EXCEEDINGLY SEVERE FIGHTING.

Marlborough Express, Volume LI, Issue 230, 28 September 1917, Page 5

EXCEEDINGLY SEVERE FIGHTING.

[ENEMY'S DESPERATE EFFORTS

TO REGAIN GROUND

•EXTREMELY HEAVY GERMAN

JiOSSES

i (An*, and NZ. Assn. and Reuter.) ■, I ( (Received Sept. 28. 11.30 a.m.) j LONDON, Sept. 27, ; . i Sir Doti.ccl.tr Hnig reports: Latert i accounts of the fighting yesterday j| afternoon and evening state that it; was exceedingly severe. The enemy ■ spared no efforts to regain important; : ground captured. They made four; separate counter-attacks "in great j strength on our new 'front from; j! Tower Hamlets to the St. .'Jtilien-- | 'Gravenstafel road. The struggle i was most severe in the area soutb- ) -ward of Polygon Wood, where Eng- ■ lish, Scottish", Welsh, and Australian1 ■ troops defeated repeated attempts to I « break into our positions. 'All the, : enemy's attacks were repulsed. Their' losses were extremely heavy. '■ 'Later in the evening the fighting; died down, leaving us in possession; of the ground captured. ' 'After a severe struggle lasting-all; day the English and Scottish "bat-: talions ejected the enemy from their | positions, and accomplished their al-| lotted task, securing tue'flarik of our: principal attack. We -relieved two^ companies of the -Argyll and Slither-j 'laird ■ troops, who had'heW-out with; great gallantry during the night in; for\yard positions, in which they -were; isolated by tlie enemy. \ 'Later, another countor-tfttaek -df. great strength developed :in jeh'is sec- i tor, -Adhere fierce fighting continues, j The 'Australians further north cleared, -the remainder of Polygon 'Wood and j ■captured a trench system eastward, \ \vhieh formed their day's oV;je«^t'ives. | On the 'Australian left thfe TDnglidh, i 'Scottish, and Welsh battalions -pene-j te fated tlwi defences to a nearly <i mile. They stormed \ '2vonn( ibe'ke and gained their -dbjec- \ 'A vounter-nttack ea**bn*aird • t/t "Pdlyiron'^Vood was repulsed. The 'North Midland and London! Territorials, attacking on the left <on both sides df the Wielt.ie, Gran^enstnfeff., St. 'Jniw.-n. and Gravensla^e'l roaAs, .eapfeurfd their objectives ?«td beat off a countw-attack. Our fete here ivas ofivanttfi to a dej^th of h<M a milif ate'oss country defended \ry many ifor^iSiod faruvs and concretairedoulits.. The crii^iy in tin? 'afternoon launched a seco«<3 t'oaittei'-at'iack with larger , c t/rces. TliK 3^ ])i'esseQ us back a slVjrt distarKt^*>n finaijow fi'ont. Our co tjnier-attjt'j-k ?«wtij>t>u4fad tlie bulk of tljp lost ground. Over 1000 prisoners gvere tak* jss.. 'Vefy large numI bers of fJeriiiais iteiid siiow-td that the RfT-neniv's losses »<<*r*> ag«in heavy.