ALLIED ARMIES WELDED TOGETHER.

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 193, 4 May 1918, Page 7

ALLIED ARMIES WELDED TOGETHER.

GERMANY'S HEAVY LOSSES IN MEN RESERVES NO (GREATER THAN GENERAL ,■ FOCH'S By Telegraph-Press Association-Copyright. (Rcc. May 3, 11.40 .p.m.) London, May 3, • .Eeuter's. French Headquarters correspondent 6ays"Under the German blows the Allied armies havo become welded together as never before, and now there is no point of junction, at Nvliich the Germans can thrust. The process of welding is complete, but it will not stop there. The Franco-British divisions will bo moved about a solidly-knitted lront at the wish of our High Command as freely' as German divisions are moved. Against the enemy's territorial gains must be 6ct the fact that he had to engage 140 divisions in live weeks. A considerable number of • theso have been twice engaged, and some three times, adding these reappearances there is a total of 18G engagements of divisions, ..equivalent, to. a mass of three million and a halt men whom the enemy has already put into battle. As the German divisions are never withdrawn until ■ •.they .have sustained severe loss, on an average of 2500, it will be reasonable to reckon the enemy's losses since the beginning off the battle at not less than 300,000. The Germans began the offensive with a reserve of 650,000 ill depots in France v and at home. Behind these is only tho 1920 class,' consisting of jojiths, half of whom are under eighteen. The enemy's genuine fightihg-reserve if thus-half exhausted before he has covered anything like half the. distance to his goal. HiA reckless employment of divisions has left him with a \total of OS out of a total of 206 in France which nave not yet been engaged with the English. Of these, twelve are Landsturm divisions, which cannot be used for the purpose of an-offensive. The Germans thus can have little/hone that the .remaining'. 60' divisions, will accomplish what the first .110 failed to.achieve. Alreadv the German -General .Staff must be anxiously realising , that their reserves of fi'ium-' troops ; are. bo ■ greaterthan those under General Focli."—Reuter, THE IMPENDING BATTLE .ENEMY WILL ENDEAVOUR TO MAKE A SURPRISE BLOW. • (Rec. May 3, 11.40' p.m.) • London, May 3. .Commenting on the impending battle, Reuter believes that the Germans will lie unable to reassemble on the conditionn which rendered ihe manoeuvre at Riga possible, but they -will endeavour to repeut the surprise blow which answered so well jn March.. The .difficulties attending the manoeuvring of large masses of troops brought into battle are too great to permit of their disengagement. The main lines of attack along the Somme towards Amiens, and in Flanders upon Hazebrouck. are not likely to be changed, but experimental local assaults are possible with a view to opening up uew sectors of y attack nich as produced tli* unexpected success against the Portuguese recently."—Renter. PREPARATIONS MADE TO MEET GERMANS' FRESH EFFORT BRITISH'ADVANCE SOUTH OF THE ANCRE. •' • (Rec! Slay 3, 11.40 p.ni.) , . ' • . London, May 3. ,Heuter's British Headquarters correspondent, writiug on the evening of May 2, says: "The Germans this morning heavily bombarded the West Merris area, round Villers Bretonneux.' Possibly the purpose of the barrage was practice, and possibly with a view to the early resumption of the ilfensive. We havo profited by the lull to prepare to meet any fresh enemy effort. "We-conducted south of the'Ancre a (successful local enterprise, advancing on'a front of half a mile to a depth ofTOO feet. - The weatherhaving improved, our i irmen are doing deadly work over the enemy positions."—Reuter. - V- -. SIR'DOUGLASHAIG'S REPORTS , London, May 2, 12.45 p.m. air Douglas Haig reports :-"The enemy's artillery developed considerable iwj. tivity early this morning in the Villers Bretonneux sector and in the nei«libourhood of Merris..... There was some activity also at night in the Arras, Lens, arid \ onant sectors. There was noXnfantry action."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn,-Raster - (Rec. May 3, 11.15 p.m.) ■ . „ , • London,-May 2, 11.50 p.m. _ Sir Douglas Ilaig reports: "We repulsed a raid in the neighbourhood of Hebuterne. Apart from , that there has been only reciprocal artillery firing. Unfavourable weather since May 1 has permitted only short reconnaissances' and bombing from a ■ cry low height. None of our machines is missing. We dropped: ten bombs on the,railway station and sidings at fhionville, whore a fire was observed in the Carlshutte works, and several, bursts were also observed on the barracks and ihe railway station anu sidings."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reu-ter. ALLIES' ABILITY TO HOLD THE GERMANS PROVED. The "Daily Mail"-says tho fact that Amiens and Yprcs ara"s°ili untoken, after six weeksi of unprecedented efforts by the enemy, proves the abilitv of t<-« Allies to hold the Germans until, the advent of the American Armv — ius -\ Z Cable Assn. • - .... .l. GERMAN LOSSES IN PICARDY AND FLANDERS. The Washington correspondent of the "New York Tinios^ military officers aro of tho,opinionHliat the German losses in the Picardv J Flanders campaigns amount to 500.000 killed, injured, captured, or misshig-Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. . "nosing. . ALLIES' TRENCHES BEHIND THE BATTLELINE. It is slated that twenty-seven series of' trendies havo been^'roiiTriiJi'jll' tween the Flanders battlefront wild Paris.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn i . ON THE FRENCH FRONT ENEMY ATTACKS UNSUCCESSFULLY. (Rec. May 3, 5.30 p.m.) London, May 2. fI.SO p m > A French communique stales: "A German attack in the region of 'L'liunnes north'of tho Avre, failed under our fir«. Kneniy attempts north of Cliavignoi! and north-west of lioims .were also mmuccedsfnl. Wo made'raids notably in the direction of Le Monchel, west of Coue'y lo Chateau, north of Pont-a-Monwmi and at Yeclu."—Aus.-N.Z. Cablu Assu.-Reuter, , ' ■ '. . PROGRESS MADE AT HANGARD WOOD. (Uec. May 3, 11.15 p.m.) ... - . . . , London, May 3, 0.25 a.m. A-.French communique states: lno rc lla3 b een considerable reciprocal aotiv. ,ity north and south of tho Avre. Wo mj,j e appreciable progress at I-fangard ' Wood, and we captured Baune Wood, Wh. WM t of Mailly-Rnincval. There has' m!en artillery .fighting between Parroy l' or est and tho Vosges."~Aus.-N.Z. Cabli) Assn.-Reutet,

PRESENT OFFENSIVE NOT FAVOURED BY KAISER MILITARISTS PROMISED TO REACH CALAIS ON MAY DAY. • Paris, May 2 i R i influential Spanish statesman, who liaa returned from Uennauy, mates that tho Kaiser did not favour the Western offensive of Von Ilindenbui't', \on Ludendorft, and the Crown Prince. I'iic military party promised tha'- i: yrmild have a determining effect on the war by severing the Trench ami British forces, and reaching Calais on Mnv Dav. Tho people now realise that ilw plan is yot succecding.—Aus.-N.Z. Cabin Assn.