HARD FIGHTING ON BRITISH SECTORS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 27 August 1917, Page 5

HARD FIGHTING ON BRITISH SECTORS.

ENEMY LOSSES HEAVY.

FURTHER FRENCH GAINS AT

VERDUN

THE STRUGGLE FOB LENS

WONDERFUL CANADIAN

FIGHTING

LONDON, Aug. 25

Sir Douglas Haig reports: French enemy troops counter-attacked our positions* in the neighborhood of the Ypree-Menin road. Repeated assaults forced back our advanced troops. Fierce fighting at Inverness copse and Glencorse wood continues. Our artillery dispersed concentrations in this area. The enemy's losses were heavy. We advanced slightly 6outh-east of St. Julien" and captured a length of German trench westward of Lens, also an enemy post in the neighborhood of Lombartzyde, securing prisoners. The artillery is active.

A French communique 6tates that in the Champagne there is a rather lively artillery duel in the region of the Teton-Yerdun front. Hostile artillery bombarded our new first line, especially north of Hill 304, between Samogneux and the Ch'ambrettee farm.

Sir Douglas Haig reports: The enemy bombarded positions south-east of Epehy and attacked Guillemont farm on both flanks. We recaptured a portion of the trenches north-east of £he farm. We are still in possession of the farm. We advanced our line slightly on the northeast of Lens.

A French communique says: We dashingly attacked in the morning between Avocourt and Mort Homme. Our troops went considerably beyond their objectives and carried the formidable Hill 304 at a single rush, also Bois Cammard, westward of the line of fortifications northward of the hill, and reached the south bank of Forges br«ok, between Bancourt and" Bethincourt, the average depth of the advance being over two kilometres. A vigorous offensive east of the Isnes-Betnincourt road enabled us to widen our positions north of Mort Homme to a depth of a kilometre. PARIS, Aug. 25. A French communique states: We re-progressed north of Hill 304 and carried last night three fortified works couth of Bethincourt. We took prisoner 450 unwounded men on the left bank of the Meuse yesterday, making a total of 8100 during the Verdun offensive. LONDON, Aug. 25. A wireless German official report states: English attacks astride the Ypres-Menin road pressed us back on the north-western fringe of Herenthage wood. We surprised and captured the Guillemont farm, southward of Vendhuille. We completely repulsed a French attack on a, three kilomefcre front southward of St. Quentin. There is increased fighting at Verdun. French attacks at Forges river and Hill 304 were unsuccessful.

Mr Philip Gibbs, describing the Canadians' wonderful fighting againet heary odde at Lens, states that 6ix Guards Divisions attacked them and have been shattered. Portions of other divisions have also been engaged. The Germans used over fifty battalions. Their losses are estimated at between 12,000 and 15,000. After ten days' furious attack and counter-attack, the Canadians seized Green Crassier. The enemy came in strength and thrust them from the crest, but the Canadians are still fighting on the western side. The fighting consists of an uninterrupted series of fier«e and bloody encounters above and below ground for , redoubts, emplacements, houses, and slag heaps, heing mostly hand-to-hand, with every weapon. The shell fire is indescribable. The men coming out of the inferno seem to be etricken with nightmare. Lens has become a Prussian tomb city of abomination.