WESTERN FRONT

Nelson Evening Mail, 17 April 1917, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT

FIERCfe GERMAN COUNTERATTACKS .

ON BAPATJME-CAAIBRAI ROAD*.

FOUR GERMAN DIVISIONS PAR-

TICIPATE.

(Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.)

{Rec. April 17, 9.35 &.m.) ! . PARIS, April 16. The Petit Parisien states that four German divisions participated m the counter-atacks on the Bapaume-Cam-brai road, attempting to recapture important, points. It was the most ambitions 'programme' undertaken for months. »■ Hitherto the Germans had merely attempted to stop the Allied advance. The fighting was; extremely fierce when Hagnicourt was partly ,lost. : Important "reinforcements, supported by formidable artillery, were rushed into the flame and smoke and captured the vilage and re-established the line. t -

HEROIC AUSTRALIANS

HTNDENBURG LINE GROSSED.

(Australian and -N.-Z.'. Cable Association.}

(Rec. April 17, 12.40 p.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. . Captain Bean, cabling; on the 16th, * describes the Australian attack on the Hindenburg line. It is a feat that will live'in history as long as history lasts. Under machine-gun fire and ' through such wire fortifications as were hitherto unknown,: „-they seized two lines of trenches and : captured the -village of Reincourt and pushed two thousand yards beyond tne'Hinde'nburg line." Here the wonderful effort spent itself- The ranks were-thinned and the handful of men were unable'to keep down the ma-chine-gun fire and sniping. The Germans, heavily reinforced, drove them hack. Though the Australians did not succeed, the extraordinarily gallant attack had a marked effect on the progress of the troops elsewhere- ..'.... PRUSSIAN GUARDSCUT "UP. "i.1500 BILLED. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.; (Rec. April 17, 1 p.m.) LONDON, April 16. An Australian counter-thrust cut up the Prussian Guards at Langicourt upon their own entanglements. The Australians killed no less than 1500 of them. (Rec. April 17, 1.5 p.m.) . LONDON, April 16. Australian rifle fire at Lagmcourt ih- - flicted most appalling slaughter. The Prussians"' screamed .and sought, to .escape like rats from a trap aintil they dropped. -"''■'■-' The Evening Standard states that the Australians suffered in the check" "experienced at Bullecourt.on Easter Monday. They broke Hindenburg's line, and went 2000 yards. The Australians were then caught in a snowstorm and deprived of aircraft observation and artillery co-operation, and were .forced to ;-.\ retire."" ; - . . ..' ' 'V'';.-.'-

HEAVIEST GERMAN LOSSES.

(Australian and N.Z. Gable Association and Renter.}

(Rec. April 17, 1.10 p.m.) LONDON, April 16. Sir Douglas Haig reports:—We captured Villeret -village south-east of Hargicourt,' and progressed on the norths west lines. *—

Onr booty captured at Livin and Souchez river-is very great. The enemas / atack at Monchy _le Prenx on Saturday was mo3t determined. -The Third Bavarian division,- which fought at Loos in 1915 and High Wood in, 1916, was ordered to take the village "at all costs. It suffered:,the heaviest losses.

NORTH-WEST OF ST QUENTIN

ÜBOUND GAINED NORTHWARD OP GRIOOURT.

HEAVY GERMAN (LOSSES

f AhstnlUa mad N.Z. Cable 4_ssoci*tion.V and-.Beuter.) '* "

LONDON, April 15. Sir Douglas Haig- reports: As the result of the fightirfg north-west of St. Quentin we jgained iground eastward and northward of Gricourt.

We also made progress in the neighbourhood 1 of Saitrincourt Wood and eastward of Lievin, approaching 1 the outekirtsi of Lens. '- . v

-Later particulars. show that the German losses _in the attack on the Ba-pamrie-Cambrai road were heavier than at "first .reported. The attack was pressed with .great determination rander pur. heavy fire... Three hundred prisoners and 1500 dead have .been counted..Severe air fighting continues. We-hav a destroved oTv-brought down 15 German machines. Ten of \onrsare missing'. : ■;,-

LENS BATTLE ',

OPERATIONS FURTHER INSCRIBED. ' GREAT QUA2CTiTIES:OF .MATERIAL SEIZED. (Aiutnliftn tnd N.Z. Cable Association and Tfpfnt-trr ' •LONDON, April 15. Mr Gibbs-* narrative continues: One great and ( far-reaching result followed swiftly upon the' Canadians* capture of Vimy CRidge. Our troops cleared out the German-; machine, gunners from the rear posts at Lievin on Saturday, enabling: the ; patrofe -to penetrate Lens. " The retaking of -Lens will thrill France and- "will be.-one of the greatest achieve-ments-of the -war. '-iWitlt greii courage some of our men entered the 1 - southern outskirts of the cliy. - Others advanced -. cautiously on * the iwesterfl* side. If- the enemy were " still - there -the machine: gon redoubts

would have been troublesome, .but only the rearguards remained.. The maia body was already in retreat. After the '.British'and Canadian success on Friday the enemy saw that the last chance of successful counter attacks sad been foiled. They were immediately seized' with fear and prepared for an instant retreat in wild confusion.

[ One of tihe first signs of the German retreat was then apparent. They began to shell their own front lines outside Lievin and Lens. All night th« sky was aflame. In the morning I saw the enemy making merry on a little •hill in the Lens suburb and dependent villages. The explosions continued in the morning and a.fterjx>on. Meanwhile our men were advancing from Lievin and through it. having had' a costly task to root out the machine gnn emplacements, especially two terribly strong redoubt s called Crook and Crazy. Each group of.streets had separate defences of barbed wire and sandbag barricades and' a nest of machine guns. ' i A quick advance through Lens would i have .been a great and needless sacri- | fice of life. I witnessed the attack on j the southern suburbs of Lens. The | troops swarmed over the open ground i in scattered groups and took cover at the embankment, where other joined; them and a'fter waiting for half ! an hour they doubled- half-left. Qed by : an officer who was well ahead. ' They crossed the sunken road and ascendedthe slope. They suddenly changed their direction again before reaching the crest, disappearing in a long, straight street. The correctness of this manoeuvre was •immediately proved, for German shells plastered the embankment ■where our men were previously assembled. Other troops crept up, steering erratically in short rushes, until they, •reached* the same street. Lens was being breached 1 . Mv last" view showed the British shell fire "falling heavily about the ,church, and the troops and transports retreating hastily. Mr Gibbs, 'in a later message, states that the attack on the southern suburb? was successful. The British, avoiding a | direct assault on the hill, crept round to the left and "gained the high ground to j the north-west, whence they captured!. ; the Bois-le-Riaumont. The enemy, re- | covering from the first panic, sent .back I troops to the. trendies and machine gun ; redoubts in the western suburbs, finding | that there was insufficient tim e to pre- ! pare rearward' positions between Drocourt and l Queant. | (Meanwhile 2000 women, children, and ' old men who were unable to escape in ■ the interval were now taking refuge ia j cellars, enduring agonies through the* j -bombardment-.' I The Germans, quitted Lievin in such "haste that we captured vast quantities of bombs, trench mortars and shells. : The German counter r attack at Lagni- ! court. is- clear evidence of .the_ enemy's • arrsiety at this portion of the. line. The ; village faces the important "bastion of ! Queant. \ uorresjpomlents give a graphic description of the attack on Lens. It was evident, on Friday that the enemy- were quitting ..the town speedily, but' Saturday's events showed that they still' maintained a ring of strong machine gun- redoubts-. Consequently, when the attackers from the south disappeared in the street '. near the Bois-le-Rlaumont, the utmost' -caution was necessary. They j wriggled through, back gardens until . they reached another street beliind the wood',' "which was attacked "from the north. ' ..".

The German machine gunners were nonplussed. ' The British had meanwhile posted machine guns which enabled them to snipe the entire crews from, vantage points. ... .... The enemy on Sunday threw their entire weight into the inner defence, in the desperate hope \of checking the advance until the iguns and stores were removed, .and the destruction of. the mines s <had been completed'. Everywhere the same methods were used by which it was sought' to hamper the pursuit 'further south, pioneers exploding ■craters in the roads eastwards, and blocking the streets with debris from the houses.

VIMS' RIDGE VICTORY. FACILITATED- BY A PLASTICENE MODEL. ARTIST'S CLEVER WORK. (R>euter'» Teleerwu. i :! * LONDON, April 15. Renter's Headquarters, correspondent state s on unimpeachable authority that the victory of Vimy Ridge was directly associated'with a pretty little model on a wonderful scale reproducing in plasticene the neighbourhood of the ridge, on which a clever artist, furnished, with a. mass of aerial photographs an--' information by local inhabitants, worked "for months prior to the attack, and from which the staff officers most carefully instructed the Canadian and British ;officers. and non-commissioned officers .se? lected. for the assault.. Every detail of the ground -was reproduced with amazing'fidelity, greatly assisting the operations..

j• ", GALLANT AIiBMAN. V -SOLITARY FIGHT AGAINST A SQTJADBON. (Published in The Times.} LONDON, April 16. The Times Headquarters correspondent Delates that one of the most gallant deeds was that of a solitary airman who. when returning from .a. distant trip, was attacked' by a large party of enemy * machines. He fought -until ibis ammunjr tion was exhausted and himself and his machine almost shot to bits. One eye -was literally shot out, he had a bullet in his bodv, and his foot,iva* smashed,.. Despite "all this he made his report, and apologised for making' a rough land'in<*, becaxise his smashed foot'- impaired ' 'his control, . Then, his duty done, he I died. No Jhonour, wJiether the Victoria { Cross or, .anything- else, could adequately measure such a deed.

GREAT FRENCH OFFENSIVE BECUN

(Reoter'* Telegrams.) iCR.ec. April 17, 2.10 pan.J LONDON, April 16. Headquarters correspondent says a great French, offensive has begun. ■-

FRENCH OPERATIONS

VIOLENT AU.TILLERY ACTIONS

(Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) and Renter.) . LONDON, April 15. A French communique says: There have been violent artillery actions a.t St. Quentin, north of the Aisne, and iu Champagne. ■- - Our batteries caught a ndi dispersed enemj - elements nortth. of Sta-ncourt.

DESTRUCTION OF RHEIMS

BY GERMAN ARTILLERY FIRE

(Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) (Rec. April 17, 12.35 p.m.) PARIS, April 16. Eight thousand shells pour into Rheims daily. This caused 25 fires on Friday, and the same number on Saturday. When a fire breaks out, the Germans put an artillery barage around the building to prevent the lire being extinguished -

FRENCH ATTACKS IN A SAGE AND LORRAINE

ENEMY'S SECOND LINE REACHED , Australian aim! N.Z. C&bl* Association.; (Rec. April 17, 1.10 p.m.) LONDON, April 16. A French communique . says:—We continued bur destractive fire on the German organisation betwen St. Quentin and the Oise. The' enemy replied with lively fire in the region south of St. Quentin. We continued ( to progress east and south of the Oise on the .plateau between Barisis and Quincjr Basse and occupied a.fresh enemy poult dr'appui. _ An artillery duel was violent all night on the whole front, including the, Soissons and Rheims fronts. After violent artillery, preparation, our detachments penetrated the enemy lines at several points in Lorraine and" Alsace, . Our detachments reached the enemy's second, line at six points on the plain of Alsace and icSicted serious losses.

BELGIAN ATTACK AT DIXMUDE

SECOND ENEMY" LINE PENETRATED. (Auetraliiui and N.Z. Gable Asaociatioua.) asd Reuter.) (Admiralty per Wireless Press.) ~LON'DON, April* 15. A Belgian communique says: After violent artillery preparation, we penetrated ;at Dixmude the second enemy line. The, artillery duel was extremely lively on the whole 'Belgian front to-day. GERMANY'S "UTILISATION OF CORPSES. A : REVOLTING INDUSTRY'. in The Times.) LONDON,. April 15. The Lokal Anzeiger's war correspondent publishes the first German admission regarding the treatment of the dead." He says: "Wnen we passed 1 through Evergnicourt there was a dull, smell like burning lime. It is the great corpse exploitation establishment of the Champagne army group. Here bodies are treated and the fat won is turned into lubricating oils. Everything else is ground' down in bone mills into powder^for pigs' food' and manure. Nothing must, be -wasted."

NEW OFFENSIVE SURPASSES ALL RECORDS

HINDENiBURG''S MISCALCULATION

(Published in The Times.) . ....' 'LONDON,: April IS. Colonel Repington writes: In extent of front, numbers engaged, and armament, the - iie\v~ "offensive surpasses all records.! Hindenburg apparently thought that by withdrawal some ten miles and' devastating the intervening- space he would give the submarines time'to harm !us, gaining further time by further withdrawals. This might have succeeded had he not inaccurately gauged our offensive capacities. The. transfer of German troops from Russia ;to France has begun, and the Germans are already as thick as peas on the.British front. Indeed, they are thicker there than anywhere else,-num-bering; 60 divisions. .