ASTRIDE THE SOMME

Evening Star, Issue 16822, 26 August 1918, Page 3

ASTRIDE THE SOMME

BRAY RECAPTURED

PRISONERS TOTAL 14,000.

Press Association— By Telegraph—Copyright,

Lustralian and N.Z. Cable Association and Kauter. LONDON*, August 24. Sir Douglas Haig reports: During the day we pressed attacks vigorously and successfully on more than a 30-mile front, extemiiiuj from Lilians (near Chaulnes) to Mercatel (four miles south of Arras). The English, Scottish, and Australians attacked south of the Somme at 4.45 in the morning. We- captured Her'evil 1 . t\ Cbuignes, Chtiienolles. and' also-Hhe woods bet-ween the villages and between Chuig-n-olles and the river. ] "hiring an ad vane* of over two miles we killed a great number and took many prisoners. Ten minutes later the English and Scottish Guards attacked on the left of the bnttlefront. and stormed Gomiecourt. Er-vilie-rs, Hamelincourt, Boyelles. and BoiryBecquerelle. We took many prisoners. During the remainder of the day we progressed eastward of these villa-ires. Meanwhile, in the right and centre of the battlefront, the English, and Welsh attacked positions on the "east bank of the Ancre. from the south-east of Albert- to the neighborhood of Grandeovrt, gaining ground after heavy fighting. We beat off a counter-attack south of Grand-court. About 11 o'clock in the morning the English attacked on the left and centre along the railwav north of Grandcourt, and captured Ach'iet-I.e Grand. Bihucourt, and a ridge overlooking Tries. We continued the attacks during the afternoon, taking several thousand prisoners. During the-day heavy casualties were inflicted on the enemy. We progressed on the Albert sector during the night, taking prisoners. Our attack was resumed early in the- morning. Since the morning of August 21. m throe days" fighting, we have taken 14,000 prisoners and a number of guns. August 25. Sir Douglas Haig reports : Continuous fighting prevailed on the battlefront north of the"-Somme- since early morning. We are pressing the enemy hard everywhere, and allowing them no respite. We madeprogress on the whole front on _ which we are attacking, despite the arrival of considerable hostile reinforcements. Numbers of prisoners and quantities of material of every description have fallen into our bands. ~ . ~ The Australians, shortly after midnight. attacking along the north bank of the Somme, "captured Bray-sur-Somme, securing a number of prisoners. Continuing their advance with great skill and _ initiative, thev carried the enemy's positions in this neishborhood. On their left the Dondon East County troops further progressed at night along the high'ground south-east of Albert, capturing several hundred men. On the right and centre the- Welsh and North Country troops advanced over the old Somme 1916 battlefield, about La Boisselle, Orvillers, Mouquet Farm, Thiepval, and Grandcourt. We captured all these strongly-defended localities in the face of -a, determined resistajjee, taking over 1,000 prisoners. Our troops are again astride the Thiepval Ridge, advancing eastwards on the left and centre. The East Lancaahires were heavily engaged all day long about Miraumont, where the enemy held out with, great stubbornness until the village was gradually outflanked by crar advancing columns. Northwardts of the village (Miraumont) the New Zealand Division, in the centre of the attack, struck, in the direction of Bapaume. Advancing with irresistible dash and determination, the men carried the defences of Loupart Wood, and, pressing forward with great gallantry, they captured Orvillers and Biefvillers, and reached Avesnes-les-Bapaume, on the outskirts of Bapaume. On the flank of this attack the English took posession of Tries and advanced _in the direction of Sapiegnies, overcoming strong resistance at Idas and eastward of Bihoconrt. On the left of the battlefront English and Scottish divisions and the Guards are fighting on the front Mory-Croiselles-Neu-ville-Titasse, and have captured St. Leger, Henin-sur-Cojeul, and a hill to the eastward. The later captures cannot yet be estimated. HAIG'S TACTICS. FINDING ENEMY'S WEAK SPOTS. Australian and N.Z. Gable Association. LONDON, August 23. Mr Fercival Phillips writes : On a swaying front of more than 50 miles, between Airas and Chaulnes and across two rivers, with scarred hillsides on their flanks, the Hun is desperately engaged in losing the last battle of the Somme series. Clean and swift blows have shaken two German armies. They were well-plaunod blows, aimed at vulnerable parts of the machine, not a sudden 30-ini!es-wido thrust requiring the utmost energy, but a cairn and unhurried thrust here and a thrust there, with economy of man-power, gradually increasing the pressure and extending its limit until it embraces more than the old battlefield. The enemy are fighting blindly and desperately, and are losing blood at every blow, hoping that each attack will be t-h-t climax of the British counter-oft'enaive. There is marked confusion in the forward organisation of both German armies. Troops nave been flung in without definite orders or objectives, and battalions, which have been split into fragments by ! shell fire, have drifted in different direc- j tions, hinderinij instead of helping the J broken units which they had been sent to relieve. They have already lost an unusually large proportion of officers, and they are stall losing guns. Altogether an air of incipient demoralisation 'pervades the enemy. NEW ZEALANDERS UNDER BYNC. AUSTRALIANS UNDER EA\VLINSON. LONDON, August 23. Mr Nevinson states that Thursday's attack was carried out bv part of General Byng's Third Army in the northern sector, and part of General Rawlinson's Fourth Army in the southern sector. Mr Nevinsor. adds r " I am now permitted to mentior that th-j New Zealand*rs hold a distinguished place in the Third Army and the Australian* m the Fourth. Both of theso have during the last two or Base days maintained their remarkable reputation for the qualities which count in war. TheTP is hardly anything to choose between them, but at the same time we must not forget the silent and stolid battalions of the '»ld British comities. Austialian staff t<mce«.< repeatedly praised a Jwriyade of a tnu-tsuu iiritisU division. Xlisy

ON A 30-MILE FRONT.

ALSO THIEPVAL RIDGE.

NEW ZEALANPERS OUTSIDE BAPAUIIE.

kept saving that- the hri ado did e.vtraordinariiy_ well. Praise from such a quarter is weighty and valuable." NEW ZEALANDERS TRAP ENEMY. LONDON, August 24. Correspondents, describing the terrific fighting at the '' Dovecote,'' in Beauregard Wood, north of Miraumont, state that once our line swung back some hundreds of yards, but the guns pounded away, the Germans being too exhausted to exploit or keep their gains. One British unit loosed off 20.000 rounds, effecting terrible slaughter. The correspondents counted 400 bodies in one group. The correspondents describe the New Zealandcrs trapping a German counterattack. They apparently made no attempt to stop the enemy until they had gone too far to withdraw. Then suddenly all the machine guns put down an impassable barrier in the German rear, and moved :t slowly forward. When the Germans realised the position, those who had not been killed or wounded ran forward, crying " Kamerad !" Nearly 500 unwounded prisoners were captured. AUSTRALIANS DOING WELL. Router's Telegrams. LONDON. August 24. Renter's correspondent at British Headquarters says : This morning we captured Bra-v. which is an important position; also" Ovillers (nc-Tth-east of Albert). We have surrounded Thiepval. The Australians yesterday made a fine advance over the old Somme desert, capturing 2,000 men from !.£_ regiments. The" Germans are rushing up strong local reserves to oppose the British approach to Bapaume. Strong opposition was encountered at Bihucourt. where tho enemy hold _ a big sugar factory redoubt. Beyond Gomiecourt our patrols were seen as far forward as Mory. THE EARLIER FIGHTING. HOW ALBERT WAS TAKEN. LONDON, August 25. The British have encircled Thiepval, and a bitter struggle is proceeding within a mile of Bapaume. The British advance was continued east of Albert. Fourteen thousand prisoners have been captured within three day*. Behagnies lias been taken. The British Third Army have progressed four miles on a front of 12 miles. The Fourth Army are reported to have captured Bray. The Germans- were surprised at many points south of the Somme, Sir Douglas Haig qrackly securing the high ground in the south." including the towns of Chuigiies, Herleville, and Chuignolles. The Germans elsewhere were overpowered ox'Jy after fierce fighting, the British lines now reaching Boy ell es-Hamelincourt-Gomiecourt, >S. of Arras. Here many men were captured in the first rush. A bit of a battle preceded the capture of Albert. Before victory was achieved it was necessary to wipe out a multitude of machine gun emplacements formed by , the wreckage of house*. The famous church, from which the figures of the Madonna and the Child hung suspended for a long time, is now a. striking monument of the Huns' destructiveness. The sight which greeted the Tommies pouring in on Thursday was the church levelled to the height of the other ruins round about. The Germans tenaciously clung to the position, which cost so much to attain, and which was only given up after tho dead littered the broken piles of brick and stone throughout the city. The. prisoner? taken here nmnbe.red 750. including a battalion commander and his staff. Albert was attacked on two sides. While a brief haze in the morning lasted the infantry crossed the Ancre to the southward, and took up a position at the rear of the city. Then the forces holding the railway on the western edge poured out. striking the city frontally. Shortly after 10 o'clock tho desperate resistance ended. Tho divisions further south were able to use their tanks advantageously, working up an exposed slope to take the measure of and. after severe fighting, pushing the Germans out of the so-called Happy Valley. Meanwhile the British carried their new line around to tho northward of Bray. taking 200 prisoners from the hard-nghtifwr Germans, and bringing up the total for the first 10 hours to 1,500. There was furious fighting elsewhere. The Beauregard "Dovecote" changed hands five times. The Australian Press Association learns that there is little to repoii this morning, the nature cf the lighting making it difficult to tell lu>w the operations are proceeding. Late last night our line in the Rove sector shuwed certain slight advances. Contrary to yesterday's German communiques, the British Third Army's attack began on the 21st, with complete success, all the objectives being taken. The tiermans, instead of defending their front positions, retired, losing 5.000 prisoners. The enemy's casualties in killed and wounded were far heavier still : whereas our tUal casualties were fewer than outprisoners.