THE BATTLE FRONTS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 14051, 22 July 1916, Page 3

THE BATTLE FRONTS.

The High Commissioner reports: — LONDON, July 20, 11.45 p.m. French official : North of the tobmnie we consolidated our positions captured this morning. South of the Somme we extended our attacking front, and in the course of the afternoon we entirely captured the first German position from Estrees to Afermandovillers. ' In the v course of the day we took about two thousand nine hundred prisoners. The total number of prisoners taken in the. section Fleury was three hundred. • .". '••,''■' LONDON, July 21, 1.50 a.m. On the British front north of . the Bazentin-Longueval line we advanced another 1000 yards in spite of stubborn opposition. '•■ Heavy fighting still continues in tha outskirts of Longueval village and Deleville Wood. On tlie remainder' of the front the situation is" "unchanged. - LONDON, Ju(£ 21, 3.15 p.m. General Haig reports: Between Leipzig redoubt, and Deleville Wood the battle continues without intermission. Northwards of the Bazentin-Longueval line the British advanea - has been pushed forward to Foureaux Wood, from whence.'- the enemy was driven. ./During the night the enemy counteiv attacked, after an intense bombardnieiii with gas shells, and succeeded in effecting an entry in the north part of the wood, but failed to disloelge us from the southern half. ,' Elsewhere the situation is unchanged. , LONDON, July, 21, 3.25 p.m , The French official report says: — •Southwards of the Somme the enemy yesterday counter-attacked our ,new positions south of Soyecouri. An .asaulting battalion was caught under our curtain fire and mitrailleuses, ' arid retired in disorder, suffering very heavy losses. The night was calm on both sides of tlie Somme. In the region Ghaulnes a strong enemy detachment which attempted to reach our lines south of Occurt was repulsed with the bayonet. Between Soisaons and Rheims our reconnaissances after a favorable mine explosion penetrated an adversary trench, which was. then swept clear with grenades. On the Verdun front there is 'great artillery activity in the sectors Chattan court and Fleury. In the Vosges, following a violent bombardment, the enemy attempted to attack our. positions' northwards -of - .Weissenbach, but were successfully checked. During yesterday and last night our aerial squadrons bombed several important points on the enemy front, including the stations Conflans, Mars-la-tour, Tour Longuevon, Buenlles Junction, and Ham, where numerous Heavy projectiles were dropped .On the 17th, 18th, and 19th the open towns of Baccarat and Luneville were bombarded by the enemy aerial force.' but the damage done was small. •Reprisals will be : taken.