CROSSING YSER FLOODS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14441, 30 October 1917, Page 3

CROSSING YSER FLOODS.

FRENCH WA f DF/ AND SWIM. A WONDERFUL BIT OF. WORK. J BELGIANS SPLENDIDLY ASSIST. (Aufttralian and N.Z. Cable Association.) . (Reeeivedi Oct. 30, 10.40 a.m.) 1 LONDON, Oct. 29. . Mr Bcroival Phillips says: There has been nothing (during, the campaign quite- J Jike • the Franco-Belgian -victory on " I Saturday on the peninsula "Luighem— ?- j .tongue of land) a quarter of a-milewid-p •"■ at the widest. • < The first French ( advance •On Friday ' morning took them through-; the marshes, * where, they v Avadedi "and, awam. XThesuc- ' cess gave them the bridgehead across the • floodtedl Yser. .. , „#■ : " French engineers on- Friday night, by * a wonderful piece of work, threw pon- ' toons over 'the flood, working shoulder * deep, enabling the infantry to cross, be- * 1 fore daybreak The enemy were taken " by surprise. „...,.. . '. . * J The E»g*hth Bavarian Reserve iDivi* sion arrived' fin tlie' line the previous { •night, expecting to "be 'unidisturbod ih j this ;quiet a'egiori. . A ■ sanguinary . fight ' followed with bayonet and bomb. The " Bavarians mere dtivisn- from line 'to line^ " the French ! piu'suing them^so closely that ' •the enemy was finable to re-establish ' himself. - • . ■ - 1 Thus the .French stormed """""ei'brandesr ( ■mis-, Asohoop taiid l** Kleosternroleii; • 'The \ whole region-was most difficult .and lay ' -under water; -but* the -impetuous French toiled nntil they reached-dnrraer) ground ' on the outskirts of Merckem; then they "f charged! avith the rooting out " (the ocooipairleiof: cellars. "■■'.'•'-' * Others advanced on the Dixmude road tovKippe. - .'■"•/. :•"• = These successes' ought 'to have sufliued'j; but the "_*rc„ch ,*wttde*d through the ma'/.b idf communication " trenches '. froiitini •Luighem village*,: standing on -ia flight elevation commanding/an 'extensive Afield \ ,\Jif". iiro. The. main road 1 • thither, which i •was wired and iburricade^, was only con-? quered' after several- hours' hard fighting ' and 1 repeated' assaults. The Belgians then entered! the -'fights after crossing the floods-^ on -'.punts, amd ■ secured a solid footing 'in -the peninsula.