RESULT OF PRESENT FIGHTING OF VITAL IMPORTANCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16657, 29 September 1917, Page 7

RESULT OF PRESENT FIGHTING OF VITAL IMPORTANCE.

GERMAN DEFENSIVE POINT NOW UNCOVERED. ATTACKS AND COUNTER-ATTACKS COST ENEMY DEARLY. Australian and N.Z. and Renter. LONDON, Sept, 27. Mr. Philip Gibbs says that the decision now being contested is of vital importance, both to the enemy and ourselves. Thus far it has gone in our favour. The battalions on the Australians' right had the hardest time., They were under incessant fire and attack from dawn on Tuesday, but other British troops on their right, who were also severely tried, swept across to the ridge towards Gheluvelt. It was fully expected that any attempt to advance beyond the ground gained in the battle of September 20 would meet the fiercest opposition- The capture of Polygon Wood seriously lessened the value of Passchendale , Ridge, to the north-east of Zonnebeke, which forms the enemy's great defensive barrier. The enemy showed signs of desperate anxiety to check us on the Polygon Wood line and the ground southward to the Gheluvelt spur. They made a great effort by massed artillery to smash the organisation behind our lines, and by a series of thrusts to break the front. They launched their first attack on Tuesday morning against the British troops immediately to the right of the Australians at Polygon Wood. Owing to losses, the British were obliged to fall back a little way, in order to reorganise for the counterassault. Several British units did heroic things. Meanwhile the Australians were fighting on the high ground this side of the racecourse. The enemy failed to pierce the line, though a second thrust was attempted at mid-day. STORMING OF ZONNEBEKE BY MIXED BATTALIONS, On the Australian left English, Scottish and Welsh battalions, penetrating the defences to a depth of nearly a mile, stormed Zonnebeke, and gained their objectives. A counter-attack eastward of Polygon Wood was repulsed. To the north, Midland and London Territorials, attacking on the left both sides of the Wieltje-Graven-stafel and St. Julien-Gravenstafel roads, running to the north-east of ipres, captured their objectives, and beat off a counter-attack. Our line here advanced a depth of half-a-mile across country defended by many fortified farms and concreted redoubts. The enemy in the afternoon launched a second counter-attack with larger forces, and pressed us back a short distance on a narrow front. Our counterattack recaptured the bulk of the lost ground, over a thousand prisoners being taken- Very large numbers of German dead were counted, the enemy's losses being again leavy. Describing the new attack in the Zonnebeke area, Mr. Gibbs says: " The Australians at two o'clock on Tuesday afternoon sent men to help the troops on their right, who were passing through a terrible ordeal owing to the continual pressure of the enemy's storm troopsThis was a serious anxiety on the eve of a new battle, but it failed to frustrate the Wednesday attack. At dawn the Australians were already massed beyond Glencorse Wood for the contemplated attack. Further north other soldiers were ready to ' go over the bags.' TROOPS FOLLOW LINE OF BARRAGE AT SLOW PACE. " It was almost dark when they went forward, through a wet, thick mist- Our artillery put up the same monstrous line of barrage fire, and the troops followed it at a slow pace, giving them time to avoid shell craters. Through the mist our men saw the Germans running and falling. Many did not even stay in the blockhouses. Dead Germans were also found in the shell craters as we advanced. Thus Boetleer and Zonnebeke were taken. The garrisons of some of the ' pill boxes' were killed by concussion, while others surrendered directly the British arrived. "The Australian advance across the rac'ecourse, and northward across the spur to below the Zonnebeke Chateau, was steady and successful. There was a regular chain of blockhouses here, but again the black magic of the ' pill box' failed. Most of the defenders were glad to surrender. The enemy's gunfire was heavy over part of the ground, and a nest of machine-guns along the road gave trouble, but the losses were not heavy. British aircraft brought tho first news that the Australians had captured the racecourse, and later reported that they had reached their furthest goal, where prisoners were surrendering freely."