HEAVY GERMAN ATTACK ON THE BRITISH

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 69, 14 December 1917, Page 7

HEAVY GERMAN ATTACK ON THE BRITISH

BLOW AT BULLECOURT

ATTEMPT TO BREAK THROUGH REPULSEp WITH HEAVY LOSSES By Telegraph—Press Association—CopyrisM (Roc. December 13,11.20 p.m.) London, December 18. • Sir Douglas Haig reports"The enemy yesterday morning delivered a strong local attack on a mile front eastward of Bullecourt. He succeeded on tho right in entering a short length of our front trench, which formed a salient, and had been demolished by tho bombardment preceding tho attack. At all other points the attack was repulsed with heavy loss to tho enemy. :Tho hostile artillery was active in the area of the attack, and there has been some activity also southward of Lens and in the neighbourhood of Armen--tieres."—Aus.-N.Z. Cablo Assn.-Reuter.

ENEMY'S APPARENT AIM,

(Rec. December 13, 8 p.m.) London, December 12.

The United Press correspondent says that Prince Rupprecht's apparent 1 aim this morning was to pierce General Byng's lines near Bullecourt, and • strike the British who were holding the new Cambrni battlefront both front jand rear. The attack seems to have been arrested before the Bavarians occupied more than a few hundred yards of the British trenches. Tho German •bombardment 1 was very heavy, proving that there was a great conccntra'tion of guns.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

ANOTHER ACCOUNT OF THE ATTACK

(Rcc. December 13, 10.50 p.m.)

London, December 15,

Mr. Philip Gibbs says:—"The enemy's attack eastward of Bullecourt on a quarter-mile front was partly intended to bite off a section of ground 'jutting beyond our line from a quadrilateral position in tho old system of : German trenches opposite Reincourt and in the neighbourhood of our earthworks. Tho enemy tliis morning bombarded on a much wider front on each ''side of the projecting nose, and boxed in the quadrilateral, especially the Matter's base, with a fierce, continued barrage, with a view to isolating it ifrom the lines adjoining and cutting off tho supporting troops. The assaulting battalions belonged to the Sixteenth Bavarian Division. They had Saxons behind in readiness, according to prisoners' statements, to pass beyond ; the first waves of the assault and break through our rearguard as soon as the first objective was gained. The larger plan failed under the weight of our aitillery fire, and the enemy suffered heavy casualties. . He, however dented in the outer line of our promontory, and for the time being is holding . part of it." —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.