OUTPUT OF SHIPS

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16167, 22 March 1918, Page 7

OUTPUT OF SHIPS

4th YEAR—233rd DAY.

THE WESTERN THEATRE. INITIATIVE WITH ALLIES. PROPOSAL TO POOL ALL RESERVES. (By Cab'.e.—Prcs3 Association.—Copyright.) (Australia)} and If.Z. Cable Association.) WASHINGTON, March 20. The authorities expect an important announcement- frotn the Versailles War Council. American officials believe that the Allies arc planning to pool all their reserves, permitting of overwhelming concentrations at the selected points to be attacked. It is believed that the initiative on the West front now rests with tho Allies. (United Son-ice.) LONDON, March 20. The Germans are re-grouping tho commands on the West front. Hitherto there were three, but now there are four armies, commanded by Princes R-upprecht and Albrecht, tlie Crown Prince, and General von Gallwitz. (Reuter'a TelcgTama.) LONDON March 20. Renter's correspondent at British Headquarters reports that very wet weather is restricting opeations, and favours surprise tactics; but tho enemy shows no signs of emerging. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) (Received March 21st, 5.5 p.m.) OTTAWA, March 20. The United Press Association's correspondent on the American front reports that Air Newton D. Baker, United States Secretary of War, was in the front line trenches, under shell fire, on Tuesday. NEW YORK, March 20. i While on the American front, Mr Baker had a narrow oscape, a shell bursting immediately in his vicinity. BRITISH REPULSE RAIDERS. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) (Reuter's Telegrams.) (Received March 21st, 11.20 p.m.) LONDON, March 20. Sir Douglas Haig reports:— "We repulsed raiders south of Passcliendaele and north of Poelcapelle, taking prisonors. "Hostile artillery is active at La Bassee Canal, tho Bois Grevier, and Passchendaele."

MORE FIENDISH HUN DEVICES. LONDON, March 20. Reutcr's correspondent at American Headquarters reports that German airmen are dropping rubber balls, 18 inches in diameter, filled with liquid mustard gas, over the American sector, but so far without result.

A message to tho American papers, dated London, February 3rd, stated: — Au extraordinary device of Prussian ingenuity was described by Major W. A. Bishop, V.C., D.5.0., of the Royal Flying Corps, at a banquet given in his honour by the Canadian Club. Major Bishop's description of the "flaming onions," as the new missiles aro called by British aviators, was as follows: — "The Huns have a new device now with which they try to unnerve British airmen. We call these 'flaming onions.' The 'onions' aro shot upward from some kind of mortar, the intention being to direct them immediately into the path of the advancing platoons of aviators. I don't know just how they are made or how they are managed; but if a bunch of them is fired at you while you are flying over the enemy lines the first thing you see is a big cluster of six or eight whirling balls of fire' coming at you from below. They rise very rapidly—as fast as shrapnel. The bomb on exploding releases these clusters of fire balls, which instantly burst into flame. "They all rotate rapidly, giving off flames, so that cach of tie balls Beems to have a potential diameter of five or six feet of fire. They rotate rapidly about a common centre, with a lateral spinning motion, spreading out apparentlv by centrifugal force from some common centre to which fHey are held in some way. The whole cluster has an apparent radius about as great as the spread of your plane from tip to tip. • "The Huns manage to shoot these 'flaming onions' to a considerable altitude, and the Allied fliers, when they see a bunch coming, havo to dodge them or duck them as best they can by side-slipping, diving, swerving" suddenly, or looping the loop." Major Bishop said he did not think the Germans ha<l succeeded in doing much actual execution with this pyrotechnic device, but he added: , "\y ho , n arc well up and far within tlie Bochc lines and you see one of these roaring aerial conflagrations mounting toward you, spurting fountains of fire in a big sort of spiral fifty or sixty feet across, it is somewhat disconcerting." RUM-DOPED RAIDERS. (Router's Telegrams.) PARIS, March 20. The Australians in the Warneton sector had a curious experience. They heard strange sounds of oaths and altercations beyond the enemy's wire facing them, and, investigating the position, they encountered a hundred Germans, staggering drunk, and tearing their uniforms against the wires. The Germans of -red small resistance, and were capt ed. When sobered, they stated that they were detailed to make a raid, and were threatened that they would be shot unless they did so. They were doped with rum and sent forward like a herd of cattle, two machine-guns threatening them in the rear. THE FRENCH LINES. • (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) (Reuter's Tolegrami.) LONDON, March 20. A Frcnch communique states:— "There has been active enemy artillery firing in Champagne, on the right bank of tho Mouse, and in the Woevre. "The enemy at several poin'ts on the

THE -SITUATION REVIEWED.

IMPORTANT SPEECH BY SIR ERIC GEDDES.

front engaged in infantry actions, .ill of which were abortive. "A coup do main north-east of Rhoims was arrested without difficulty. Tho enemy thrice attempted to rcacli our lines on tho Souain sector, hut violent fire compelled his withdrawal, with serious losses. "A strong attack south of Arraeonrt, in Lorraine, resulted in violent hand-to-hand fighting. We partly gained an advantage and repelled the enemy.