ARTILLERY DUELS NORTH OF THE SOMME

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9685, 13 June 1917, Page 5

ARTILLERY DUELS NORTH OF THE SOMME

High Commissioner’s Cable, LONDON, June 11, 2.50 p.m. Sir Douglas Haig reports: —Southward of Messines wo slightly advanced our line. East of Epohy and south of Vpres artillery action .is mutual. West of La Basseo, east of Vermelles, and south of Armentieres we earned out successful raids. •- By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. Australian and New Zealand Cable Association and Pouter. (Received June 12, 11.15 p.m.) .... LONDON, June 12. Sir Douglas Haig reports: We continued dur progress south-east of Messines. We captured the. enemy’s trench'‘ system this morning m the neighbourhood of La Potterie Farm on a. front"of about a mile. Luring the day we gained further ground in this area; We captured’seven held guns and some prisoners. GENERAL PLUMER’S CONGRATUIfiTIONS TO ALL RANKS FOB THEIR. SOLDIERLY . CONDUCT, ' FURTHER ACCOUNT OF THE TAKING OF MESSINES. : Australian and New Zealand Cable Association. (Received Juno 12, 8.80 p.m.) . : LONDON. June 11. General Plunier complimented all ranks for their soldierly conduct resulting in the capture ol Messines Ri'dge. The precision with which; his orders were tarried out enabled his, programme to be fulfilled to the last’ detail -with a minimum, of killed and wounded. Witnesses'.point out that ;.the complexity of the plans loading up to the battle omy allows of an estimate being made of the part played bv the. Australians and Now Zealanders, but discloses the brilliance of their achievement.- Although Messines--will .-be -historic as the most gigantic artillery and engineering (victory, the mighty concussions would have accomplished Ittcki unless the troops followed- them/ppp.taking possession of. the desolated land. The New Zealanders have been given the most prominent mention because they 7 wore the first to enter Messines. The Australians. do not grudge them the honour. The Australians likewise took a definite part. They attacked and penetrated as far eastward as any of the troops'of English regiments which attacked the northern‘half of the salient. The Australians and Now Zealanders were responsible for the southern half. The New Zealanders faced the ridge at the point of its greatest rise opposite Messines. There were two distinct, bodies of Australians engaged. The first, which lias ,a long record Of fighting in France, acted as support troops behind the New Zealanders, also supporting the English upon the New Zealanders’ left. : . ■ The other Australian body was given a complete" stunt. Advancing unassisted on the southern end of the salient, upon the New Zealanders’ right, these Australians who had not long arrived in Franco, worn their first laurels. They attacked with wonderful coolness,’ and advanced steadily under the heaviest shell-fire. Their officers are Of opinion that the spectacular, opening of the attack by huge mine-bursts put the boys in good humour. The whole lino moved forward in the highest spirits: The New Zealanders having seen Messines go' skyward in a great explosion did not stop until they took the trench-line eastward of the village, which they discovered to be a mass of bricks amir broken Walls,’ although some of the. houses wore still habitable-,---despite ravages of many bombardments and the final mining upheaval. A few nerve-shattered 1 Germans crawled from the rains and surrendered. ~ v : 1 i The New Zealanders consolidated their position and: awaited the next stage of the operations. The second body of Australians.'on their right- had already made good progress bn the flatter ground; The-afternoon’s operations consisted of taking two main trench lines farther eastward.- Hie Australian supporting troops advanced in wonderful order up the ridge through n live.lv barrage of heavy- shells, passed through., Messines,; reached the New Zealanders, and passed them according to time-table) Then , the Australians jumped off. and carried out the attack allotted to them. The British guns continued to wreck, the trenches which the Australians wore approaching, with tho result that the enemy failed to show light, and the attackers found few occupants in them. , The Australians hastily consolidated their position. . . . t . The southern body of Australians, who meantime had completed their advance with the English troops northward, .also reached their objectives, and by nightfall the line was straightened and secured. Tire casualties were greater during the. later part; of the operations. After the attackers bad passed the village, the Germans, in addition to big stuff, showered 1 shrapnel upon them. The New Zealanders did not flinch, although after they reached their objectives they,hud to still hold the lino under terrible shell fins' until the Australians cait.o through.' Unlike Bulleoourt, the casualties at Messines were phenomenally light,; many : of the wounded being very slightly injured. THE NEW ZEALAND DIVISION WARM EULOGY BY SIR DOUGLAS HAIG. THE FIELD MARSHAL FILLED WITH ADMIRATION AND CONFIDENCE. : : " By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. Australian and New Zealand Cable Association. , LONDON, June 11. Replying to Sir Thomas Mackenzie's messageof congratulations, Sir Douglas Haig Telegraphed a warm eulogy of the New Zealanders, ,He says: “The people of New Zealand have good cause to .bo projid of the i.recent achievements of their, fine division;. Attacking .on. a.. ; loCO...'yards, they crossed a most difficult piece of .country in the face of ..strong,..opposition, especially about tho village.* of Messines, and 4j<e>r, objectives up to time. I cannot speak too highly of the manner the New Zealand Division was commanded, and of the gallant ■hehaviourfbf-air.traiiksA ' Their splendid spirit fills me with admiration and confidence.” ; , MINES UNDER NINETEEN ENEMiy FORtRESSES GERMANS LIVED ABOVE A SLUMBERING INFERNO. Australian and New Zealand Cable Association. ... . , t ....... x;. - PARIS. June 11. M. Andre Tudosq, the Paris “Journal's” -correspondent on the British front, states that six months were occupied in creating fresh saps, extending 2000 yards to the far slopes of the captured crests. The tunneHers ■ dag nineteen pockets, stopping underneath a similar number of and armed enemy fortresses. " : : ’• ■- - - Quadrangular wells were sunk, and crammed with , the most-powerful explosives, about 25 tons in each. : »-• *-»t •.> Everything was completed by the-end of the winter-, and srhee 1 January the German fitjst line troops have been (living above a slumberiiig inferno! ‘

EFFECT OF MESSINES EXPLOSION HILL WRECKED, WOOD TRANSFORMED INTO A LAKE. Australian and Now Zealand Cable Association. LONDON, June 11. Reuter’s correspondent, describin':: the. effects of the Messines explosions, .says: —•‘They wrecked the bill, filled up marshes, and changed a wood into a lake. They altered the geography of two centuries, and transformed an enormous area into a cemetery. "Honrs after the attack there were repeated dull sounds from the earth below. iu some oases Dormans wore dug out half suffocated. ‘■Since then, along the whole ridge, soldiers have been listening between the crashes of shells /or the cries of frightened humanity from the underworld.” CASUALTIES IN BATTLE OF WYTSCHAETE BRITISH 8000, GERMAN 30,000 TO 40,000. Australian and Now Zealand Cable Association. PARIS. June 11. The “Matin's” correspondent states that in tho Battle of Wytschacte the British casualties numbered 8000. ami estimates the Germans’ losses at 30,000 to 40,000. He states that the light batteries of a single British division rirod 170,000 and the heavy batteries 80,000 shells in one sector alone. ARTILLERY DUELS NORTH OF THE SOMME Australian and New Zealand Cable Association and Router. LONDON, June 11. A French communique states;—There is considerable reciprocal artillery firing north of the Somme and in the region of Cerny. GERMAN OFFICIAL REPORT ENGLISH ATTACKS REPULSED. Admiralty—Per Wireless Press- - LONDON, Juno 11. A German official report states;—On tho dunes sector, near Nienport. and eastward of Ypres, there is intense artillery activity. We repulsed English night attacks westward of Hollebeke, at Wambeke, and against La. Poterie Farm, west of Warneton. Our destructive fire near Festubert, Loos, and Monchy prevented English attacks. , -