BRITISH OFFENSIVE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume L, Issue 175, 8 October 1917, Page 5

BRITISH OFFENSIVE

BELGIAN CIVILIANS

FRENCH FRONT

BRITiSH ORGANISATION

HEAVY FICrHING CONTINUES

MORE ABOUT THE NtWZEA.ANDERS

• ENEMY SUFpRS TERRIBLE LOSSES

EVIDENCE OF GERMAN EXHAUSTION

GERMANS PREPARING TO EVACUATE LENS

ALL BRITISH POSITIONS SOLIDIFIED. COUNTER-ATTACKS AWAITED •■ ■' WITH CONFIDENCE. iAuatralian and; N.Z. Cable Association.) (Rec. Oct. 8, 1.20' p.m.) ';- ..;•■•: LONDON, Oct. 7. Mr Murdoch, writing from Headquarters, says : —Heavy fighting continues, but the British have everywhere solidified their, positions and await coun-ter-attacks with, confidence. Ram has changed the battlefield into a vast sea of muddy: ponds, bringing sore trouble to both sides, especially ours, owing to the difficulty of communication over %he three miles of the conquered shellhole zone. , Our .artillery organisation has reached such, perfection that numerous heavy batteries fire}.; at the identical moment at a : chosen ideality with awful, demoralising, ancj death-dealing effect. ■■'. The Germans generally fought gamelyy but the jattackefs' dash on top of the barrage „ prevented in most cases, machine-gunners getting their guns from the redoubts in time to fight. As a result o qf their preparation for an attack, many ; , . thousands of Germans were caugfit.jin, the trenches and shellholes and remained there throughout the barrage..;' survivors, fought to the end. . iiX r

CONFUSION BEHIND GERMAN -,:--.. r.l fIINES. GREAT DAY ! IpOR AUSTRALIANS. THEY TAKE OVER 2000 PRISONERS UNPRECEDENTED, NUMBER OF GERMAN DEAD. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association., : J LONDON", Oct. 5. Mr Gibbs says:.. Men from the new front tell grini tales indicating that the Germans suffered the most slashing de- , feat we have yet.inflicted.,,. La one section near-Poelca'pelie v ;six" v 'Gernian battaiians ia front 'Une we're killed or taken prispner. > ; - *- . .:•. The New Zealanders and the English : admit that Eritz oftren showed: pluck while he had. a dog's chance, but many ran when the attackers got close;.-The confusion '.. -wjhich... prevailed behind, the German, lines was probably the result of our. attack, 1 meeting theirs. . The counter-attacks were also badly planned, 1 and caused further, disaster. ■ The Germaxis advanced in straggling fashion : ! and"jmany wandered in aimless groups, .until j&ey were shot down. It -was-a ..-great day for the Australians-, aiid Ne,^- Zealanders ,their greatest and- inostigk>nous. day .They went grimly and cheerfnl to their goal over - every obstacle..,i The New Zealanders . 'and Australians 'fighting up Abraham 'Heights describe the j number of German dead as. unprecedented. - Other Australians who were figthjiflg. for the Broodseiride crossroads counted 960 dead Germans. ,1 saw the Australians going up, lithe, loose-limbed,., and hatchet-faced. Then the New Zealanders calne along, a j type midwayp-hptween the English and Australians; . were less lean and wiry, ".and hadv/iriore colour, and were of fuller build. 'jThey were as fine a set of .boys as o&e could see in the whole -world. They went up to the front gladly. I talked with some ot them on the battlefield. They were cheery and full of confidence,' and wanted to go as far as the Australians and do as well as themAmong the. Australians also friendly rivalry existed between the new men and'the. old hands,, the new men wanting to show the old men what mettle they were made of, and fresh battalions 'were keen to earn similar honours \to those already won by the others. I was certain that the. Australians would reach Broodseiride crossroads if human" courage could get there. Without a check, arid the enemy's fire, some went even too "fast; behind our own barrage. r In* a similar manner the New Zealanders reaqhed.Abraham Heights, carrying all before them. Tke hardest time was spent last night in the mud and cold, under an intermittent but heavy fire from the enemy, but they stuck it out." EN&MY ARTILLERY MORE ACTIVE BUT NO INFANTRY ATTACK ATTEMPTED. ALL CAPTURED POSITIONS CONSOLIDATED. - OVER 4000 PRISONERS TAKEN. {Australian and N.Z. Sable Association and Reucer.) ;-.'; LONDON, Oct. 6. Sir Doulas Haig reports : The enemy artillery is more active ,but no infantry action has ; been attempted. The .Welsh, troops made successful raid? north-east of Gouzeaucourt. have consolidated the positions gained. . Our prisoners since yesterday morning number 4446- including 114 officers. \ Our artillery-was. active all day on the whole battle front. In the evening the enemy shelled our new positions on -the"ridge from Broodseinde southwards Dui..did-hot counter-attack. One-.aeroplanes various railway;, stations and aerodromes. Seven • . en?my machines were brought down. Fiyie of ours are missing.

GUNS IN NEW POSITION SEARCHING • THE ENEMY'S COUNTRY. , (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) LONDON, Oct. 6. Mr Percival Phillips writes : Although the slopes of Passchendaele are covered with German dead, the enemy still strike. Apparently they consider no sacrifice too great if they recover the ground and restore the confidence of their troops. Our success was so complete that it was almost uneventful. Despite the difficulties of communications, we never lost touch with any of the outposts. Our guns have already taken their assigned positions, and are searching the enemy's country. It has been a wonderful example of the perfect organisation of our great force. A thousand German dead were counted in one position on the Australian front, and 700 more, were strewn among the craters south of this position. The rows of bodies show that they were wildly running towards their own rear When they were' struck down. Our men found that many of the craters were uninhabitable because they were choked with dead and wounded.

' THEY FIGHT MAGNIFICENTLY. CAPTURE OF 2000 PRISONERS. i.ii»i,ia_'j»'j_ and N.Z Cable Association LONDON, Oct. 6. ■Mr Murdock says that the New. Zealanders fought magnificently, and the manner in which they brought up the guns is described as worthy of a military tournament. Mrd Beach Thomas writes: The Australians advanced over the ridge so rapidly that they found Germans lurking behind our first and second objectives. They captured seven officers who were hidden in a hole, including three battalion commanders. Our airmen mastered the enemy all day. After our objectives had been won ■German storm troops furiously attacked the wings. Each* onslaught was heavier than the previous one. They were eleven times repulsed ,till eventually a fresh force, attacking regardless of cost,, recovered possession of a little ridge, but it was subsequently retaken. Two tanks captured two forts which had been holding up the advance. The New Zealanders never did better than yesterday.. With another division they took 2000 prisoners. < Going- beyond their Objectives, and meeting a double force oi the enemy who were preparing for a counter-attacE, they made havoc of them. They have~"already dug good defences and are earning the highest praise for their rapid movement.

A GREAT FORTNIGHT. ENEMY LOSSES ESTIMATED AT 40,000. ■ (Reuter's Telegrams.) LONDON, Oct. 5. Reuter's correspondent at British Headquarters reports that the fruits of yesterday's victory haye been held. There were no infantry counter-attacks during the nigfit, a demonstration of German exhaustion. / The third enemy counter-atack yesterday advanced in great strength late in the afternoon, bending our line back slightly, necessitating, however, only trifling modification of the front, which has absolutely ho bearing upon the general tactical results achieved. Within a fortnight we have struck the enemy in Flanders three staggering blows in a very vital spot, and have sent him reeling backward about three miles. We have taken about 9000 prisoners and .inflicted casualties conservatively estimated at 40,000. "--. A GERMAN' COMMUNIQUE. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association and Reuter.) ( Admiralty per Wireless Press, i ""LONDON, Oct. 5. A German official message says:— "The hottest points in yesterday's fighting were at Poelcapelle and isolated farms on the Passchendaele cross-roads eastward-of Zonnebeke Wood and westward of Becelaere village and Gheluvelt. The enemy temporarily advanced over this line, but were unable to hold their f round owing to our counter-attacks, he English gains were restricted to a strip one to one and a hair kilometres in depth between* Poelcapelle and Becelaere. We retained Becalaere and Gheluvelt. The artillery fire has increased to a drum fire between Poelcapelle and Gheluvelt."

RESULT OF BRITISH VICTORIES. (Australian and N.Z. Cablt Association. (Rec. Oct. 8, 6V55 a.m.) NEW YORK, Oct. 7. The New York Times Geneva correspondent reports that the Germans. <is a result of the British victories in .Flanders. are preparing to evacuate Lens, which has lost its- importance as a strategical point. Hindemburg will take this step shortly.

FORCED TO LABOUR ON GERMANDEFENCE WORKS. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) (Rec. Oct. 8, 12.20 p.m.) AMSTERDAM, Oct. 7. The populations of Roulers, JMeniu, Warnetton and Len s " have been forced to labour on the German defence works. SUCCESSFUL BRITISH RAIDS. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association and Reuter.) (Rec. Oct. 8, 8.55 a.m.) LONDON, Oct. 7. Sir Douglas fiaig reports: There was considerable artillerying on the battle front all night. We successfully raided south-east of Broodsteinde, and inflicted casualties. We repulsed an attempted raid southward of tho Ypres-Menin Canal. Th e Leicestershires successfully raided westward of Cilestilie. The weather is showery and colder.

ENGAGEMENT EAST OF THE MEUSE. \Australian and N.Z. Cable Association and Reuter.) LONDOtN, Oct. 6. A French communique records a lively engagement on the right bank of the Mouse .An enemy group which gained a footing in our " advanced trenches was driven out and the line restored. Other raids were repulsed. Our artillery caught and dispersed an enemy concentration in the region of ' Caurieres Wood. GERMAN OFFICIAL REPORT. (Australian and N-Z. Cable Association and Reuter.) (Admiralty per Wireless Press.) LONDON, Oct. 5. A German communique says: "We repulse<l almost everywhere twelve French attacks in three days at Hill 344. A French, attack north-east of Rheims failed."