HOW BRITISH DESTROYERS FOUGHT.

Timaru Herald, Volume CVI, Issue 16253, 27 April 1917, Page 7

HOW BRITISH DESTROYERS FOUGHT.

(Australian and N:Z V ,Cable Assn.) Received 6.15 p.m., April 26th. LONDON, (April 25. Sir Douglas Haig reports:—We r slightly advanced our line to-day southward of the Scarp© river. Maiiy 1 . thousand Gorman dead lie on 1 the; battlefield wo now occupy. MUCH AIR FIGHTING. Fine weather on Tuesday facilitated many successful air raids, bombing railway junctions, aerodromes, billets and dumps. Fifteen German' aeroplanes and two balloons were downed. Six British machines are missing. In one of the aeroplane raids a large bomb struck the engine of a moving train, blowing the engine off the hue and wrecking the train. A hostile troops transport was also suslessfully engaged with machine-sun fire. FRENCH ACTIVELY ENGAGED. Australian and N.Z. Cable" Assn. and Reuter. Received 8.45 p.m., April 26th.

French communique. Artillery ing continued. all along the front north ot VauxhaiJlon. The Germans were bloodily defeated in an attempt against Hurteb'se farm, being stopped by out fire. They renewed the assault, but a vigorous counter attack threw them back on their own lines.

During this action our artillery I caught and dispersed large German [ concentrations in the region north of the plateau of Vauclere. BELGIAN ARTILLERY BUSY. Belgian communique—Artillery duels were resumed at different points, especially near Dixmude. GERMAN REPORTS. (Admiralty—Per Wireless Press.) A German official report states:— The fighting for Gavrelle continued since yesterday morning southward of the Scarpe. A British attack on a wide front on both sides of the ArrasCambrai road broke down after violent hand-to-hand fighting, with heavy losses. We took 650 prisoners. On Monday we destroyed several tanks. The English and French on Monday and Tuesday lost thirty-nine aeroplanes. Three British attacks northward of Monchy were repulsed with heavy losses.

FIERCE FIGHTING. ON CONTESTED GROUND. Mr Gibbs describes the battle between the Scarpe and the Sensee as ebbing and flowing in an extraordinary manner. Several British units were l-escued after holding out in a most gallant manner in isolated posts. A party of "Woroesters wore foodless and waterless for several days, but would not surrender. The Germans have already made oinbt counter-attacks on GavrePe, all lioino; broken before they reached our lines.

Pr«w <AMocie.*ioa—By T«l—Copyyrisht-

GREAT GERMAN, SLAUGHTER. ■ . - -\ "'.("The Times.") ' ,Received 0.15 a.m., April 27th. .' -"/ \ LONDON, April 26. I at Headquarters sajH'the ieroeity of itho figating and the slaughter ot Germans is unparalleled. The repulsed counter-attacks at Gavrelle resembled massacres, the ground being heaped with dead, our artillery blowing whole battalions to bits. German 11117 is temporarily exhausted, but renewed concentrations presage a further attempt to recapture Gavrelle.

BRITISH OFFICERS' ADVENTURE,

Four British high command officers, investigating the results of the battle at the front, were nearly captured by a German patrol, thus demonstrating the openness and irregularity of the fighting. The officers had to run for their lives, and fortunately they outran the Germans, who narro™V missed bagging big game.