ANGLO-FRENCH OFFENSIVE.

North Otago Times, Volume CIV, Issue 13656, 26 August 1916, Page 5

ANGLO-FRENCH OFFENSIVE.

INEXORABLE PRESSURE MAINTAINED. •: . IMPORTANT POINTS CAPTUIiEI), IMPRESSIONS OF GERMAN PRISONERS. I 'ASCENDANCY OF BRITISH ARTILLERV. (Australian and N.JS, Cable Association,) Received August 25, at 5'.]5 p.m. LONDON, August 24. . Mr Philip Gibbs, writing to Tim Daily Chronicle says: The advance south of Leipzig redoubt was due largely to the gallant work of the Territorials. Attacking a maize'of trenches on Friday they carried them by assault ami linked up to the redoubt itself, thus getting :i closer grip on the throat of the Thicpval garrison. The grim bil of work was quickly done- with a few casualties, A large group of Germans tried to escape. They plunged straight into the heavy tire of our guns and' disappeared, Our bombardment caught the enemy dnring the. changing of the forces, thus double the garrison was in the trench. An ex-waiter of the Savoy Hotel, London; who is a prisoner, declared thai he is thoroughly sick of the war. He had just come from Verdun, which was heaven compared with the Picardy > battlefield. • One -of the most thrilling episodes of the attack was when the Wnnvick'shires, blocked by a stream of machine gunfire, the men lay down and held on till our own guns got to work. Suddenly the "deadly squirt" ceased, A white flag appeared, and 242 Germans emerged from their bomb-proof hiding places, and surrendered. At other points the Germans defended themselves to the death. They came from their dugouts in swarms and the great bombingconflict ended only when every German was dead. Mean-while in the centre the English, Scots, and Australians were lighting for the German switch line beyond Bazentin-le-l'etit, On Tuesday the Australians gained a little more ground, pushing out the line northeast of Mouquct Farm. The enemy counter-attacks broke down with great bloodshed. The position gives a vantage point from whence,we observe the enemy's movements down the slope and ' rake him, It also gives direct observa- ' tion for gun fire. One of the effects of occupying Poziercs ridge was

seen yesterday, when our artillery registered twenty-Jive direct hits on the enemy batteries. .Our gunners are punishing the enemy frightfully, and are sweeping the ground above Thiepval, Oomwlette and Alartinpuich, A letter written by a German ollicei, shows what German life is like below Pozicres ridge. The writer says:— "We lie in the shell holes. The English are four hundred metres away. Hundreds of dead bodies make the air terrible and there are Hies in thousands. We get nothing to eat and drink. The ceaseless roar of the guns is driving us niad,"

WEST PRONT REVIEWED. ANGLO-FRENCH PUSH PROGRESSING. •■ TERROR OF ENGLISH GUNS, (Australian and N.Z. Cable. Association.) Received August .2a, fl.L'fl p.m. PARIS, August!!«. The British bombardment of Yliiepval sector increases. Tons of metal are being sho.wered on the German defences. The recent British gains made a cres-cent-shaped front at Thiepval, giving an excellent springboard for an eventual assault, The Germans arc cnntiminiisly strengthening their defences, but the English guns demolish them with equal rapidity, There Iras been an almost uninterrupted shelling of the enemy positions at other points on Hie 'Soinnic front for three days. Two Bavarian regiments carried out the recent attack south of Thiepval. They arrived the previous day from Verdun. Though they gained a temporary fooling, the British re-nction cut them to pieces and hurled the shattered remnants back to their original positions, A French communique says: Bv carrying in a single rush Hie portion of Maurepas held by the enemy, our trenches in the vieinily were advanced two hundred metres along n Iwo kilnmetre front, from the railway northward of the village in hillock 12 •In the south-eastward, Several grenade attacks nn nur new Tliianinonl-Flenry front were smashe. by our lire, We made slight .progress beyond I he fool pa Hi easlward of Eleury OPERATIONS SOUTH OF THIEPVAL. BRITISH GAIN GROUND. BOMBING ATTACKS REPULSED, The High Commissioner reports:— LONDON, August 24 (11.41) p.m.) South of Thiepval, on Thursday, w further advanced 300 yards, capturim an enemy trench -100 yards in length Many prisoners were taken. A lios tile bombing attack against pur ne\ > trenches north of Bazentin-le-Petit wa -Laailv TPri„l.Pil

"SHELL-BIDDEN HELL." RijMBARDMKNT OF TIIIKPVAL. BIGGEST AND GRANDEST OF THB '■■ WAR. WONDERFUL ACCURACY OffCOUNTIES GUNS. ("Tiiii Ti'nics" Service.) •: Received Augll.4 £vilt- 5..'i0:|1.111.. •■ LONDON', August s lh: The Times cum'spiimlcnt ;it British Headquarters oil the' Soiuiue, describes (lie British bombardment south of Thiepvnl as the biggest; grainiest and most intense of tin' ,\var. Countltlss ■4lllls were concentrated on a few.acres. Shells burst with .most wonderful accuracy, touring lliii German line into chaos. When Ilic Urilish attacked .it. seemed impossible. I hoy could.win across theblasted area, but they crossed, with small losses, because the Germans, were unable to oppose whirlwind of artillery. Thc<Bi'ilisli infantry ri'iieliod tin: Gewnan. portion,amid' . dense clouds of smoke, and Jlame. Such in' the enemy who had. not been buy- .' ouotcd or shot xriunperod over'the.Bri-. fish lines with their hands up—stag"ovinjr, stumbling ami falling in theiranxiety, to escape the shell-ridden licll. The British still bombaijde.d, uninterruptedly, over the attacking troops, 011 Ihe German second-line;' Whe'ujlhe troops attacked the'second line; .the., liiitish guns shelled tlio,.T,eai'; lines and nipport Douches. .Clouds ..of..smoke descended' and blot-toil out the horrible and glorious'scene. A most important operation was immensely'successful; Astrong German corner, salient, •including, 'Leipzig redoubt is now part of our general position. The. losses, were incredibly small, being under one hundred. The piiemv's losses were tenfold ours, 1 FRENCH FIRE'EFFECTIVE. ' GERMAN ATTACKS REPULSED.ACTIVITY BETWEEN SOMMli' AMD' ANGRE. (Australian and N.Z. Calilo Association). PARIS, August 24. A communique stales: Our lire prevented the Germans f:outh-enshvnrd:of Scyoeoiirt Wood leaving their trendies. .We easily repulsed niauy coups do main at Tahuio. , ' . LONDON, August 2-1. "Sir..Douglas I laig reports: Between fliiillo'iiHiiit station and tile' quarry,"oiie-. my infantry strenuously attacked and reached our parapet in-,.places, buteverywhere wore repulsed with heavv. losses. " '" " '■''"' ' ' Al'ler the fjuillomoiif- failure, the''oneinv intonsf.lv bombarded our lineV. .'.,'. LONDON, August -Hi. '•'* A German communique says: Brilish attacks against'. .tl.lo ■ projecting angle liehvce'n Thiopval and i'nzieres and also al Guilleaioiit' wore-dcfoaloil; ; FRENCH ADVANCING ON . ... . MAUIIEPAS,.. ENEMY ATTACKS NEAJR FLEURY .PRt'StRATED.' ' .■ The JTigh Commissioner reports:—. T.OXnONv--Auj.'Uß6 414 (4.25 p.nr.)The Eroneh official report says; North n.' the Somine, our troops in the afternoon having carried by a single rush, pert of the village of'Mauropas Uiat.tlie enemy si ill occupied and the neighbouring trenches and'.extended their line -00 metres beyond, on a front of two kilometres', 'On. the right bank of the Mouse several oneiny grOn ; ado attacks on our 'now' front between Thiauiuont work' "and Eleiiry wore' lirokon by our lire, •' " . '

["The cable news in this issue accredited to the 'Times' lias appeared in that journal, hut- only where expressly stateil is such news t!"i editorial opinion 0/ the 'Times.' "]'.