HILL SEVENTY.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXXVII, Issue 7920, 18 August 1917, Page 3

HILL SEVENTY.

THE CANADIANS’ DASH. United Service. LONDON, August 17. The “Petit Parisien’s” corespondent, describing the capture of Hill No. 70, writes that, driven back by bayonets and grenades, the Bosches scattered among the miners’ dwellings, mine shafts and cellars, the openings whereof bristled with machine guns. The Canadians’ dash was irresistible. In half an hour three groups of dwellings were stormed. Those not killed fled to another village where machine guns were massed, which was the scene of fierce fighting. The enemy launched a series of powerful counter-attacks. The Canadians’ success was more meritorious because they attacked newly arrived and rested troops. The Germans were forced to realise that the British were strong enough' to attack wherever, whenever and however they wish.

LANGEMARCK CAPTURED. STRONG ENEMY RESISTANCE. LONDON, August 17. Sir Douglas Haig reports: An Allied attack was delivered early this morning on a front of over nine miles north of the Ypres-Menin road and has been continued during the day in face of a strong enemy resistance. On the left the French troops, advancing on both sides of the Zuyd-schoote-Dixmude road, drove the enemy from a tongue of land lying between the Yser Canal and Martjevaart, and captured the bridgehead at Drilgrachten. On the ceritre British troops rapidly captured their first objectives, carrying the village of Langemarck. They then fought forward a distance of half a mile beyond the village, establishing themselves in a German trench system constituting their final objective for the day. On our right fierce fighting has taken place for the possession of high ground north of the Menin' road. The enemy is disputing our advance with determination and counterattacking repeatedly.

As a result of these counter-attacks the enemy succeeded at grept cost in pressing back our troops from part of the ground won earlier in the day. This evening further enemy counterattacks were broken up by our' artillery fire. The number of prisoners taken by the Allies in the course of the attack has not been ascertained, but over 1800 have already been numbered.

Our troops further progressed this afternoon east of Loos. The number taken prisoner on this front now totals 896.

Our aeroplanes effectively cooperated yesterday and used machine guns on enemy counter-attackers. We brought down twelve and drove down four. Three of ours are missing. There was excellent aeroplane work to-day. THRILLING STORY. ENEMY SUFFERS HEAVY LOSSES. THE GALLANT IRISH. FRENCH CAPTURE IMPORTANT STRONGHOLD. (Received This Day, 11 a.m.) LONDON, August 17. Mr Philip Gibbs, describing the fighting in Flanders, states:— Our gain of fifteen hundred yards on a wide front includes Langemarck. Thence the line runs south towards the French. We advanced along a swampy neck dubbed a peninsula and bounded by deep floods on three sides. The fighting on our right was most violent, the enemy repeatedly counterattacking over the high ground between Nuns’ Wood and Glencorse Wood to Hunebeke river. His losses were high, although the weather was stormy, making the ground bad for us. The assembling of enemy troops was quickly signalled by our flying squadrons, the guns smashing their formations with great slaughter.

The enemy’s newest method of holding the front lines lightly, concentrating the best troops behind for counterattacks, saves his man power and reduces his casualties, but, while sound, it is a policy of the army fighting a retreat, relinquishing ground at the highest cost and not returning by counter-attacks to quite the same line over which their assailants flowed. Moreover, the success in life-saving was not great, because the Germans suffered hideously by shell-fire. The counter-attacks were costly in blood, as illustrated in the counter-attacks on the Canadians at Lens. Successive waves of mere boys marching shoulder to shoulder according to tradition were destroyed in great numbers. The fighting at Langemarck was greatly impeded by the flooded state of the ground. The Irish, on the extreme right, were engaged in the fiercest fight towards Polygon Wood, over frightful ground. The enemy were in the greatest strength. The Irish had made headway before they were faced by masses of fresh German troops advancing in the wake of ah infernal shell-fire. The battle continues and the result is uncertain.

Many battalions on both sides are heavily engaged, and the enemy is prepared to sacrifice thousands rather than lose these defensive positions. The French progressed rapidly, their only trouble being Champ Aubert Farm, which has ben transformed into a stronghold. They turned all their guns upon it, and ultimately a white flag appeared above the ruins and sixty survivors surrendered. The frightful gunfire demolished the enemy. A German Colonel was taken prisoner. He was dejected and nerveshaken. He spoke freely of his men’s great losses. They belonged to the reserve division hitherto holding Langemarck.. The greatest sufferer was a battalion of the 362' Regiment, which was broken to pieces by the British attack across Steenbeke.

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