SOMME BATTLE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17289, 3 October 1916, Page 6

SOMME BATTLE.

BRITISH FRONT. FURTHER GAINS REPORTED. The High Commissioner reports: — LONDON, October 1. A British official .message this morning relates that further gains were made in the Thiepval area and at the Schwabcn redoubt, and a number of prisoners were talcen. There weie severe enemy losses. We captured a German army order of September 21 emphasising the importance or tuc Lesouiuis position. “ The last protection of artillery must under no circumstances bo lost.” The position was captured shortly afterwards. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. LONDON, October 1. General Haig reports:—W e progressed in the night between Flors and Le Sara, and made sixteen successful raids between Ypres and Naive Uiupohc. Tliere has been heavy shelling round Gueudecourt, and we drove tbo Germans out of the ground they were holding near the Stuff redoubt. We increased our gains at Schwaben redoubt, a minute portion of which remains untaken. ANOTHER ADVANCE. EAUCOURT L’ABB A YE TAKEN (Received October 2, 7.30 p.m.) LONDON, October 2. Sir Douglas Haig reports: —South of tlio Ancro we advanced over three thousand yards from cast of Eaueourt L’Abbaye' to the Albert-Bapoume road an A north-east of D’Estrcmont Farm. It is reported that tho village ol Eaueourt L’Abbaye is in onr hands. The High Commissioner reports: LONDON, October 2. A British official message says:—On Sunday afternoon our centre attacked and captured tlio whole objective on a front of 3000 yards. Further east our posts reached well beyond the original front line. In this regipu lien armoured cars rendered valuable service in cleaving the enemy trenches behind tlio infantry advance- The villago of le Transloy was bombarded and an ammunition dump exploded. Australian and N.Z. Cable Aesociation. (Received October 2, 8.45 p.m.) LONDON, October 1. Sir Douglas Haig reports:—Our centre attacked and captured the \\ hole of its objective from, cast ol Eaueourt L’Abbaye to tlio Albert-Bapamuo road. Further east we pushed out well beyond our original front, line. Over three hundred prisoners were taken. Our casualties were small. lho tanks did invaluable, .work clearing the trench, a behind the infantry advance. Wo blew up an ammunition dump in the village of le Transloy. Our aeroplanes bombed two enemy aerodromes 'and donned four machines. Since September 18, between the Ancro and tho Somme, wo have captured twenty-four guns, six howitzers and from July 1 to September 30 we have taker prisoner 568 officers and 26,147 men. WITH THE FRENCH. ARTILLERY ACTIVITY. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. LONDON, October 1. A French communique says:— Our artillery is active on tlio Somme front, whcr« we made progress. Greu-

ado activity continues south-east of Morval and along the Sommo, southeast of Clery. (Received October 2, 11.50 p m.) PARIS, October 2. i A communique says:—There were 1 minor successful open tions on the Somme front, resulting in the capture of trendies between Ranccurt and Morval. THE GERMAN SIDE. SOMME REVERSES EXPLAINED. EFFECT OF ALLIED ARTILLERY FIRE. AMSTERDAM, October 1. The latest explanation oi the Somme reverses is that the Anglo-iueimii infantry is worm loss, but tlianks to the overwhelming artiiiery, it is sometimes enabled to rush' tortiiied positions that have been reduced to rums. Jim, tierr Georg muon, tne " i'ageblatt’s ” military critic, says that infaatiy lighting is no longer mail against rnau, nut man against cripples, v.oimu.V'i ano dead. A troncii is rushed only when it has been blown to dust, and tilts is the enemy’s confession mat his infantry is poor in quality. Herr ijucri overlooks the fact that 50,000 uuwounded prisoners were taken on the bouune, and forgets the eulogiesoilicially bestowed on tne German General Staff for sparing the infantry at Verdun by means of artillery prepaiution. (Received October -2, 7.35 p.m.) . AMSTERDAM, October 2. The "Berliner Tagcbiatt’s” correspondent, commenting on the Somme lighting, says that tno Allies arc overmunitioned and can a herd any waste of money. "The enemy is emptying all liis pockets to find a way out of this war of misery. This is what we must do. Each shell means a great hope. It is undeniable that the offeiisivo to both sides represents the bloodiest war episode of all times.” OFFICIAL REPORTS. AMSTERDAM, October 1. ' A German communique says:— Wo repulsed, after hand-to-hand fighting, strong English attacks at AMERICAN AVIATOR. * AN ENEMY PROTEST. AMSTERDAM, October 1. Inspired German organs, commenting on the American aviator Rockwell’s death on the French front, vehemently protest against America’s breach of neutrality in allowing citizens to enlist against Germany. HEAVIER BLOWS COMING. MR J. I. GARVIN’S VIEWS. United Service. LONDON, October 1. Mr J. L. Garvin writes that great things arc likely even before the winter. A gianco at the map shows that if tho wedge is cut twenty miles further eastward of tho BapaumoPoromie road it will endanger communications that nro vital for a large partof ibe line on that front. He thinks that the enemy aro alive to the danger, and are already preparing for a rear movement; therefore a sudden debacle is mi likely. Mr Garvin expects that Generals Haig and Joffre before the end of tho year' will deal more staggering blows than any yet given. _ Referring to Field-Marshal von Hindenburg, be says that he under-

rated the difficulties and was unable to undertake a great advance against Russia, and is therefore concentrating u> ■>nsh Rumania, hold the line from the Baltic to the Black Sea, and return west before the Franco-British. have had time to deliver their knock-out , blow. IN THE ENEMY’S LINES. SHELTERED IN SHELL HOLE. AUSTRALIAN TRIO'S GREAT ADVENTURE. " The Times ’’ Service. (Received October 2, 5.45 p.m.) LONDON, October 1. “The Times” correspondent at Headquarters says that Canadian troops fighting on the former Australian front found in a shell hole . far. ' ahead of the old front lino three . Australians, two of them wounded. They had pushed into the enemy’s country alone. A shell had wounded''two and che third had dragged his comrades into the shpll hole. It was impossible to come out in daylight. The unwounded man nightly stole out to fetch waterbottles and rations from the German dead lyhig noar. He nursed his comrades, keeping himself and patients alive for nine days. One of the wounded is doing well, but the other unfor tunatcly is septic. THE THIEPVAL FIGHTING, PRIVATE’S DARING ATTACK. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Received October 2, 5.45 p.m.) LONDON, October 1. ■ Mr Philip Gibbs writes :—Some of th« New Army men ascribe the enemy at Thiepyal as the most_devilish in their experience. The enemy took six hours to get a barrage fixed because they were not quite sure of their own. soldiers’ whereabouts. The barrage was colossal when it came. Many of our men lay about wounded and it was difficult to get them to safety. 'The work of digging in at night on the captured Jme was a brave job. in tho Hes«ian ■ trench a private soldior met two German officers and twen-ty-two men., They emptied tligir revolvers aurl then picked up German rifles and fired at the group, who fled. The Britisher elided them, picking them off . with abandoned rifles, until ■» only one remained unbounded. Ho hi ought him in prisoner. ‘ NEW ZEALrtNDEHS. GUEUDECOURT STRUGGLE. GRIM FIGHT FOR POSITION. (Special, from the New Zealand Official V ar Correspondent.) HEADQUARTERS, September 29. Since, last cabling the veterans havo , pushed their offensive farther forward, capturing a section of two trenches that were barring progress to the left of Gueadccourt. Starting - froin the factory at the corner, the strong point that they had previously taken, the Otago, C anterbury and Auckland men advanced behind a barrage. The Can- , . torburys and some Aucklands entered tho trenches, without great difficulty, but other Aucklands, with some Otagos, were stopped .by the enemy wire and came under n;achinc-gun fire. - This section' received reinforcements from the Wellingtons, but after stubborn fighting night fell with the encmj still holding an angle in the positior that had bean captured right end left On the following day the Rifles reinforced Auckland and Canterbury, and after further lighting tho position wai made secure. ’ll/oro was some con*, fused but gallant fighting'in front of the enemy wire. On the first day of the offensive the Rifles captured 129 prisoners in Flora .and the vicinity.

Tbe battlefield still beers many signs rvf the fury of our attack in the Switch trench, the German dead in places lying shoulder to shoulder. When I visited the- .ha l Monoid yesterday the Germans were shelling flers and Gueudecourt.. and cert-vn areas of country wo had captured- It* was a cheering sight to see •. cavalry patrols advancing beyond ’ Flors upen Gmuch-court. During ah this fighting stretcherbearers and runners in. the fire zone did heroic work, several of the latter, though wounded, getting messages to company conranwUrs and then dropping from exhaustion.