BRILLIANT TRENCH ATTACK.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14244, 12 March 1917, Page 3

BRILLIANT TRENCH ATTACK.

•SUCCESS DESPITE SNOWSTOKMb

AND FOG

REGAINING LO.ST TRKXCHES

COUNTER- ATTACKS RKPU LSRD

(Australian and N.Z. Gable Association.)

(Reuter's Telegram.) LONDON, March 11

A French communique says: Om nttack yesterday, betwen Butie do -MestnJ and Maison de Champagne was !>rilliantly successful, despite snowstorms rendering marching diliictdt. We carried ihe euemy positions on a trout of lbuv, metres to a Idepth of from 600 to BuO metres. A violent German counter-at-tack on the left sector in the evening was repulsed with grenades atter an obstinate struggle, with serious enemy losses. Two enemy attempts to take a trench in Avocourt Wood failed under our fire.

A later French communique says: In Champagne all night .there was obstinate lighting between Butto de Mesnil and Maison de Champagne. The Germans made several attempts to recapture the trenches we took in the west of that sector, but after alternate advances *nd reii-ements we finally beat them back. The enemy made some progress on the right of the sector. Our fire smashed the German attacks, and we maintained ail our positons.

On the right bank of the Meuse the Germans again attacked the trenches retaken by us north of Caurieres Wood. Our immediate counter-attacks drove out .tho enemy. We carried out several uuups-de-inain south of Arras, notably ai Amancourt, where our detachments penetrated the third Herman trench.

We entered and wrecked enemy trenches at several points south of Roye. The enemy thrice furiously counter-at-tacked the positions we captured yesterday in the sector of Maison-de-Cham-pagne, but our curtain of fire everywhere shattered the efforts of the enemy, who were obliged to retire, leaving numerous dead. We captured fresh trendies north of the Butte-de-Mesnil and Maison-dc-Champagne road.

.rtusuauiiu aua N.Z. Cable Association./

PARI6, March 11. Accounts of the French success hi Champagne siliow tlxat the French equanimity ik\, the German capture of grounu in mid-February was iuily justified. All the wealner conditions on. lliursday were uniavorabie, and there were several inches of snow on tue ground and aeroplanes were useless in the Jog. let, the attack progressed exactly to programme. xiiere was 'the usua. ineUiud.c.il bombardment and Uien u steady advance of the iitfautry close uchind tire advancing barrage.

I'rue, some of the lost ground was iku recovered, but it w-a-s not wanted.

Iho infantry were asked to retaki. certain trenches and important posts, -ijid took aIL