MASSACRING GERMANS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLII, Issue 10107, 7 May 1917, Page 5

MASSACRING GERMANS.

BOTH SIDES SUFFER HEAVILY. LONDON, May 5. Mr Philip Gibbs says:—Ever since our great attack on Vimy ridge the enemy has fought desperately and ferociously, Hinging

forward great forces into the battle in order lu keep ns away from (he llindenburg line, between Drocourt and Queant. Fresh divisions of troops and guns have travelled ucioss Germany, including many recently fighting on the eastern front. Specially trained storming parties have been hurled at onr lines with great losses. Opposite Gnemuppe and Gavrello the Germans died in heaps, but. there are masses behind, and other masses behind them, and so the gruesome business goes on. The Gavrello windmill has now changed hands eight times. At present we hold it. There have been scarcely less bitter struggles at Oppy and Roeux, where picked enemy troops hold the villages, though sulfering the bloodiest losses. Under our bombardment south of iho Scarpe the enemy was so decimated t hat it amounted to a real massacre. This is no figure of speech but the utter truth. Yet other waves were ordered forward with Oriental recklessness of human life. The enemy has greatly increased his gun power of all calibres, including machine guns and trench mortars. Thus, our men are lighting the hardest battles. It is a deadly struggle for both sides. The enemy seems to be lighting for his life, knowing lie must now win or die. His men were hard pressed and were obliged to send three pioneer battalions into the fighting line until the arrival of reinforcements of fighting troops. Our shells are devastating the defences of Oppy wood, but the enemy is bringing up many new batteries, including long-range guns. Our aeroplanes are “spotting” the new gun positions. Already a number have been knocked out by direct hits.

Mr Beach Thomas, the war correspondent, says: —There is open lighting on tin whole battlefront. The British are rapidly regaining this forgotten form of warfare, but find it difficult to shake off the trench habits, numbers still preferring bombs to rifles. The Germans, while desperately lighting with storming troops armed with special machine-guns and automatic rifles, have units at the same time digging hard over the whole breadth of a strong lim four or five miles behind the present light injr line. Correspondents pay tribute ti the Australians’ dashing work at Bulkcourt against picked German troops, ami sav that though they do not yet possess the whole village they hold the grounr north and south and trenches on tin ilindonburg line front. They repulsec nine counter-attacks by fresh troops. German officers taken prisoner admit appalling losses, in some instances 50 per cent. Sir Douglas Haig reportsWe took pri soma - on Thursday upwards of 000, and s*lengthened to-day the positions captured on the Ilindonburg line. We also pro ■Messed eastwards along the enemy trenches. In air fighting on Thursday eleven cn omy machines were brought down. Two ol ours are missing.

\Vo conducted a successful raid east ward of Le Verguier and progressed north ward of Havrincourt wood and in tin neighbourhood of Fresnoy..

The enemy thrice counter-attacked in the night time our new positions on the 11 indenburg line. Our artillery broke the first attack and our infantry the others,