WESTERN THEATRE.

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 September 1917, Page 5

WESTERN THEATRE.

THE BRITISH OFFENSIVE. OYER. OXE THOUSAXI) PRISONERS GERMAN LOSSES HEAVY. LONDON', September 27. The High Commissioner reports : —• British Oliicial. —This morning’s attack on a front of six miles south of Ihe Tower Hamlets was entirely successful. Subsequently there were heavy enemy counter-attacks which resulted in hard lighting, and which are still continuin' at certain points. Among other details the Australians cleared the remainder of Polygon Wood, capturing trenches to the eastward and reaching the day’s objectives. Over one thousand prisoners were taken. There are a large number of German dead. Yesterday was a record in the number of enemy machines accounted tor. Tfrenly-four machines' were brought down. On lv oi»e of ours is missing. ADVANCE ON SIX-MILE FRONT. ALL OBJECTIVES SECT ) Received this day at 1.55 a.rn. LONDON, Sept. 27. Sir Douglas Haig reports: Our attack.this morning on a six-mile front southward of Tower Hamlets to the eastward of St. Jalien, was entirely successful. The enemy later nfiule a series of counter attacks: along the -new front, hard fighting continuing at certain points- An attack was carried out by English troops southward of the Vpro’s-Menm Road, and this successfully completed the capture of Tower Hamlets spur and the possesion otstrong field works on the eastern slopes, forming, our objectivesWe repulsed a powerful counter attack from Gheluvelt, and met with obstinate resistance on the right. Our main attack was northward of the Ypres-Menin Road, and there was heavy fighting in the area over which the enemy counter attacked daySEVERE STRUGGLE. GERMANS’ DETERMINED ATTACKS. HEAVY ENEMY" LOSSES.

The Hio-li Commissioner reports ns follows: —

LONDON, Sept. 27, 11 a.m. Sir Douglas Haig’s later ae-

counts show Hint the fighting at Wed tern ft in Ihe evening was exceedingly severe- The enemy did not spare any effort to regain the important ground captured. Between four and seven in the evening four separate counter attacks of great strength were made on Tower Hamlets, St- .1 alien, and the (Ira ven sta pel Bond- The struggle was severest in the area south wards of thp Polygon Wood, where the English, Scottish, Welsh, and Australians defeated repeated attempts to break, 'in. The attacks were all repulsed-. In the fierce fighting the German losses by artillery and infantry fire were extremely heavy- Later in the evening fighting gradually died down. We have possession of the ground captured during the day-