WESTERN THEATER

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 September 1917, Page 5

WESTERN THEATER

GERMANS' HEAVY LOSSES. FUTILE COUNTER ATTACKS. WHOLE BATTALIONS DISAPPEAR [Australian and NZ. Cable Association.] Received tills clnv at 12.10 a.m. LONDON, Sept. 24. Mr. Philip Gibbs says: After our men had carried their objectives everybody was convinced that the enemy's .losses were heavy, especially in the counter-attacks, which continued on Saturday and Sunday with even more, disastrous results. A German, regiment carried Busses at midday on Saturday to a point behind the Hues for the. purpose of a new assault on our positions at. Polygon Wood. When the regiment took to the road our artillery caught ami dispersed them. Some companies worked their way forward and became lost hi the chaos of shell craters. Instead of battalions and companies they were, transformed into a collection of terror stricken individual soldiers without guidance or command. Another column ,of inarching men on a road belonged to the Sixteenth Bavarian Division. They wern hastily sent without maps or knowledge of ground and without definite instructions. The British aeroplanes dropped bombs on the head of the column. The explosion attracted the attention of more of our night raiders, who, Hying low, dropped bombs all down the column. This counter attack never reached our lines. No counter attack reached our positions near Polygon Ridge, which is the ground the enemy most wants. The nearest was Saturday afternoon, when some Australians saw the. ojint of bayonets in a little wood on the opposite spur for a minute or two. '.l hey saw the movement of men then a fury of shells fell into the Wood and tilled it with (lame ami smoke. ARTILLERY DUEL. A FRENCH REPORT. LONDON, September 23. A French communique states; The artillery struggle is somewhat violent in the region of Hurte.boise and on the left bank of the Meuse and north of Hill 504. STORM TROOPS REPULSED. BRITISH. AII! HA IDS. LONDON, September 21. Sir Douglas! Haig reports: Wo completely repulsed storm trooj.si north-east of Langemarek. English rifle regiments then attacked and captured after sharp fighting, a further portion of the defence in this •neighborhood, also a number of prisoners. Organisation of the newly-' captured positions on the rest of the battle front is proceeding. We repulsed an attack eastward of Villeref. There were 32F) Germans, including SO officers, taken prisoner on the Ypres battle frUnt since the commencement of the attack on September 20th. Our aeroplanes yesterday dropped three tons of bombs on billets, hutments, and aerodromes at night time, and on the Borders, Menin, and Wervicg railway stations. The dnemy dropped a few bombs! at midday but little damage was done. We brought down nine machines. Two of ours are missing. THE ANZACS' DASH. THE BARRAGE CLOSELY FOLLOWED. LONDON, September 23. Mr. Gilmour writes: The Australian front line 'troops followed the barrage more closely in some places than discretion would have prompted them, with the result that many Ger-

mans wen; caught in their dug-outs. Thw tenacity with which the Anzacsi clung to the bill-rage also resulted in totallv Ktitiiiur the German

machine-gunning. A young lieutenant on the fringe of (lie terrific barrage, with shell* bursting around him, (lashed forward To a fortified post where the Oernurnsi were waiting to receive hi in with a ma-chine-gun. The lieutenant stretched his ami into a look-out hole and tired a few shots from his revolver. The Germans inside were killed 'T salt tied. The performance \va,si repeated with general success: at the next concreted blockhouse. Mr. (lilinour mentions the excellent work of the artillery in smashing the troops-: assembling for counter-attacks. The precision of the British attack surpassed anything previously done. GERMAN RAIDERS EJECTED. ENEMY ARTILLERY ACTIVE [Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.] deceived this (lav at 8.35 a.mLONDON, Sept. 24. Sir Douglas Ilaig reports: We drove out raiders from our trenches near Labasseville- The enemy artillery is active on both banks of the Searpe, southward of Lens and north-eastward of YpresVIOLENT ARTILLERY DUEL. GERMAN ATTACKS FAIL. [Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.] Received this day at 11.10 a.m. LONDON, September 21. A French, communique states: There was; violent artillerying in the region of Rraye, llurtebise, and the light bank of the Meuse, and in the region of Bois Fosses a,nd Bois Chante. The enemy's surprise attack at llurtebise failed. Bombs, from enemy 'planes fell on a group of German prisoners and two were killed and seventeen wounded. Six German machines' were brought flown.

THE DUKE OF CONNAUGHT.,

AND THIS VICTOKS OF MKSSINKS. AN INTKIiKSTLNC PA HADE. (From Malcolm Ih'ss, Correspondent with t'lie New Zealand Kurcesi in the Field.) In the square of an old Flemish tunv.u behind the lines, a day or two ago, was ;i panicle of Imperial troops in connection with the visit of f 1.11.11. the Duke of Connaught to the Corps under which the New Zealanders fought in the Battle of iMessines. There was a special muster of the New Zealand J'ifle Brigade, of which the Duke is Colonel-in-Chief. ]n addition, other troops of all arms were represented in the parade. The square wasi bright with him'ing, in which the flag of Engand, the Tri-color, and the Belgian flag were, prominent. From every window of the .shops and houses around )t]jo square soldiers and civilians watched the, ceremony. The red capes of British 'nurses made a splash of color in the drab background of kliaki. Grouped at one side of the square were the trophies from the battleground of Messinest —field and machine guns, and other weapons that

Iho Germans had left behind them in their flight. The Jmke i accompanied by General Phuner of the .Second Army at..d General Commanding the Corpsi, wan received with a lloyal Salute as he reached the saluting base, Then t accompanied by Army and Corps Comniandei'si and the Divisional Generals, he made, a close inspection of the troops. The officers on parade with <iie troops were, introduced to him, and each was greeted with a hearty handshake.

Above, the patrol of 'planes flew at varying altitudes, and looking up wo

watched their graceful evolutions M< ill higher, to invisible, heights, of Hi.ooo and 17,000 feet, had climbed the tn-planes. The precaution wafl necessary, for the parade wasi within easy reach of the German bombers. Indeed, the inspection wasi 'scarcely over, when the white, puffs of the

o'uiis coukl be seen high above on ilu: outskirts of the town. But the massed hands played bright music, and the ceremony went, on a s quietly -a-.si if it were being held in n>n, English fiefd beyond the t'each of war's alarums,.

cheers were given for Kino- George. 11 if! lloynl Highness then returned t<> the saluting base, and the troops in;)rched pa sit in column of route the New Zealaind Biflesi leading. Afterwards the Duke met a. number of Brigadiers, and staff officer;-:, nd the civic authorities of the town 'Mi whnni he chatted for a, few inin"*e.j before proceeding along the fron{ to other scenes. the. New inlanders the day was one of special interest, for it vasi the ">>t occasion upon wJiich. the Bifles had seen their Oolo)nel-in-Chief. It wa>:, particularly tiffing that they Mioiihl meet, thus— on the battlefields of Franco, and at a lime when they were fresh from iheir part, in the defeat <>f the enemy in the Battle of Mess in es.

.RUSSIA

CABINET RECONSTRUCTION. THE TASK IN HAND. PETROCRAD September 24. -M. Kerensky, who is at headquarters, lias instructed Al. Teresthenko to under lake the reconstruction of the Cabinet, whiih will probably be cuinpletecl before the. meeting of the Democratic Conference. ENEMY THROWN RACK. ROUMANIANS REPEL ATTACKS. LONDON, September 23. Russian Official.—We pressed back the enemy's advanced guards in the of Rudniii in the direction of Riga. The Roumanians repelled attacks in the region of Muncheli. A FIERCE BATTLE. RUSSIANS SUCCESSFUL. [Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.l Received this dnv at 8.50 a.m. LONDON", Sept. 24. Wireless Russian official.—We occupied enemy positions after a fierce struggle southward of the Skov high road. The enemy's losses were severeKORNILOFF PLOT. TILE TiEINETvAL MISUNDER--STOOD. A GOVERNMENT ADMlS[Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.] Received this dav at 11.15 a.m. EAR IS, Sept. ,24"Le Matin's" Eefrbgrad correspondent says:—A widespread sensation was caused_by the revelations by Savinkoft' Eiloninko regarding (Tie origin of the Korniloff plot, ■ General Korniloff acted in accordance with plans drawn up in influential circles to save the country from the extremistsGeneral Korniloff feared the restoration of the Monarchy, and declared jTvn.t the Romanoffs would Have to pass over his body to reach the ThroneAt the last moment a difference of opinion arose between General Korniloff and the Government in regard to the plans for inarching on I'etrograd, and the Soviet undertook to organise the defence of the capital. Therefore, the military plan to seize the capital was abandoned.

The Socialist Press is excited over the revelations, and it Avill be very difficult to fix the sibilityWASHINGTON, Sept. 24. The Russian Embassy announces that the Government absolves General KornilofV from hlanie, as it was due to ;i misunderslandin"'.

THE RUSSIAN MUDDLE

WHO IS TO BLAME?

[Aii.strii'iiiin ;md N.Z. Cubic Association.]

Received tin's dav ai 11-45 si.m. LONDON", Sept 24Mr Harold Williams, writingfrom IV (nigra d> says: M. Kerensky lias decided to removes all ollicers from the Headquarters sla'fl' on I lie ground that openly or covertly I hey sympathise with General ivqrniloff. General Aloxieir protested iliat many able strategists stud technical experts could not be replaced- MKerensky has resigned.

KERENSKY CRITICISED. (i( PRECARIOUS POSITION. [AUSTBALIAN AND N.Z. OABLB ASSOCIATION.] NEW YORK, Sept. 24The Petrograd newspapers are accusing' M. Kerensky of conspir-. ing' with General Korniloif to crush the Petrograd proletariat, and demand that' M. Kerensky explain. The fate of the Government is precarious, particularly M. Kerensky's position.