DEFENCE OF BAPAUME.

Evening Star, Issue 16236, 4 October 1916, Page 3

DEFENCE OF BAPAUME.

GERMAN STAND AT EAUCOURT. Press Association-—By Telegraph—Copyright. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. LONDON, October 3. Sir D. Haig reports.; There has been severe fighting in ■ and about Eaucourt I’Abbaye, and the enemy regained a footing in its buildings. We improved our position south-west oi Gueudecourt and eastward and northward of Cburcelette. Our aeroplanes bombed several points of military importance, and many enemy machines were brought down. ITS FIRST CAPTURE. PAPvIS, October 3. The British infantry advanced with characteristic spirit to the capture of Eaucourt DAbbaye. “Tanks” greatly aided the movement, and the objective was attained in less than two hours. The hottest fighting was at Eaucourt, where the Germans barricaded the mins and fought with desperate courage; hut the British charge went full tilt at two Hanoverian battalions holding the north-west comer of the village, and drove them out. Our gunnel's did the rest, inflicting heavy losses upon the _ retreating men. Two enemy companies were cut off and made prisoner near the Flers road. Finally the British established their lines on'Warlencourt Hill (near the Main road, three miles S.W. of Bapaume), the last eminence hiding Bupaume). > LULL FURTHER SOUTH, PATHS, October 3. A communique states: Wo progressed by grenade fighting eastward of Bouchavesnes (Jf. of Pennine). A small attack on ouj frya-h-w southward of Vermand Ovillors ‘V. n; Ohp.rines) was repulsed. Bad lirne-inl .'pnrntions on the whole o’’ *j„' •,I'irKuii* -.,,t NO MAM’S LAND. ‘The Times.’ LONDON, October 5. ‘ Tlie Times’s ’ correspondent at the western Headquarters instances the confused nature of the fighting which is proceeding in an indescribable waste of shell holes ana ragged trench_ lines. Isolated parties of soldiers sometimes over-eagerly push bsvond their advance and become lost in No Man’s Land. Nearly all return, straggling back at intervals or hiding in shell holes and empty trenches until the British advance enables them to rejoin their units. Sometimes Germans stray into the British lines. BAVARIANS “ NERVY.” Eeufcer’s Telegrams, LONDON, October 3. ■Renter’s correspondent at the western Headquarters telegraphs; We captured a Bavarian battalion order, which shows that the enemy are suffering from “ nerves.” A lieutenant-colonel plaintively thus rebukes his men: “ I have got an impression that a few Englishmen bomb-throwing into their trenches can thoroughly frighten a crowd of Bavarians. If we put an unnecessary barrage on the enemy they retaliate, and wo. suffer. Therefore this fright on the Sommo front must be dispelled.” THE NEW ZEALANDERS, SWIFT AND DARING, THEIR WORK RECOGNISED. SNIPERS’ HEROISM. Reuter’s Telegrams. LONDON, October 3. Mr Beach Thomas, in a letter f;« m the western front, refers to the continuous record of individual and corporate brilliant deeds of New Zealanders. They were particularly successful in tho breaking of old Gorman trenches, and were officially | complimented recently upon the quickness j and smoothness cf their chief advance. ' ' j Scores of stories are told of their daring. One sergeant crawled and walked to a machine-gun emplacement, bayoneted ' every member of the crow,' and used the j gun with the greatest effect against the I enemy. I A party of Lew Zealanders who wore ' isolated on the night of September 21 1 were ordered to retire. A Canterbury pri- j vate remained, and covered the retreat 1 loading and firing incessantly, killing nura- 1 bers, and finally escaping. " ° I An Otago sniper, soring the battalion 1 severely suffering from she!] fire and ’ snipers white digging in in rim open, ol> j tained permission to “go out and deal with i the snipers. He crawled to successive i craters until close to them, picking oil i several, and appreciably diniiuishino the i danger. ‘ & Continually during the advance we are putting out of -action many Gorman batteries.. Never previously have the enemy's 1 gunners so suffered, direct hits repeatedly ' smashing batteries, which are frequently ; seen lying broken ,mid*er twisted girders, j Tho many instances of German fright- re- 1 ferred to in a Bavarian order of the day I aro now largely multiplying, heirm paa k i tioularly shown in wild riflo - fire and nw. less bo mb-throwing. JOFFRE’S ARMY ORDER. i PATHS, October 5. General Joffre lias issued an order of the day congratulating tho Somme army upon having dealt blows from which the enemy will find it hard to recover. Verdun has-been cleared, 25 villages have been recovered, 35,000 prisoners taken, and 150 cannon captured. FURTHER NORTH. BRITISH BOMBARDMENT. ENEMY APPREHENSIVE. LONDON, October 5. llio ‘Daily Telegray L’s ’ Rotterdam correspondent telegraphs: The continuous bombardment-is no longer confined to the Sommo front. The enemy positions in Flanders arc being subjected to gunfire, which, has been now unbroken since Saturday. The westward horizon all night long is stabbed with beams from search lights along the Belgian coast, where tho Germans are tensely expectant. Th© ‘Frankfurter Zcitung’ warns the commanders against surprises in quiet places, especially when all eyes are directed to the centre heavy fighting.