Progress of the War.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16257, 6 July 1918, Page 8

Progress of the War.

The nevs from the West front to-day discloses a further gain" for the Allies, between the village of Villers-Breton-neux and the Somme, where the Gorman drive in March was finally arrested. The hamlet of Hamel, which was captured during this latest advance, stands about four miles north-east of Villers-Bretonneux, and just over eleven miles due east of Amiens. The operation was carried out by the Australians, assisted by tanks, according to correspondents, with the object of rectifying an irregularity in the line due to the big German drive. As a result of tho Australians' successful attack a great improvement has been effected in the front on this sector, and tho Allies now have a footing on the wedgeshaped ridge overlooking Amiens. Apart from this local gain no military movements are recorded in the messages to hand at the time of writing. An interesting commentary on the effectiveness of the repeated British raids in Flanders is made by the correspondent of the "Morning Post" on the British front, who states that the Germans in the Lys area are so demoralised by tho British activities that certain divisions i

are in disgrace, and have been threatened with severe punishment by the German High Command if farther ground is lost. This decline in the enemy's moral is not without significance, as an evidence of the increasing difficulties under which the Germans are labouring but there is no reason to assume that it is responsible for the delay in the resumption of the offensive, which is in all probability duo to the elaboration of the German preparations. As yet there are no indications that the next phase of the offensive is abmit to be launched, feat no doubt tbe enemy wilj endeavour to spring a complete surprise t pon the Allies by maintaining the same strict secrecy which marked the initiation of his former attacks. Interesting sidelights on the activities of the New Zealanders are givon in a lengthy despatch from the New Zealand official war correspondent, who describes u visit recently paid to the division by Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward.