ENERGETIC PRESSURE OF THE FRENCH

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3060, 23 April 1917, Page 5

ENERGETIC PRESSURE OF THE FRENCH

• /MEMY FORCED BACK FRENCH CONTINUE THEIR ADVANCE ALL ALONG' THE LINE i The High Commissioner reports :tt J „ ■ _,„ . , „ , , , London, Apnl 20, 1.35 a.m. , A'rench Official.— JVorth .oi tho Aisjh:, the •enemy, under our energetic pressure, continued to fall Tiack towards Ohemin-deß-Danies. Wβ occupied -the villages -of Aisy <le Jouy and Laft'aux, jtnd held closclv in i contact with, the enemy. I , " , Fort Conde has fallen into our hands. ; In the legion-of Hautebifie, after a, lively combat, we captured a point ] of support northwards, taking 500 .prisoners and cupturng two guns ot 105 millimetres. . i W«st -of Bergoricourt, wo made considetahle progress. In the region ,of tfie massif of Moronvillers we extended our positions 'northwards ox Mont Haut, repulsing two German counter-attacks m this region and Mount >00-; tenilla. • ' | North-west of Anherive, we brilliantly .oarriod on a. front of -two kilo-i metres a. system of strongly organised tronches, repelliiig tho enemy to the i southern outskirts of Yandesincourt. mm i en *■ iL .... London, April 21, 3.10 p.m. , jNorthwards .of the Aisne the artilJ ory ]s more activ© in the regions of Natevul-la-I'ost.o and Hautehise. Yesterday we mado prisoners .of about one hundred in tlug part of the front. Eastwards of Craonne and northwards of Uoims, the night was marked, By mutual violent actions. Wβ progressed by grenade attacks, notably southwards of Jnvinconrt and easttv'ams of Courcy. In tho Champagno an enemy atta c k at High Mont was repulsed witli, heavy losses. Westwards of Maisons de Champagne we penetrated the German lines, bringing back forty prisoners. BRILLIANT DEVELOPMENT OF THE OFFENSIVE A GLORIOUS PAGE IN THE HISTOEY OV THE WAR. (By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright). Paris, April 20.. The offensive has = developed brilliantly since tho battle commenced. Now German forces to the number of 360,000 men ihavo been recognised between Soissons and Auberivo. The ability to keep up an unlimited bombardment is the mosl important factor. Every wood and ravine on the banks of the Aisne is filled with infantry, cavalry, munition trains, automobiles, and cannon, waiting to dash to the front. The capture of Moronvillers was a glorious page in the history of the war. A French general spent weeks in planning tho attack, and went to a hill-. . top at dawn on Tuesday and watched the plan carried out There was a terrific bombardment, and then the French charged up five hills, .andlcarrJed , ono after another in two hours. The "seventy-fives" were soon tearing -to: pieces the German reserves massed for a counter-attack, and the slaughter '■ ' was terrible. ■-..-. ; ; ■ _. i Prisoners taken between Soissons and Reims, state that .they were ordered to hold the first line at any cost.—Aus.-N.'Z. Cable Assn.-Eeuter. ' , 'A BODY OF THE ENEMY COMPELLED TO BURR-ENDEE. ••• "■ (Rec. April 22,' 5.5 p.m.) ~ '. ■■ ■■■■'•'.;■•'.'■ Paris, April 20. , Further details of the French offensive show the Germans reoeived-, heavy reinforcemente, and the effeot of the bombardment .on the crowded trenches was terrific. : The army between Soissons and Craonno met with brilliant success in two attacks against Nantiuil and Braye. The Germans managed to hold the positions botween the two villages, but on the second assault excellent results were obtained. The troops asoended the slopes of ihp plateau north ; of Vailly, which the Germans were using as the southern pivot »f their withdrawal from the Somme. The French capture of Aille at the foot of fne northern.slope, of the plateau w.as quite as striking, as the cap.uru of Vimy_ ridge. It was cleared at one run, except the summit,- at Craonne. Most important results oro .expected from the capture of Hautehise farm. The army operating from Craonne to north of Reims ]iad its fiercest fighting in the neighbourhood of Ville-aux-Eois, where the forest was very strongly organised and packed with mitrailleuses. A clever French. manoeuvre ended in surrounding an important body, of the enemy, which sur-; rendered en masse with many machine-guns, tne prisonere exoeeding 1700. i The snowdad ground .east of Reims curiously assisted the attackers. The 1 Germans were half frozen and dazed by tho bombardment, and were so blinded 1 by the reflection of the sup glistening on the snow that they were unablo to use.their machine-guns before the French were upon them, the enemy mak- : iiig a desperate resistance. Before the French advance on St. Quentin the French carried the fortified village of Dmyefc at tho point of the bayonet, faking 400 prisoners, be- 1

sides tho enormous Josses of fcho Germans in killed and wounded. The prisoners wero mostly thin and palo, and showed evidence of great fatigue. J'ho majority are of puny build, and vory different from those captured in 19M, or the crack troops used at Monchy and Lagnicourt. Two German divisions attacked the French at Juvincourt, and -were cut to pieces ! by the (French artillery) and another lost its way, and, like the Germans at Lagnicourt, blundered into their own barbed-wire, and were only extricated at tlio cost of a large proportion of the effectives.—AiiSi-NiZ. Cable Assn. FURTHER REPORTS OF THE FIGHTING ON THE FRENCH FRONT. The High Commissioner reports:— London, April 20, 3.5 p.m. 'A French official report States: Li the region of Lafiaux we have made eensiblo progress, taking about 40 prisoners. Wβ repulsed several counterattacks in this sector. On the plateau of Veauclere, aud south-east of G'oucy, we took several trenches .by the use of grenades. Eastward of the Oivro our operations have given us :somo ground and 250 prisoners. In the Champagne, during the night, there have been marked violent reactions by the enemy. Xhero wore three German counterattacks, preceded by bombardment, in the region of Moronvillers. Our barrage and machinegun fire reduced the attempts to nought, and caused very Jieavy losses to tho enemy. NINETEEN THOUSAND PRISONERS AND OVER A HUNDRED •GUNS CAPTURED. ."; The High' Commissioner reports :— London, April 21, 0.5 a.m. French Official.—North of tho Oise we harassed the enemy, and continued our .progress towards Cheniin des Dames and occupied the village of Sancy. ■ In -tho evening, after violent artillery preparation, the Germans ( in the region of Ailles-Hautebise launched a .great attack, which was 'broken by our artillery and machine-gun fire, and completely repulsed. In tho Champagne wo carried several important-support posts in tie Massif of Mqronvillers, notwithstanding bitter resistance by the enemy. Since April 16 'we have .captured between Soissons and Auberive over 19,000 prisoners and one .hundred guns. In rtho.Argonno we penetrated the enemy's second trenoh, finding numerous todies.

ENEMY PREVENTED FROM LEAVING HIS TRENCHES, (Reo. April 23, 0.45 a.m.) London, April 22. A French communique says: There is violent reciprocal artillery-fire, particularly south of St. Quontin. Between tho Aisno and Chemin des Dames we continued to progress on the plateau north of Sancy. AVe advanced in the legion of Hurtebise, ;our barrage- shattering four enemy attempts to leave their trenches north .of Brayen -Lavunaise. There is intermittent artillery •firing between Reims and' Champagne. Altogether 33,000-prisoners and 330 guns have been captured by the Anglo-French.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Keuter. , v TEN ENEMY AEROPLANES BROUGHT DOWN. London, April :20. A French communique states that ten enemy aeroplanes have been ■brought down since April 16.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-ißeuter. BRITISH CAPTURE ANOTHER VILLAGE ■.(■.■ The High Commissioner reports:— . London, April 21, 2 p.m. Sir Douglas Haig reports:—East of Gouzeaucourt, .we captured the village of Gonnelieu during the night, after some sharp -fighting. A number of ■prisoners were taken. ■ A parly of the enemy, who attempted to enter our trenches in the neighbourhood of Fauquissart, wore repulsed. During the nigiit, mutual artillery activity was continued at a number of places. London, 'April 20. Sir Douglas Haig reports :-r-TV*e gained ground last night in the neighbourhood of Villers-Guislaiu.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT TO RECOVER GONNELIEU. (Bee. April 23, 0.45 a.m.) ~ .. London, April- 22. Sir Douglos Haig reports: The enemy's attempt to recover Gonnelieu was unsuccessful. Our artillery killed many attackers. Wo progressed on "the north 'bank of the Scarpe, eastward of Fampaiix; we also advanced on the line-south-west of Lens. Counter-attncks we're repulsed.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter.

AUSTRALIANS REVELLING IN THE OFFENSIVE

"WE ARE READY FOE THE RESOVOF.THE GUARDS."

■ '■...' v ■ London, April 20. I An Australian -artillery officer Rives, a -viral description of the "liveliness" on , the' West -front, in which the Australians are revelling. "Our boys were-never ~in better fettle," lie-says. '.The staff lias always realised that the Australians are at their best in the offensive.

. Lagriicourt was a memoi-aWo-day. Although the : Australians suffered 'heavily under the first-attack, wliicli was delivered with unprecedented pressure, "they got their own back when they advanced under the artillery. The crowning .moment TvasTvhen they cut off the Prussians, and shot them at ipriirit Tblaitk range. Later they put up tho.motice: "Wβ are ready for the rest of the (Guards. Send them along." But tho Germans did respond. "The Australian 'howitzers," the officer continued, "liardly had time to cool in -these last 'stunts. The guns were firing at ttherate of five rounds :per minute continuously for nine hours in .the hottest-period. ' Tho r German artillery was demoralised, and.replied feebly. -.'■■■ ■; "All the former British bombardments were nothing compared with the present-one. You never hear the report of a single gun • ionly a •constant roar, which-gets on-the nerves. But I would not miss the fighting theso days. We have got Fritz beaten, .and lie knows at. are mere "n-reoks, and! rthe only feeling theyare capable of is relief that the horrible ordeal -is over."—Aus.-'N.Z. GaWe Assn.