The Somme Battles.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume VI, Issue 264, 24 October 1916, Page 5

The Somme Battles.

French Maintain Their Gains. British on Sunday Take Thousand Prisoners. [PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYBIGHT.] [REUTEB’S TELEGRAM.] London, October 23. Sir Douglas Haig reports:—ln all 1018 were taken prisoner yesterday between the Schwaben redoubt and Le Sars. The enemy exploded two mines south of Ypres, in the neighbourhood of the Bluff, and occupied the lip of the crater, where they were subjected t° continuous bombardment. Our aeroplanes valuably located enemy batteries yesterday, and destroyed five and damaged four- Three of our machines are missing. [AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND CABLE ASSOCIATION. J (Received 24, 10.30 a.m.) London, October 23Sir Douglas Haig reports that the enemy is shelling between Le Sars and Gueudecourt. We gained ground near the lips of the two craters formed yesterday on the Ypres bluff. THE GERMAN DESPATCH. (Received 24, 11.55 a.m.) London, October 23. A German communique says:—We bio°dily repulsed strong English attacks between Le Sars and Les Boeufs. The French penetrated only the first line north-west of Sailly. We penetrated Ambras Wood, north of Chaulnes. We withdrew from the east and north parts of the wood voluntarilyWe brought down 22 enemy aviators. TWIN VILLAGE OF SAILLY SAILLISEL. STORY OF ITS CAPTURE.' [At rar kalian and new Zealand cable association | London, October 23. Mr. Ashmead Bartlett, describing the capture of Sailly Saillisel, says it is a stragglz.g twin village with houses in two long rows on either side of the Peronne Bapaume highroad, and separated by a kilometre of orchards from the second village of Saillis further to the eastward and still uncaptured.

It rained incessantly throughout the night, and the battlefield was a sea of mud. The visibility was extremely low. Nevertheless the French infantry leapt from the trenches punctually, carried the houses of Sailly-Saillisel, and occupied the slopes to the north-west and north-east of the village. The captured country puts a solid wedge in front of SaiflySaillisel, and an immense stretch of works connecting the village with Bois St. Pierre Vaast. The French are now able to crush counter-attack 3 through the orchards from Sailly Saillisel. As the French infantry 7 charged the sun shone out, and it was a superb spectacle. The French and English artillery thundered incessantly a huge semi-circle of smoke and name. The aeroplanes never lost their grip of the enemy worksThe infuriated German gunners opened up a tremendous barrage, but seemed totally blind. They continually 7 shifted their aim in the hope of finding the lurking place of the French reserves without result. The Germans anticipated an attack and brought the 2nd Bavarian Division to support the defenders of Sailly Saillisel, but the French were able to seize the twin village m ntteen minutes after the artillery had smashed it to pulp. The infantry had a terrible time in the mud. ENEMY’S FAILURE TO RECAPTURE LOST GROUND. INCENDIARY^GRENADES USED. Pans, October 23. The enemy is disinclined to allow the French to hold their gains in Sailly-Saillisel and the neighbouring heights. Throughout Friday night and Saturday he hurled thousands ot shells on French positions. He came out of the St. Pierre Vaast Wood trenches south of Le Mesnil and attempted to rush the Allies’ line, but met with a fearful fire, the rush being broken. The Germans thrice returned to the attack, but were driven back, leaving the ground covered with corpses. The Germans had some slight success on the northern edge of Blaise Wood. Here the attacker 3 were preceded by men wearing asbestos clothes who carried a new kind of grenade which bursts into flames when it strikes the ground, lhe corps following the asbestos attackers gamed a footing on part ot advanced French trenches. During these attacks the French successfully counter-attack-ed and advanced their front beyond the Chaulnes-Ovillers railway.

HEAVY FIGHTING AT CHAULNES WOOD. GERMANS SUFFER VERY HEAVY LOSSES. [high commissioner’s message.] London, October 23. A French official report says that south of the Somme the Germans, after violent bombardment, freshly attacked, toward one o’clock, the ground south of Chaulnes Wood occupied by us. They were repulsed with serious losses, and the enemy left in our hand® a number of prisoners as yet uncounted. According t° fresh information, the attack this morning in the same region was very murderous for the Germans- Fragments of the enemy which succeeded in taking a footing in our lines were completely surrounded, and 500 German survivors were made prisoner. Everywhere else there is intermittent cannonade. FRENCH CAPTURE ANOTHER HILL. Ihigh commissioner’s message.] (Received 24, 11.46 a.m.) London, October 23. A French official report states: —North of the Somme, after artillery preparation, we captured Hill 128, westwards of Sailly Saillisel, where we entered on Wednesday. OPERATIONS ON OTHER SECTORS. FRENCH AVIATORS ACTIVE. (Received 24, 11.20 a.m.) London, October 23. A French communique says:—We captured a post between the Avre and the Oise. Enemy aviators bombed Luneville. We dropped 4200 kilogrammes of projectiles on furnaces north of Metz, the railway stations of Mezieres les Metz L°ngwy and Metzsablons. We also bombed a munitions depot at Mons Entrahaussne, factories at Rombach, and the railway station at Marslatour.