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WHO BLUNDERED AT CAMBRAI?

CRITICISM IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

STATEMENT BY MR. BONAR LAW

By.Telegrapli-T-Prese Associatioij-Oopyright

• .~rl" i;.;.■; '■•-;:. -■'■■ ■ .-.-.■ '.'"' London, December 13. ■■'■■■ji' the House of Commons, Mr. John Dillon, M.P., criticising the Cam.oraiselback, declared that incompetent generals were bem K retained in th - ir Mt O ThomJs'(Labour M.P.) declared that the feeling was growing up that the ueople at the top were not treated the. same as the privates. S? Bonar Law, in reply, said that reports of the Cambrai set-back were eias&rated because exaggerated hopes were at first entertained of our one .of the inevitable accidents o war The Government would make inquiries, and act accordingly. Cabinet would not favour the retention of any officer i the circumstances showed h should not.be retained. The first thing Cabinet did on learning of the Camtaryauthorities'were determined to hnd the whole made upon Mr Bonar Law-assured the House that if an attack was maae upon Salonika fve had the situation in hand. He declared that tat for our force m were in training to cc-operaie with our forces. He ventured 1 no propnesy wn if In at ™ere. made the. result woul d not be the triumphant return of ConBtan KprS'talk a boutcla,hi n g between soldiers and politicians H anvthinff went wrong it was the Government, and not those whom they apSfwZ would be held responsible. There must be good feeling on one sense on the other. .One of the most &*&mri™*<* the war was the recovery; from the initial mistakes made ™ -the brilliant operations which led to the capture ; of ..Jerusalem.-Ans.-JS./i. Cable.Assn.-Reu.ter.. '. , .. ■ . : ..

•, V THE GERMAN ATTACK ON BULLECOURT "•"' ' DETAILED REPORT BY SIR DOUGLAS HAIG. "•■'*'. London, December 13. Sir Douglas Haig reports: "Accounts of yesterday's fighting show that the enemy, after a heavy preparation, attacked from the north our positions en the Hindenburg line east of Bullecourt, and also an a wider front irora the eaet and north-east against an angle of our trench lines south of Riencourt. We repulsed both attacks with heavy losses. The enemy siibsequently attacked on the latter front, and pentrated the obliterated trenches at the apex of tho angle. We killed or took prisoner the few Germane who reached our trenches. Elsewhere there was local fighting all day on a small portion ot trench in which the enemy .obtained a foothold, without change in the situation We repulsed raiders south-west of La Bassee, and inflicted casualties ' as the result uf patrol encounters east of Zonnebeke."—Aus.-xN.A UMe Assn.-Reuter. . ■ ■ ' London, December 14, Sir Douglas Haig reports: "We successfully attacked a post southward of Sillefs-Giuslain, those in the garrison being either killed or taken prisoner. There was bomb fighting this afternoon eastward of Bullecourt, in a portion • Of trench into which the enemy had penetrated on Wednesday. The enemy s artillery displayed some activity southward of the Scarpe 'and north-east or Ypres Our aeroplanes-engaged the enemy during tho attack on Bullecourt on Wednesday There is much air fighting. Six of the enemy's machines were brought down."-Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. GERMAN OFFICIAL REPORT. London, December 13. A German official report states: "We captured several shelters east of Bullecflurt. The artillery duel between Mouvres and Vendhuille has increased in violence."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. ATTACK APPARENTLY NOT BEING DEVELOPED (Rec. December 15, 0.10 a.m.) "'•••'■.•• , London, December 13. Mr. Philip Gibbs writes: "The enemy's attack near Bullecourt led to close, &ting throughont Wednesday, but it. is still a limited local operation on five lundTedyarls of front, and no more important moment than bitine off a small salient which was useless to us. Iho onslaught looked as though it were a preliminary to big endeavours. The enemy made a con- ■ fderable demonstratLi of his offensive. spirit, bombarding eastward and west ■ ward of the point of attack,' and pouring poison gas did r ntotte Goje nl Valley, about Heninheninge, and iho valley below Queaiit. Aus.-iN.z.. Mable Aasn. Fm]ng fQ{ l]x^ e Advatl tage. "When the Bavarians, advancing in depth, penetrated the maze of earthffork* the e was hard fighting for very little advantage. We did not intend o let him have this spit of land for nothing. Our counter-attacks drove ho Germans part of the way back .several times on Wednesday, though it the end of the long day's struggle the enemy had slightly deepened his drivhi" wedSe, and tins morning held the base line of the salient. '1 hero was close VhtinV for some time within bayonet reach, and always within bombingranle. resembling tho old trench struggles. Tins was somewhat > varied Tiv the British airmen, who, from a height of fifty feet used the r machine-guns on the German infantry in the iiowly-captured trench, and made •plentiful use' of their bombs, flying back threu times 'with renewed supplies. Four-aeroplanes were thus engaged, enabling us to clear a line of trench - that bad been captured in the hrst assault. Darkness alono prevented them from continuing. The artillery inflicted severe losses ou the Sixteenth Bavarian*. Probably these losses checked the renewed attack that had been planned for this morning."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Asun.

THE GATHERING STORM COLONEL REPINGTON EEVIEWS THE ENEMY'S STRENGTH. (llec. December 15, 0.10 a.m.) London, December 14. Colonel Repinglon, "The Times" military correspondent, says: "There are now 150 German divisions in the West and 79 in the East, but the latter have been denuded of all their fighters between the ages of nineteen nncl thirty-five for the West front. Possibly thore are moro complete divisions following. Wo must expect half :i million fresh lighters in the \\est, ana many more guns and aircraft. Germany may maintain with safety her secondgrade troops in the East, but the whole of the German forces fit to, fight naj'o been concentrated for a decisive blow in the West, possibly this winter or in the spring. The exhaustion of the German reserves, and want, may compel her to strike more quickly than we think. In any case the long German defensive has ended. Wo must take corresponding precautions, and whatever ia to be done nnist be done quickly. We have, roughly, two million men in tile West, and a million elsewhere. We need a million more men in order to maintain our existing forces in 1918."—"The Times." GERMAN PRESS THREATS OF COMING OFFENSIVE Paris, December 13. The "Matin's" Zurich correspondent states that the German newspapers publish violent articles agrtinst the Entente, and declare that von Hnidenburg, in conjunction with the Austrian s, is about to subject the Western front to the eamo treatment as Italy. Britain and France, they say, will have to resist a. blow from almost the whole forces of the Central Powers, which will crush the Allies and finish the war. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. , ON THE FRENCH FRONT (Rec. December 15, CIO a.m.) London, December 14. 'A French official communique states: "There was lively artillery firing on both banks of the Meuse. The enemy's aeroplanes bombed Dunkirk, but there were no casualties."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. THE AIR OFFENSIVES BRITISH AND FRENCH OPERATIONS. ' ■ London, December 13. The 'Admiralty reports: "Our-naval aircraft bombed the Bruges docks en Tuesday night. The visibility was .bad. One of our machines is missing. We brought down an enemy machine during patrol operations." A French official communique states: "Since December 10 nine enemy aeroplanes were brought down. Our aeroplanes droppepd ten tons of explosives, especially on the aerodromes at Colmar and Scielstant.a depot J.t Logelbaeh, factories at Eombach, and several railway stations, with effective results."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. FRANCO-BRITISH GUNS FOR THE AMERICANS , Washington, December 13. The Senate Committee has announced that General Pershing's force is using British and French artillery. Few American guns can be shipped abroad t ; li June, 1918.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. .

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19171215.2.39.2

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 70, 15 December 1917, Page 9

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,267

WHO BLUNDERED AT CAMBRAI? Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 70, 15 December 1917, Page 9

WHO BLUNDERED AT CAMBRAI? Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 70, 15 December 1917, Page 9

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