SOMME BATTLE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17291, 5 October 1916, Page 7

SOMME BATTLE.

BRITISH FRONT. TRENCH RAID NEAR LOOS. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. .LONDON, October 3. General Haig reports that the night was quiet southward of the Ancre. We successfully raided German trenches southward of Loos. HEAVY RAIN FALLS. (Received October 4, 9.25 p.m.) , LONDON, October 4. Sir Douglas Haig reports Heavy rain fell last night and in the early part of tko morning. Fighting near Eaucourt l’Abbaye is proceeding satisfactorily. WITH THE FRENCH. GERMANS DRIVEN BACK. LONDON, October 3. A French communique says:—A violent artillery battle took place in the region of llancourt. Our fire immediately drovo back the Germans to trenches in St Pierre Vaast Wood. TRENCH TAKEN NORTH OF RANCOURT. Reuter's Telegrams. (Received October 4, 9.25 p.m.) PARIS, October 4. A communique says.:—A localised attack on each side of the Peronne-Bau-paume road gained us an important bronck north of Kancourt. There was great reciprocal artillery fire south of the Somme. THE GERMAN SIDE. OFFICIAL CLAIMS. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. LONDON, October 3. A Gorman communique says:— North of Thiepval and north-west of Courceletto we recovered trenches from the British, who won ground on both sides of Eaucourt I’Abbaye, with the heaviest sacrifices. Between Gueudecourt and Morval we repulsed four enemy attacks. The French penetrated the first line west of the Sailly-Ranconrt' road at St Pierre Vaast Wood, bub were driven out. BRITISH COMPLIMENTED. FRENCH HONOURS FOR GENERALS. (Received October 4, 9.25 p.m.) PARIS, October 4. President Poincare visited Sir Douglas Haig and complimented him on the magnificent successes of the Briti-n. He handed the Star of tb© Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour to General Gough and the Commander’s Sash to Ueneral Butler.

GERMAN PLANS. MAY BE WITHDRAWING. (Received October 4, 8.25 p.m.) LOIvDON, October 3. Mr Philip Gibbs writes:—The German plans on the Somme are puzzling. It looks as if the enemy is making n gradual withdrawal, masked by sharp countor-bHfs to check the quickness of our advance. There were not many Germans left alive in the first and second trenches defending the old monastery at Eaucourt. They were heaped with corpses of the troops killed in tho twelve hours’ bombardment. Most of tho enemy ran at the approach of tho British bayonets. The Germans appear to bo strong at Le Sars and at a little quadrilateral redoubt near-by. Tho enemy’s osses are fearsome. The men cry out against the massacre, blaming their commanders, t-hsj air sendee and artillery for their awful state. NEW ZEALANDERS. DEEDS OF BRAVERY. Eeutor's Telegram*. LONDON. October 3. Reuter’s Headquarters correspondent states that a New Zealand officer, leading the Otagoitos at Flors on. September 15, was wounded, and a sergeant assumed'command. Tho party carried a trench and consolidated tho position. During tho same fight an Auckland sergeant led a bombing party in a Gerfrian. sap, and, despite losses and tho fact that most of tho party and himself were blown off their feet, they ultimately won the trencli. An Auckland private, seeing his comrades hard pressed, took up reinforcements himself. Though wounded in the trench, he ran along deliberately bombing the Germans, and permitting the Canterbury's to press home their coun-ter-attack. DEFENCE OF COMBLES. GERMAN SOLDIER’S STORY. TERRIBLE ARTILLERY FIRE. (Received October 5, 12.20 a.m.) LONDON, October 4. The “Daily Cnronicle’s ’’ Paris correspondent states that a German noncommissioned officer captured at Comblcs relates that his battalion’s losses wero heavy before reaching Combles. Tho only road was swept by shells. Onco inside tho fortress they were reassured. It seemed absolutely impregnable. The subterranean defences includod circular chambers capable of holding two hundred men. The subterranean passages had only two exits, and tho British artillery with devilish precision shelled the exits. “ We were practically buried rJivc, he says. “ For two days the deluge of projoctilos continued. Nothing could describe it. Tho earth trembled and our men wero in a fearful state of nervous exeitemont, half of them unable to do anything but weep. A few tried to escape and were never seen again. Our officers affected to bo calm, but wero moro terrified at heart than wo wore. Soon the provisions ceased to arrive. For two dap moro the awful bombardment continued above us. Everything was ablaze, a hut suffocating. Ten men and . their comrades were already dead or nervous from shock, and then the assault came. Wo defended ourselves to tho end but could not withstand the British fury. We wero crushed in the bloody hand-to-hand fighting and surrendered.”