiss frontier has been dosed to travellers and mails. No Gorman newspapers have been received since Thursday.—Aus.-N.Z." Cable Assn. '. i . ' '