THE WEST FRONT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12070, 27 July 1917, Page 5

THE WEST FRONT.

TREMENDOUS ARTILLERY

BATTLE,

ENEMY'S COLOSSAL EFFORTS. SUCCESSFUL BRITISH RAIDS. Australian and N.Z. Cablp Association. (Received July 27, noon.) LONDON, July 2fi. A British war correspondent, writing from the front, states that the artillery battle reaches a. great intensity on certain sectors. The Germans are concentrating their fire pbout Lombaertzyde, Ypres, Zillebeke Lake. Armentieres, Ploegsteert, Neuve C'liapello and the suburbs of Lens. They are using a large number of long-range and high-velocity guns. Shells sometimes fall twenty miles behind the British lines. A feature of the recent fighting is the occasional daring daylight raids, which often are more successful and less costly than night raids A party of Britishers entered heavily manned trenches at Ypres in full daylights with little loss, and brought back over a hundred prisoners. The curtain fire produces such smoke and dust and confusion that (lie Germans do not know how to meet the attack. Troops of high quality are neoded for such raids. FOE'S GUN-FIRE INCREASING. COAST SECTOR A STORM CENTRE. Arjtrilian and N.Z. Cabl«i Association. (Received July 27, 12.30 p.m.) LONDON. July 26. Mr Philip Gibbs says that the enemy's gun-fire is increasing at, various points on our front. The coast sector cont.inues to rival Lens as a storm centre for German shells. The infantry are everywhere inactive except for unimportant British raids in the neighbourhood of Ypres. The Germans bombarded Nieuport from ten o'clock in the evening till five in the morning. Guns of every calibre, up to 9.2, were used. The air vibrated all day and all nieht with the heavy shock of this great, gun firing. The flame of war also broke out eastward of Monchv, where the Germans advanced upon our trenches, already smashed by concentrated artillery. The Germans attacked with flammenwerfer, which spread a line of scarlet fire before them. Some of our posts were driven in, causing a retirement on a small front. The enemy are clearly preparing for desperate fighting, and have massed numbers of men and guns.