BRITISH FRONT STANDING FIRM

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 163, 30 March 1918, Page 7

BRITISH FRONT STANDING FIRM

ENEMY'S DESPERATE EFFORTS TO BREAK THE LINE CRUSHED HOSTILE AIRMEN DRIVEN FROM THE SKY (REG. MARCH 28, 10.40 P.M.) London, March 27. Heuter's correspondent at Headquarters, writing on March 27, reports :— 'The evening of the sixth day of the offensive finds the British front standing firm practically along the whole line, which, perhaps, is the strongest they have occupied since the beginning of tho offensive. Some spots are weaker than others, where tho German hordes may slowly advance, even compelling readjustments elsewhere, hut the positions along the Ancre Valley and tho old Gommecourt-Hobuterne line are of great natural strength; and even the weaker parts of the line are being held. Our most orderly array of men and guns is not showing signs of the enforced retirement. With a keen sense of the need against over-optimism, a state of complete, almost cheerful, confidence pervades tho various Headquarters. The'-morale' of the troops is superb." ' • . ;. . . The Struggle Setting Southward. The correspondent concludes:—"To-day tho enemy is attacking at various points, but has not made any progress. Our cavalry has been iu action, and achieved a brilliant little success, ■ but no details have transpired. Our airmen report that all the enemy front ardas are black with troops. Although the enemy is continuing his thrust hard along practically the whole front, the tendency of tho strugglo is setting steadily 'southward, and consequently the French are bearing a growing share. Throughout the Somme area yesterday our airmen badly mauled thu enemy. Very few anti-aircraft guns have been moved forward yet, while the enemy airmon have been so ruthlessly combed out of the skies they arc- little disposed to join in the combat. News comes that a battle is raging in the Fronch' area. The weather has turned bleak and grey, but is remaining dry, and visibility- is good. .Tho ground is excellent ior digging and transport"—Renter. Struggle Beginning to Offer Advantages to the British. Tho United Press correspondent says:—"The British are holding a lino westward of Albert. The strugglo has now begun to offer cortain advantages to the British, who have good communications, and behind them are wooded hills, valleys, houses, villages, and towns offering screens. _ Tho fighting is heavy between the converging Ancre and the Somme, and is hottest around Meaulte, southward of Albert. A fierce attack was driven off this afternoon against Auchonvillers, northward of Albert, while to the northwestward, at Colineamps, an entire German patrol was taken prisoner. The enemy this morning is attacking Aveluy Wood." , , Enemy Not Making Any Headway. The United Press correspondent, writing on March 27, says: "This evening, northward of the Somme, tiio British are holding firm, and the enemy is not making anv headway. Southward of the Somme, where the fighting is heavier, Von Hindenburg's pawns are putting less ginger into the assaults. _ Here and there they have boon driven back. It cannot be called a lull, being, doubtless, simply a momentary slowing up, while our gigantic adversary spars for an opening. Obviously the German High Command is uneasy. The German storm troops >are daily growing more weary, and tho British resistance is daily strengthening. Von Hindenburg is v apparently puzzled at the slow progress made by his overwhelming masses, ancf he is hastily bringing up fresh troops and guns to continue the attack, putting already battered divisions back.into the front line. ■"'.': Battle for a Creat Decisive Finish. "The Germans are making an unsparing effort lest the stubborn Allied stand should totally halt their last fling for victory. An officer prisoner says they are using a species of tank to bring up artillery, ammunition. This is the only mention ftif enemy tanks. Allied soldiers believe it is a battle .for a great decisive finish, and will probably end the war." —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. Frequent Counter-Attacks Made by the French. * Tho "Daily Chronicle's" Paris correspondent writes:—-"The confidence of the French in a favourable issue of tho momentous battle is unshaken. It is now known that one of the British armies, yielding, despite marvellous bravery, under the pressure of a German avalanche, left a momentary break ill our lines, but the Germans were unable to drive a wedge in. The arrival of British reinforcements preserved the continuity of the Allied front. At another critical point, the English and French were fighting shoulder to shoulder, and crushed all the enemy's desperate attempts to make a breach in our lines. Open warfare has come with' all its opportunities for the strategy of manoeuvre. The English and French reserves are ready to intervene at the proper juncture. The French are heroically fighting at Chauny and in tho Oise region. They are not only containing tho enemy, but making frequent counter-attacks."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. BRITISH AND FRENCH ARTILLERY MASSING FOR ATTACK GREAT LOSSES AMONG ENEMY'S ASSAULT TROOPS (REC. MARtiH 29, 5.5. P.M.) "' > London, March 28. Colonel Repington says the Germans are certain to pour in reinforcements, for it would never do to allow this attack to be-a failure; If-the next succeeds a general 1 advance of the , German line may be ordered. It-should now be possible to give, the British Third, and Fifth• Armies'-a■ muchneeded rest. The British eighteen-pounders and French seventy-five's are now massing for attack, but Sir Douglas Haig and General Petain may elect to allow the enemy to break his neck beforo launching the counter-attack.— Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. . . - ' • : German High.Command Using Infantry Prodigally. Router's correspondent at Headquarters says: "During tliQ, past twentyfour hours the Germans have mado only a comparatively trifling gain, the result of numerous massed attacks all along our front, while we may claim several distinct local successes', either completely repulsing his blows or wresting back gains by counter-attack. Hie German High Command continues the use of infantry with ruthless prodigality. The fact that- the general pressure has momentarily eased may bo partly attributable to the enemy waiting to bring up his heavy artillery preparatory to another great effort and partly to exhaustion. Needless to say, we are taking every advantage, of the temporary lull."—Renter. British Artillery and Aeroplanes Demoralising the Enemy. Mr. Philip Gibbs states that throughout Tuesday night the British heavy artillery flung high explosives over the mauled battlefields of the Somme while the Germans lay on the earth in a bitter cold wind without shelter. A great many were killed as. they lay. Aeroplanes flew over the German bivouacs and dropped bombs into their masses. The turmoil and cries showed they are demoralising the enemy. ■■ . ■ . • Pause in the Germans' Massed Attacks. Writing on Wednesday, Mr. Gibbs states: "Yesterday and to-day the enemy marl*; no further advances on a big scale bet-ween the Bapaume road and Bray| but paused, his massed attacks to reorganiso his line and bring up'artillery instead. He made cautious movements across the old Somme battlefield, ■Rrhich resulted in a renewal of losses among his assault troops. The .weather is marvellously clear,.but much colder,.a strong easterly wind blowing, which'was painful to our troops during tho night in the open fields. Our air squadrons report heavy concentrations of German storm troops behind the , Maurepas-Giuchy roads. Around Bapaume, which is crowded with men and guns, the cavalry is passing towards Albert, which was the centre of the fighting north of the Somme on Tuesday. The Germans the nights before had bombed Albert heavily from the air, using the brilliant moonlight for flying low and picking up targets whenever they saw men moping or .horses tethered, but they often hit women or children who had crept back .to their homes." Enemy Being Terribly Punished. Mr. Percival Phillips writes: "The battlefront has fluctuated very little during the last twenty-four hours. The fighting has slackened . perceptibly between the Scarpe and the Somme, tho enemy being punished terribly on the old Somme battlefield. Our guns have given General von Billow's massed, army no rest. The Germans can find no shelter from our shells and aeroplane bombs. Ido not think a halted army in tho op'eli ever experienced a more harassing fire. German prisoners say the troops are utterly weary, though they are constantly flogged into fresh endeavour. The ■ divisions which began the drive are again appearing in the van, and are expected to continue the hammer blows. Ten German divisions from Flanders and four from Lorraine have arrived to stiffen the pressure on our elastic screen. The German Staff is concentrating its chief strength in the south, in the area of the Crown Princte's army. Prisoners state that they have had no food ex-' cept iron rations. Many bitterly resent our thorough destruction or removal of stores, on which the Germans depended to replenish their haversacks.— Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. . . . OPINION OF THE FEENCH PREMIER. Paris, March 27. M. Clemenceau, Premier of Francis, says \hat if. the Germans can be held another forty-eight hours, their offensive will be checked.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Asßn. HEAVY SLAUGHTER OF GERMANS ON THE SOMME. London, March 27. Lord Morris, of Newfoundland, speaking at the Overseas Club, said he had heard from official sources, "straight from Headquarters at the front," that of four German divisions, numbering 80,000 men, who broke our old Somme line, not one escaped. All were killed or captured.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. - - ■ EXTENT OF GERMAN CASUALTIES BEING CONCEALED. London, March. 27. Tho Hague correspondent of "Tho Times" states that in order to conceal the extent of tho casualties from the pcoplo, the enemy wounded aro not sont to Germany, but are kept in Belgium, and mostly out of sight of the main lines of communication. Hospital trains aro arriving continuously at Ghent.—''The Times." TWO FRESH GERMAN DIVISIONS ABMOST ANNIHILATED. Paris, March 27. A French war correspondent states that two fresh German divisions proceeding to the front oil March 25 were almost totally annihilated beforo they fired a shot, by machine-gun fire and bombs from a hundred French aoroplanes.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. FAILURE OF THE ATTEMPT TO CUT THE BRITISH COMMUNICATIONS. - (Reo. March 29, 5.5 p.m.) Paris, March 28. On the strength of the latest news it is claimed that the Germans on tbe left aro scant of breath. The Allies have already got their second wind. The ohiof topic is the outstanding fact that -Von ' Hindenburg's attempt to isolate the British and cut communications with Paris and the' Channel have signally failed—"Tho Timee,"