WESTERN CAMPAIGN

Timaru Herald, Volume CV, Issue 16081, 30 September 1916, Page 10

WESTERN CAMPAIGN

BRITISH FORCES. t HOLDING THE GROUND AVON. /AustKilian :and' N.Z. Cable Assn.).. " ' LONDON, Sept. 2S Sir Douglas Haig reports:—We have occupied. Martinpuich and Gueudeeourt and - established posts west : and scuth-west of 'Eaiicourt - l'Abbaye, ivi thin eight yards of the village. ' * , - , We consolidated. our position on the - ridge north-east of Thiepval. AVe successfully shelled a-marching .enemy battalion, with its transport.- : In the recent fighting our losses were small relatively and absolutely. Our. casualties wore not more than twice, the number of prisoners we took. .-One -- diyision which had a difficult task, captured as many prisoners as it had casualties.

THE GERMAN LOSSES/OFFICERS SAVE THEMSELVES. •V"-"-..-...: I --' The. .Headquarters correspondent of i "The Times" reports:—Prisoners state .-that most of the officers of some of the German regiments have been killed. Others said they were suffering. from, stomachache. This was in order to get away. "When: the trenches were taken the British found . only non-commis-sioned, officers and privates. This is reported because iii is true, hut we must not draw .too large an inference from the behaviour of particular units. The air is, : full of rumours owing to. the intoxicating air of victory.

It is'foolish to attempt to guess-how far-reaching the results; will be. AVe must a,wait what lies behind the immediate feebleness of the resistance. Barring certain exceptions, the story of the hist- few days' fighting lis the most discreditable to the Germans since the beginning of the battle. : Experts point out- that it is a mistake fci. regard the Germans as routed. Nevertheless each step forward means a diminution of the German tenacity and fighting value and brings the day nearer when General Focli arid Sir"Douglas Haig" . will consider it possible to breaks the German line. •

The pause in the operations is. inevitable. The Germans are franticallydigging -in on a new: line and the position is still doubtful.

Cavalry patrols pushing' beyond Comfcles - ancl Guendecourt discovered that in the ne:rt trench lines the "enemy holds iwo-considerable hills, marked 148 and 153 on the French Staff' Map, one lying west of Combles, in front of the extensive Bois Saint Pierre Yaast, the

other opposite Morval, being part of a | winding ridge oil which ; the rain vil- | lages oi Sailly and Saillisel are, built. ! The Bapaume road crosses the , ridge_ before it dips to Le Transloy. • • - THE ENEMY REPORT. FACT AND FICTION. -\A Gc-rman • communique states: — Strong Aiiglo-Frcnch attacks were delivered between tlie Ancre and theSomme -after an- ip;.rtillory- bombard-, ment surpassing - previous., experi-. once. On-the greater .part of tho battle front our unshakeablc troops ; victoriously repulsed the enemy. •; The. battle is not concluded.at Thic-pval and. : east of Eaucourt l'Abbaye. . At- ' tacks on Morval and Boucliavesnes bloodily failed. The enemy maintained Lis-hold on small trench sections north- ■ east' ef'-Rancourt' and" 1 ' east-* of--Bou-cliavesnes. | ? Enemy aviators appeared ;pver 'Dutch,territory and attacked almost result::iAn.English bomb - attacitron Brussels 'destroyed fifteen houses, killed thirteen persons and injured twenty-eight -Belgians. ' "• - - ■ I- ',';.-.'-: fv. •: . -AT VERDUN. ; r .'A French communique states: —AVe sanguinarily repulsed an enemy attack on the Thiaumont-Fleury front. i BELGIUM'S RESTORATION. PARIS, Sept. 28. M. /Poincare iin-welcoming, the . new Belgian Minister paid a tribute,to King Albert, saying, that he was the personification of honour. /Unless Belgium re- ! covered her full independence ancl' re-' ceivecl satisfaction ineffaceable shame would soil the; annals-of Europe. THE CAPTURE OF THIEPVAL. ' PO WERFULL Y ■ ORGANISED . i REGION. - . OPARIS, Sept. 28. The attack on Thiepval began at noon. A regiment advancing northI ward from Ovillers struck on the southern" side and carried a portion of- the Leipzig redoubt. Other; contingents I came from Du and a hill near the Albert highroad. Our !*'mien, with irresistible impetuosity, plunged into the: ruined village by the Pozieres road, a heavy curtain fire pro-' venting the enemy from bringing up reinforcements from Beaucourt. ">Thefortified system of Thiepval. covered a, | -square mile., "Hie-attackers found;that the underground galleries had resisted the bombardment of the heaviest guns and howitzers. Each cellar was j strengthened with steel armour and concrete until it was a small fortress, j Many galleries were fitted with liftSj by which machine-guns could instantly be lifted into position. Fortunately : the defence was less determined than was expected. j

Some 1300 prisoners ' have already come to the .base." They . confirm the reports that, the garrison, was surprised "by the force of the atta.-fc and thrown into panic.- - 'The officers'vainly tried .'to rally the men/, but many ■ surrendered without firing a shot.

Prisoners state that eight German battalions were practically .wiped out in' Tuesday's L .fighting.j . > - <

"ALLIES CANNOT BREAK THROUGH." • f AMSTERDAM, Sept. 28. • The "Frankfurter Zeitung" admits that the Allies obtained a-tactical ad-vantage"-on 'the Som'rne on Tuesday. '•lt was terribly bloody for" the attacker ami. a test searching to. the innermost heart foi" the defender," the journal declares. "Streams of blood flowed. of projeciiiesv. crashed on the German positions, hut von Hindenburg is quiet-Iy prcceoding on liisj course and will hoti bo forced from'hSs prearranged path-by a. hair breadth. -It -is impossible *1 or the enemy to; break through." ■