DETAILS OF THE FIGHTING

Evening Post, Volume XCIV, Issue 42, 18 August 1917, Page 7

DETAILS OF THE FIGHTING

REPEATED COUNTER-ATTACKS BY THE ENEMY

('AUBTBALIAN-NEW ZEALAND OABLE ASBOOIATIOH AND RETJTES.)

LONDON, 17th August. Sir Douglas Haig reports : The Allied attack on a front of nine miles north of the Ypres-Menin road continued all day long, in the face of _ strong resistance. The French, on the left, advanced astride the Zuydschoote-Dixmude road, cleared the tongue of land between the Yser Canal and the Martje Vaart stream, and captured the bridgehead at Driegrachten. The British centre rapidly captured its first objectives. It carried Langemarck after heavy fight-. ing, and advanced half a mile beyond, establishing itself in the German trench system, which was the day's final objective. There was fierce and continuous fighting on the right for the high ground north of the Menin road. The enemy repeatedly and heavily counter-attacked, and pressed us back from part of the ground which we had won earlier in the day. Our artillery in the evening broke the enemy's counter-attacks in this neighbourhood. Eighteen hundred prisoners, taken in this attack, have already been brought in. We have made fresh progress eastward of Loos. We have taken 896 prisoners since yesterday on this front. Our aeroplanes effectively co-operated in yesterday's battle, using their machine guns on counter-attacks. We brought down twelve of the enemy's machines, and drove down four. Three of oui's are missing. Excellent aeroplane work was done to-day. AIR-RAID AT COURTRAI AMSTERDAM, 16th August. A British air squadron bombed the German barracks, automobile parks, and munition sheds at Courtrai on Tuesday, doing enormous damage. Twenty soldiers were either killed or wounded. FRENCH OPERATIONS LONDON, 17th August. A French communique states : In Belgium our attack was successfully continued. Our infantry broke the enemy's resistance west of Steenbeke, and progressing, in conjunction with the British, captured all the enemy's positions. Considerable material was captured. On the Aisne front, the artillery on both sides is active in the regions of Laffaux and Hurtebise.