THE WEST FRONT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17092, 25 August 1917, Page 7

THE WEST FRONT

SLIGHT ADVANCE NEAH LENS. ENEMY ATTACKS REPULSED. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association and Reuter. LONDON, August 23. SiT Douglas Haig reports: We have advanced our "line south-west of Lens. . We repulsed attacks east of Langemaxck by machine-gun fixe. The enemy raided our posts in the neighbourhood of Lombaertzyde.' v The Admiralty reports r Our naval air service bombed yesterday morning the Zeebrugge shipping and batteries, also the Ghistelles aerodrome. All our machines returned saftly. THE VERDUN BATTLE. CAPTURES BY FRENCH. OVER SEVEN THOUSAND PRISONERS. High Commissi oner's Cable. LONDON, August 23. . French official: Our total captures .in the Verdun lighting are 7640 prisoners counted, including 196. officers, and 600 of these are wounded; also 24 guns and 200 machine guns, while nine gans were destroyed. FLANDERS GAINS MAINTAINED.

IMPORTANT OBJECTIVE, IJNEMY'S DESPERATE DEFENCE. neuter's Telegrams. LONDON, August 23. Headquarters reports that all yesterday's gains in Flanders were maintained and added to, despite desperate artillerying and counter-attacks. Yesterday's success was greater than an advance of a few hundred yards suggests. We are fighting for the high ground which dominates the whole tactical position in Northern Belgium. We have now bitten another slice out of the ridge, and the enemy are concentrating their utmost'to retain this bombarding position.; hence the bitter fighting. ENEMY ARTILLERY ACTIVE. Australian and N.Z. Cable Aasooia-.on. LONDON, August 23. A French communique says: There is great enemy artillery firing north of~the Aisne. Heavy aerial continue behind the enemy lines. GERMANY'S ACCOUNT. Admiralty, per Wireless Press. LONDON, August 23. A German official message states: Repeated English attacks between Langemarck and Hollebeke were driven back after stubborn hand-to-hand fighting. Many tanks were destroyed. We maintained a 15-kilometre front except in two places—eastward of St. Julien and the Ypres-Menin road. We repulsed attacks at Lens, where fighting continues. French attacks at Verdun gained a foothold in our trench. SEVERE LOCAL FIGHTING. FOOTHOLD m IMPORTANT POSITION. STRENUOUS AERIAL COMBATS. ' Australian and N.Z. Cable Association and Reuter. ■' LONDON, August 24. (Received Aug. 24, at 11.35 p.m.) Sir Douglas Haig reports: There was heavy !ocal fighting all day for Green Grassier, an important enemy stronghold southward of Lens We obtained a foot- ' hold in the morning and repulsed several counter-attacks witn heavy enemy losses Fierce. fighting continues. We repulsed an attack northward of the Ypres-Roulers railway, and advanced slightly north-eastward of Langemarck. The week's air fighting has been incessant and more severe than in any previous week._ A change of. wind favoured our aerop'anes. Yesterday'we brought down 12 exid drove down sue. Two of ours are missing. One landed on the Ostend beach. Our aenplanes dropped five tons "of explosives on objectives behind the enemy's lines. QUIET DAY ON FRENCH FRONT LONDON, August 23. (Received Aug. 24, at 11.20 p.m.) A Irench communique states that the dav generally was qniet, with mutual artillery activity on both sides of the Meuse. GERMAN TREACHERY. FRENCH FIRED ON. SWIFT RETRIBUTION. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. PARIS, August 23. (Received An*. 24, at 11.20 p.m.) The Petit Pari ien states that Count Ernest Bernstorff, a nephew of the German Ambassador, who was taken prisoner at Mort Homme, presented himself to some soldiers of the Foreign Legion, claiming consideration on-the ground that he was a Catholic. The count was ordered to walk m front, when he signalled to some concealed Germans, who opened fire, but who paid dearly for their treachery.

GALLANT CANADIANS. POSITION AT LENS. DEATH TRAP FOR THE HUNS. Renter's TelegTams. LONDON, August 24. . (Received Aug. 25, at 0.45 a.m.) A Headquarters correspondent records another Canadian success. Early in the morning they crossed Souchez, deploying and pushing along a 700 yards' front. The result of a brilliant operation was that General Curne's left flank was secured from the south.

Lens now lies in a deep and close-grip-ping enclave. Prisoners admit that life m Lens is unendurable.

Two special counter-attack divisions of Prussian Guards reserves, recently brought up, suffered so severely that they are apparently incapable of a further formidable effort.

The enemy are unable to employ their artillery to the fullest advantage owing to the closeness of the salient' and our command. The ground at Lens has become nothing less than a death trap for the enemy.