WESTERN ATTACK.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 August 1917, Page 5

WESTERN ATTACK.

NORTH OF VERDUN. FRENCH SLIGHTLY PROGRESS. Received Aug. 27 5.5 p.m. London, Aug. 2(3. A French communique states: North of Verdun there is the greatest artillerying on the right hank of the Meuse, be- ' tween Mauiojnieux and the Chaume woods. We slights progressed on tho left buik south of Bethincourt. A TACTICAL SUCCESS. THE VALUE OF ARTILLERY. j Paris, August 26. I Le Journal's correspondent at Verdun says tho French had more artillery than infantry in the firing lp-e and this tactical success enabled t''ein to achieve in five t'l-ys a result which took the Germans five months. CAPTURE OF HILL 304. BKANDEBURGBRS WTPED OUT. Paris, August 20. French Headquarters, in connection with the capture of Hill 301 says:— The Brandeburgcrs' Reserve Division- were practically wiped out, 69 officers and 2794 men of its three regiments being taken prisoners. Well over one-third of tho entire bayonet strength are prisoners. These include the, whole divisional organisation, with cooks and cyclists, and even the band, which was ; sent to the front line at Goose Hill as fighting men. I FURTHER PROGRESS. VIOLENT COUNTER-ATTACKS l i CAUGHT BY THE ARTILLERY. I Received Aug. 27, 10.10 p.m. London, Aug. 27. A French communique states: On the right cf the Meuse we successfully at- • tacked between Moraiont farm and Boil Le Chaune. We captured all our objective* on a four kilometre front to a depth of a kilometre. The whole of tho Bois des Fosses and • the Byis de Beaumont are in our hand". ! ; We reached the southern outskirts of ■ the village of Beaumont. Our artillery caught and disperse' • with heavy losses, a violent counter attack debouching from Bois de la j VV'avrilla. ENEMY DOMINATED. STRIKING FEATURE OF FIGHTING. I Paris, August 26. | The Matin, deserihitvj the capture of Hill 304, says:—We have secured the last observation post surrounding Ver--1 dun and now dominate the enemy from - each side. A striking feature of the ' fighting i? the large number of officers - taken prisoner in proportion to the men. This reverses previous experience and ' indicates that the moral of the German army ia weakening. A surprising development occurred in ■ the so-called Bonnet Rouge affair. • Almeryeda, late editor of the Bonnet ' Rouge newspaper, was recently arrested ■> on a charge of possessing a secret docu- ' meat and committed suicide mysterious--3 ly in prison. Many officials were cash--1 icred and reduced for negligence. ' Duval, manager of the Bonnet Rouge, " who was simultaneously arrested on the Swiss frontier on a chargo of trading ' with the enemy, has since been charged e with treasonable relations with the p enemy. The police found a compromising cheque on Duval, but, returned it '• to him after photographing it. The police chief has now ueen dismissed, e La Liberie states that Almaryeda " conferred in Switzerland with the notorious Austrian financier Rosenberg. - wliose operations ere partly responsii 010 fot the second Balkan war. 4 r y A GERMAN REPORT. J Received Au fc . 27, 10.10 p.m. London, Aug. 27. Wireless German official: The French B gained initial successes near Beaumont. i We subsequently drove tlwrn back.

ADVANCE Of OVER A MILE. STRONG POINTS CAPTURED. A LOST POSITION REGAINED. SUCCESSFUL AVIATION WORK. A. and N.Z. Cable Assoc, and Reuter. c Received Aug. 27, 9.30 p.m. r London, Aug. 27. '■ Sir Douglas Haig reports: We cap- f lured the enemy's positions on a front v of over a mile eastward of Hargecourt ; Mid penetrated for half a mile, carrying j the strong points of Cologne farm and I ral.il.of. The enemy, in tho morning, attacked using flammemverfer, on tho ' ypres-Mcnin road and momentarily re- i occupied the nnrtii-west cornor of the ( [nverm.-.i oopse, but a counter-attack re- < stored the positions. We slightly ad- * vanced south-east of St. Julien. The 1 onemy recaptured a post south-west of ! LombaHzi'de. We brouglit down seveD «nemy aeroplanes. < AN ABSURD GERMAN CLAIM. ' COWARDICE OF ANTI-TANK CREWS. Reuter Service. Received Aug. 27, 5.5 p.m. London, Aug. 26 Headquarters state that the German claim of the destruction of twenty-one tanks is ridiculous, as only a fraction of this number was knocked out bv tintank destroyers, known as anti-tank i turrets. The success of these uiight have been greater, but the crews of many were unnerved by the lino of advancing tanks, and joined in a general stampede, scuttling back to their holes. A GERMAN LAMENT. IRON'WILL OF THE BRITISH. ■Paris, August 26. | A ciiptured German, in a letter to his fain.!- written at Len . c.tjs: —"i would ~,iher go to hell th.;.. .mUh. with.u the imprisoning circle o. diiell 'Jn.r. -li-e ui my company oi a lmiidrc. have uecome casualties dur.ng the hour, liie faces of the others are the faces of vowUmncd uiun awaiting death. TlkEnglish have a wiil of iron, against ivhleh we are vainly esiiausting ourselves." ■ ENEMY COUNTER-ATTACK ! FAILS. LobT REGAINED. London, August 26. Sir Douglas Haig reports:--We drove out the enemy from a portion of a iri'in-li north-east of 'Guillemoi.t Farm which he regained yesterday, conipltt ing re-establishing our positions. Aii enemy counter-attack failed. The Portuguese repulsed raiders southpast of Laventie. IMPORTANT TRENCH GAINED. CANADIANS AGAIN TO THE FOR*;. London, August 26. English Headquarters report that the Canadians, with another irresistible rpurt. captured another important trench nirving round the centre of the western outskirts of Lens and a second running fast across the Arras road. The French are gradually but sureb- ! winning back the ground thev lost in thtterrific battles nf Verdun W vear. The have nracticallr re-established' their line on the west of the Meuse, while, amid the tnnfle of hills and woods on the cast bank, they are within rifle-shot of the position they held when the made their first titanic blow. Avocourt Wood has witnessed some of the most sanmiinary hand-to-hand fi?hting of the war. The redoubt within its borders has changed hands oftener than any other spot on French soil, having been won anu lost again timea without number, while th" frinop of th" wood has given opportunities for surprise attacks and sharp and sudden conflicts which have deluged the soil with blood, the losses on bota sides here being enormous in uronortion to the inappreciable swing of the territnrinl ""ndulnm. The first battle for Verdun begun on February 21 last year, and wHh ; u the first few days most of the positions now reconquered bv the j French were lost. Fosses and La Chaume Wood 3, which stand slightly to the south and B.outh-west of the village j of Ornes, were won on February 24, and on the same day the Germans, "after losing thousands, carried the crest of Hill 304, between Samogneux and Lorrvemont. In the evening the attack was made between Louvemont and Les Chambrettes Farm, the villasre being evacuated the same day. Cliamprenville was given up in the retreat to the last line of defence before Verdun, onlv a small garrison being left on Talon Hill. Next day this ridge was abandoned, the remnant of the gallant garrison retiring en Vacherauvillfi. Then followed the terrific f.gU for Douaumont, which was defended with the utmost gallantry a „<j waß held until reinforc"ments came up to save the rest of tho front and Verdun. The positions on tie western bank of the Meuse were taken during the second phase of tho battle, when the assault on the two wings at the Coli d& TVrtvns and Donaumont having failed, the itttnok was renewed from the western ""PLS* the tottlefleld, Mort Homme •«fl Wn 9M, which are practically twin Bills o» ft low ridge. Ccrbeaux Woda ««8 Ouimww Wood were drenched with shPWa in the *l«t wrek in March, and tm Maj*r. 8 m attaek which gave {Kpßeswen ttf Cdtlx"»i) Wood and part a f "«&d M»«»« Hill o« March 81 they fflMg a Sbrcg hill, h»t, tfc Gtt gfc (Juy „„„, . nced itß jap. «TO, tn6y, *m ' take it, and tta BMwwf hj»» »»*>—d J, e chief hone lof agiiiteßtio, #w .:- , vcre flghtlng , t*ty a & *■'» •" p' " ;. and reverse VWk a T> r "*- - - Lhe battle «w*yed, fefst tag Jo day