FIERCE FIGHTING IN FLANDERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3316, 3 October 1917, Page 17

FIERCE FIGHTING IN FLANDERS.

After hurricane fighting lasting throughout the night the British gathered themselves at dawn on the 25th alt. and dealt another* smashing blow on the whole of the new Ypres battlefroriT, from a point southward of the Tower Hamlets to somewhere eastward of St. Julien. A thick haze rendered observation impossible. The Anzacs took the whole of their first objectives. The British and Anzaas on the left were equally successful. Progress in Polygon Wood was hotly disputed, likewise the British advance astride tho Menin road towards Gheluvelt. Here the hottest fighting occurred, tho Germans hurling three furious counter-attacks against the English, Scottish, and Australians, who before daylight retook practically all the lost ground. The British artillery barrage of the first day's attack wais repeated on the 26th. The British airmen heavily bombed the enemy positions all night. Prisoners coming in seem glad to escape with their lives from the inferno of high explosives. iSome of them state that Baden and Bavarian troops are sick of the war, declaring that their losses are higher than those ot the Prussians, whose battle they are being forced to fight. Several of them say that unless peace comes soon the troops will mutiny. Tho correspondent adds that these statements must not be taken to mean that the Germans are ready t 6 surrender or that they lack tho fighting spirit. This latest fighting shows that the enemy are stubborn scrappers. Mr Philip Gibbs writes: Wednesday, the 26th ult., will be counted as one of tho biggest days in the fighting in this war. The decision is of vital importance, both to the enemy and to ourselves. Thus far is 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, the 25th ult., but other British troops on their right, who wero 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 with the fiercest opposition. The capture of Polygon Wood seriously lessened tho value of Passchendaele ridge, which forms tho enemy's great defensive barrier. The enemy showed signs of desperate anxiety to check us on the Polygon Wood line and the ground. eastward to 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 our front. They launched their" first attack on tho morning of the 25th against the British troops immediately on the right of the Australians at Polygon Wood. Owing to their losses the British troops were obliged to fall back a little way in order to reorganise for " a counter-assault. Several British units did heroic things. Meanwhile the Australians were fighting on the high ground on thi|3 side of the racecourse. The enemy failed to pierce tho line, though a second thrust was attempted at mid-day. The. Australians at 2 o'clock on tho afternoon of the 25th ult. 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 troops. This was a serious anxiety, on the eve of tho new battle, butv it failed to frustrate the attack on the 25th.

At dawn the Australians were already massed beyond Glencorse Wood for the contemplated attack further north, while other soldiers were ready to go "over the bags." It was almost dark when they went forward through the wet thick mist. Our artillery put up the same monstrous line of barrage fire, and our troops followed it at a slow pace, giving them time to avoid the shell-craters. Through the mist our men saw the Germans running and falling; many of the enemy did not even stay in their blockhouses. Dead Germans were also found in the shell-craters as wo advanced. Thus Boetleer (? Bccelaere) and Zonnebeko were taken, and their garrisons, some of them in "pill-boxes," were killed by the concussion. Others surrendered directly tho British arrived. The Australians' advance across the racecourse, and northward across the spur to below Zonnebeko Chateau, vraa steady and successful. There was a regular chain of blockhouses hero, but again the black magio of tho "pilhbox" failed. Most of tho defenders were glad to surrender. The enemy's gunfire was heavy over part of the ground, and a nest of machino guns along the road gave trouble; but our losses wore not heavy. British aircraft brought- the first news that tho Anzacs had captured tho racecourse, and later they reported that they had reached their Furthest goal, where prisoners wcro surrendering freely. The menaco to our right wing on Wednesday (6th tilt.) was averted by the courage of English and Scottish units and the quick.

skilful, and generous help of the Australians. The latter, realising tho dangerous sifuatjon in which their right flank was exposed, sent a body of troops to strike southward. They thrust back the German outposts and established, after fierce fighting, defensive posts capable of holding off any likely attack. They had shared all the peril of their comrades on the right, passing through the same tornado of shelling, and fully appreciated their tenacity and valour.

Terrible losses are forcing the German High Command to realise that- there is a limit to the bloody sacrifices demanded of the infantry. Some 10 divisions have been withdrawn from the line owing to losses which made them worthless until these are filled by new drafts. The enemy are now relying "upon heavy random shell-fire to check our men. Their batteries are on the move, getting into positions further back beyond our observation; nevertheless there are enough German heavy guns to fling over plenty of ''heavy stuff." IMPORTANT TERRITORY HELD. Mr Percival Phillips writes: Wednesday's (26th ult.) attack commenced in heavy mist and semi-darkness, and it involved a number of new German divisions in fighting of the most determined character. Their efforts to hold the British in check caused them severe losses. By 11 o'clock the British wero engaged in clearing the dugouts in the western outskirts of Zonnebeke village (on the Ypres-Roulers rOad), and the Australians were fighting on the eastern slopes beyond Polygon Wood. This success was followed that day by almost continuous attacks by German storm troops on both sides of the Ypres-Menin road. They drove repeatedly against the Tower Hamlets Ridge and the Australian line in Polygon Wood. We shall remember Tuesday (25th ult.) as a day of bitter, savage effort by the Hun, in which he employed every man and f;un he could scrape together in order to ry to regain a footing on the scarred hills beyond Ypres. The troops' from the Home counties and Scotland at Tower Hamlets Ridge bore the brunt of the storm, which ended in a German .defeat. The coveted slopes are now covered with their dead.

The fighting at Zonnebeke and Polygon Wood on Wednesday involved an advance of 1000 yards. .We already hold Anzac and Zonnebeke redoubts and the western half of Polygon Wood. The hardest work fell on tho English and Scottish troops attacking below Polygon Wood, as they had to retake the steep slope at Tower Hamlets, which had been lost during German counter-attacks. They advanced from the marshes, and Tower Hamlets Ridge was the scene of fighting at close quarters. By 7 o'clock all our_ goak had been reached, and the Prussian reinforcements which were brought up at night Were evicted, though they had;' been ordered to "stick it" at all costs. We now have an unobstructed view of Zandavoorde (south of the Ypres-Menin road) from Tower Hamlets Ridge. Elsewhere we overlook Becelaere and Gheluvelt, reducing tho opportunities for German 'counter-attacks.

Nevertheless the Germans wasted men freely. When Zonnebeke had been taken the Germans could be seen coming over tho ridge from Passchendaele until our guns swept them away. Mr Percival Phillips continues: Our latest victory is well maintained. The German losses were even greater than was thought, and ours were exceptionally light in many places, and nowhere serious. The Australians encountered the principal opposition around the butte at tho north-eastern corner of Polygon Wood, but the obstacle was finally rushed. Nine counter-attacks in various stages of preparation broke against the Australian front before Thursday morning (27th ult.), and only two succeeded in approaching within rifle range. When tho local enemy reserves Were exhausted, the fresh 230th Division was thrown into the battle. Three waves, under a heavy barrage, came on steadily until the Australians got captured machine guns into action; then tho waves halted, and finally fled, leaving many dead on tne field. There was no further attack against the Australians, who, during the night, were ablo to consolidate the new position along tho forward slope below Polygon Wood, and turn tho German defences against the enemy. The Australians, on Thursday morning (27th ult.), near tho south-east corner of Polygon Wood, pushed on along to Reutelbork, meeting with little opposition. Tho fighting around Zonnebeke was very severe, but tho enemy has not shaken our on tho village nor forced our withdrawal from any vital point. Prisoners are greatly depressed at the failure of the new pill-box system of defence. GERMAN TREACHERY. Mr Gilmour. official representative of tho Australian and New Zealand Cable Association at tho front, writes: An officer relates that on one "pillbox" tho Germans

hoisted a white flag while they continued "machine-gunning." Our boys went mad, and shot them down liko rabbits. Some prisoners indicated a number of officers hiding in a dugout 400 yards ahead. This meant going into their own barrage, but our men surprised a battalion commander, five officers, and a number of privates. Scores of machino guns were captured, and turned against the Bosche. Another officer states that just before jumping off he found, between the first and second Australian lines, a wandering German patrol, which was promptly captured before it could give the alarm, which would have- drawn enemy firo upon thousands who were lying thickly down the ridge. Mr Murdoch, correspondent at the British Headquarters, writes: Prisoners statu that a Bavarian division volunteered to tackle the Australians, and in consequence the men were given additional leave, the best of food and equipment, and other privileges. Now they deeply regret their rashness. Mr Murdoch mentions that a Queensland officer captured 17 Germans single-handed, and a brother Queenslandcr threw a bomb, killing four, and captured 24 others in tho same dugout. The secret of the success of tho advance was tho speed with which the men followed the barrage.

HIGHLANDERS REFUSE TO SURRENDER. „

The. United Press correspondent emphasises the ferocious nature of tho German counter-attacks, which ended fruitlessly. Their heavy shelling forced the British to retiro slightly immediately northward' of Zonnebeke. In consequence of this the Zonneboke Railway Station was recaptured, but the major portion of Zonnebeke remained in British hands. The Germans also won the minor local positions of Winzic Farm and Vale House, but the British regained portion of these. ' The British repulsed With heavy slaughter enemy attacks everywhere sotuhward of Menin road except in the regions of Jut Farm and Cameron House.

'The enemy hotly assaulted tho Anzaos' position southward of the railway, but after extremely 'heavy losses abandoned their attempts, not gaining an inch. The correspondent pays a tribute to the splendid spirit of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in refusing to < surrender, although they wore practically without food and drink for 20 hours. The ground was littered with German corpses when they were relieved.

NEW GERMAN DEFENCES. Reuter's French Headquarters correspondent reports: Terrific bombardments are forcing the German high command to revise his tactics. A recently-captured army order admits that the German front lines are regularly battered to pieces before the actual battle begins, and the urgent necessity for hiding trenches, -batteries, and other means of defence from being photographed. The order continues: " Therefore, an entirely new system of defence is needed —namely, a zone organised to a vdepth that is extended towards tho rear. iSuch a system, with defences hidden as much as possible, and troops echeloned in depth,' so that their lines in their front become progressively denser rearwards, ought to enable us to pass from defensive to offensive, warfare, with troops occupying more thickly-held positions in the rear. That means that we must abandon our trenches, retiro to shell craters and redoubts held by machine guns." The order indicates how the craters must be organised and connected as far as possible, stressing that the essential point is that the crater from above must not be distinguishable from thousands of surrounding craters.

FRENCH OPINIONS.

M. Marcel Hutin says that the positions rhe British have captured are so important that tho enemy are incessantly attacking them; but their attempts, made with powerful contingents, have been sensationally defeated. . , • Tho positions occupied by the British are such that they can, if need be, wait the coming of spring, and pass the winter without having their feet m water—which will be the lot of the Germans in the positions to which they have retreated. It is significant that the 18-year-old Germans proved unable to stand their ground, whilst their officers, instead of being with their men, kept in the rear. This accounts for the few officers taken prisoner. The Petit Journal's correspondent at the British front writes: The enemy are withdrawing their heavy guns from opposite Inverness Conse and Glencorse Wood', and the British 'will soon dominate a long stretch of country eastward of Berelaicre Only one remaining ridge enables the enemy to assemble troops without direct observation. It is believed that the new German line runs from Blankenberghe and Zeebrugge. Civilians have left Hoglede, Moorslede, and Dedezeele, and are leaving Roiuers. GERMAN LOSSES. Among the latest troops facing the British in Flanders ore numerous largo contingents from the Gorman lines on tho Russian front. The German killed, wounded, and prisoners for tho week are estimated at 42,000. ,',.,, A German correspondent describes the latest battle in Flanders as more terrible than any of its predecessors. It assumed gigantic proportions. He says the English are still striking stubbornly, and the forms of warfare are assuming wilder and more monstrous shapes. Private advices from Havre state that Antwerp is crowded with German troops, who have been billeted on the inhabitants.

BRITISH OFFICIAL REPORTS. Sir Douglas Haig reports as follows: Under a thick mist the enemy delivered a powerful counter-attack at dawn on. the 24th ult. upon our positions on the ridge between Tower Hamlets and Polygon Woods. They were repulsed upon the bulk of the front, but northward of the YpresMenin road and southward of Polygon Wood they penetrated our lines for a short distanco on narrow fronts. Another heavy counter-attack at midday failed to make further progress, and early in the afternoon all were ejected. "We re-established our lino en the whole front, and attacked the enemy in turn. Our attack on the 26th ult. on a six-mile front south ward of Tower Hamlets to the eastward of St. Julicn was entirely successful. The enemy later made a series of heavy co\mfor-attacks along the new front, and hard fighting is continuing at certain points. An attack was carried out by English troop 3 southward of the- Yprcs-

Menin road. They successfully completed ;he capture of Tower Hamlets Spur and took possession of strong lkld works on the eastern slopes, forming our objectives. We repulsed a powerful counter-attack from Gheluvelt. We met with obstinate resistance on the right of our main attack northward cf the Ypres-Menin road, and there is heavy fighting in tho area over Which the enemy counter-attacked on the 25th. Wo made a general advance of 1000 yards, including the Polygon Mound, after desperate fighting en the British front, and most of the objectives were gamed.

Later accounts of tho fighting on tho afternoon and evening of tho 26th show that it was exceedingly severe Tho enemy spared no efforts to regain the important ground wo had captured, and made four separato counter-attacks in great strength on our now front, from Tower Hamlots to the St. Julien-Gravenstafel road (north-east of Ypres). Tho struggle was most severe in the area southward of Polygon Wood, where English, Scottish, "Welsh, and Australian troops defeated repeated attempts to break into our positions. All tho enemy attacks wore repulsed, and the German losses were extremely heavy. Later in the evening 'the fighting died down, leaving us in possession of the ground captured. After a severe struggle, lasting all day, the English and Scottish battalions ejected the enemy from their positions, and accomplished their allotted task, securing the flank of our principal attack. We relieved two companies of tho Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, who had held out wit great .gallantry during the night in forward positions, where they had been isolated by the enemy. Later on another counter-attack of great strength developed in this sector. The Australians further north cleared the remainder of Polygon Wood, and captured the trench system to the eastward, wiiich formed their day's objectives. On the Australian left English, Scottish, and Welsh battalions, penetrating tho enemy's defences to a depth of nearly a mile, stormed Zonnebeke and gained their objectives. A German counterattack eastward of Polygon Wood was repulsed. The North Midland and tho London Territorials, attacking on the left on both sides of tho Wicltje-Gravenstafel and St. Julien-Gravenstafel roads, captured their objectives, and beat off a counterattack. Our line here udvoiced a depth of from half a., mile to a mile across country defended by many fortified farms and concreted redoubts. The enemy launched a second counter-attack with larger forces, and pressed us back a short distance on a narrow front; but our counter-attack recaptured the bulk of the lost ground. After all our objectives had been gained on the 26th seven powerful counter-attacks in the afternoon and evening were repulsed with heavy enemy losses. We took prisoner 1614, including 48 officers. Our casualties were light. Wo improved our position southward of Polygon Wood. We broke up a hostile counter-attack on the 27th ult. against our new positions at Zonnebeke. We cleared up isolated strong points southward of the Tower Hamlets and Polygon Wood. We carried out successful raids south-westward of Oherisy (south of the Arras-Oambrai road). There have been no further counter-attacks of infantry, and encounters were confined to patrols. A strong enemy party, attempting to approach our lines early in the morning eastward of Polygon Wood was caught by artillery, rifle, o.nd machine-gun fire. Many were killed, and" the survivors captured. We repulsed an attempted raid on the 29th ult. on two. points of Hill 70, northward of Lens, and captured a few Germans. We also took a few prisoners in patrol encounters in the neighbourhood of tho Bapaume-Cambrai road. Early on the 30th ult. three attacks upon our positions between Tower Hamlets and Polygon Wood were repulsed. Tho first, southward of Reuterbeck', was beaten off by firo before reaching our positions. Shortly afterwards the infantry advanced astride of the Ypres-Menin road under cover of a thick smoke barrage, accompanied by flammenwerfer detachments. They drove in a forward post, but an immediate counter-attack recaptured the post. The enemy raided trenches eastwards of Loos, but when-retiring across "no man's land" they were pursued, and we recaptured their only prisoner. FRENCH OFFICIAL REPORT. French communiques state: Tho enemy attacked in the direction of Beaumont, 'but, despite their extensive use of flamethrowers, they were repulsed with heavy loss. After a violent bombardment on our positions from Les Bauxberon to we.6t of Cerny the enemy attacked south of Arbrede and Cerny. Our fire repulsed them with heavy losses. A second attack betwoen the Casemates and California Plateau was also repulsed. The enemy thrice attacked us north-west of Tahure and west ftf Nararin, in the Argonne. We prevented them reaching our lines. The enemy losses were heavy. GERMAN OFFICIAL REPORTS. German official messages state: An artillery battle of great violence is raging on the coast, between Southolst Wood and Westhoek, also at Lens, St. Quentin, and in several sectors on the Aisne front, in Champagne, and near Verdun. We captured French trenches on a width of 400 metres southward of Beaumont, and repulsed several counter-attacks. W r o penetrated enemy lines at Bczonvaux. The British attacked on tho 25th between Houthulst Wood (eight miles north-north-east of Ypres) and the Comines-Ypres Canal (south-east of Ypres). The battle in Flanders on tho 26th was uninterrupted all day and all night. At least 12 enemy divisions, often accompanied by tanks, advanced between Mangclaares and Hollebeke. We repulsed repeated assaults astride tho Langemarck road. The enemy penetrated to a depth of a kilometre between St. Julien and the Menin-Yprcrf road. There was stubborn fighting at Zonnobeko and Gheluvelt- The lalter remained in our hands. Repeated assaults more to the southward broke down. The British War Office points out that a German communique states that we gained less territory on tho 26th than we did on the 20th inst. This is perfectly true, but the objectives set were smaller, and all objectives were gained. Tho War Office adds: General von Ludendorff, in purposely misleading phrases, describes fighting near Zonnobeko and Gheluvelt. He omits to state that tho Germans lost Zonneboke, but emphasises the retention of Gheluvelt, which was outside the British objectives.