CANAL AND TORTILLE CROSSED ON WIDE FRONT.

Colonist, Volume LX, Issue 14860, 6 September 1918, Page 5

CANAL AND TORTILLE CROSSED ON WIDE FRONT.

RESISTANCE SPEEDILY OVER-

COME.

ENGLISH AND NEW ZEALANDERS

IN HAVRICOURT,

* MOEUVRES ENTERED.

(Australian and N.Z. Cable asasaation and Renter.) I

(Received Sept. 5, 10.20 p.m.) London, Sept. 5.

Sir Douglas Haig reports':— ' { English and Welsh troops forced the passage of the.Tortille -river -and the!: Canal dv Nord on a wide front north- 5 ward of Moislains during the early part of the day. The enemy held the east banks of the / river and canal, and endeavoured to- arrest our advance a,t this line with artillery and machine gun fire. Despite the natural strength of the I enemy's positions, we advanced with great dash and courage and carried the , villages of Manancourt and Etricourt, overcoming the obstacles of the canal . and river. We made substantial progress eastwards. Further north English and New Zea- ; landers took Ruaulcourt, and reached the northern outskirts of Havricourt eastwards of the canaJ. j Other English divisions gained the west bank of the canal opposite Demicourt and Boursees, beating off a counter-attack. The English entered Moeuvres from the north, and are fighting still among the old Hinde'nburg Line defences. We captured further prisoners and material, including two of the three German tanks used in the unsuccessful counter-attack on August 31st.. We made progress at* different points on the Lys front. : . The aeroplanes and balloons cooperated effectively in the advance on Tuesday. * We dropped 21 tons of bombs in the daytime, and 21 tons at night. We destroyed nineteen hostile aeroplanes and drove down seven uncontrollable. Ten British machines aTe missing.