EXPECTED ATTACK FAILS TO DEVELOP

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 195, 7 May 1918, Page 5

EXPECTED ATTACK FAILS TO DEVELOP

GERMAN FRONT.LINE A "LIVING BOG" LOCAL SUCCESSES SCORED BY THE ALLIES •By Tclegraph-Prcos Association-Copyright. (j- t, , , rr ■ , . London, May 5, 12.30 p.m. nf 1 f ports V Wo improved our lino in Ilia neighbourhood of i-ailly-lft-Sec and to tho east of Hebutorne. Wo repulsed ail attack on our 8 P oßl ' loo3 to the north-east ot Hinges. Our lino remains intact. Wo made tiL la T °i' H'i° f t P IJ e l' ore v , soctHr ' Tllel ' fl is reciprocal Artillery activity on. the Lys bcittlcfront, — Aus.-2s.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. (Rcc. May 6, 11.40 p.m.) Sir Douglas Haig reports-.-'Tho French took a number of L p"fsoneß firing loc&l njgrlit lighting in the neighbourhood of I/ocre. To-day, artillery fichliiiEr and local encounters at different points have been the maiii feature of the operations. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. (Kec. May 7, 1.30 a.m.) on-n i tt • - ■i- , , , , tondon, May 6. Sir Douglas Haig s aviation report states:-*Tlio inist yesterday cloaved slightly during the afternoon. Our aviators droppen nine tons of bombs on the UiaumeS| railway and Estaires. Thero was little air fighting. Wo brought uown one machine, and aiove down four beyond control. Two of ours are missing. two of ours previously reported missing have returned. Despito continuance of unfavourable weather at night-time, our night fliers dropped over three tons of bombs on Chaulnes and Bapaumc.—Aus.-N.Z. Ciibio Assn.-licuter. SUCCESSFUL ADVANCE BY FRANCO-BRITISH TROOPS (Rec. May 6, 11.40 p.m.) Router's correspondent at British Headquarters, writing States'— Some disorganisation is indicated among tho enemy's troops, who have been hindered by the heavy rams. The Franco-British troops, in tho course of a suecesetul operation between Locre and Dmnoutre advanced their positions on one thousand yards of front to an avorage depth of five hundred yards We drove tho enemy from two ruined farms, and took some high ground near Koudekot tho French, continuing their operation on our flank, carried somo strongly-held buddings in the neighbouring sectors All the enemy's countor-clforts were broken up with considerable loss. Iheso local successes are of distinct tacticil value, strengthening our defences of tho approach to Scherpcnberg and Mont Rouge. There is little doubt that the German tanks aro nroviue a dk™ pointment, and are developing various defects in actual service. Their ponderous weight makes manoeuvring in bad ground difficult. Tho German tanks conorally are much inferior to ours. —Router. i ENEMY'S FRONT LINE A BOG (Kcc. May 7, 0.25 »,m.) Mr. Percival Phillips writes: "Our harassing firo upon tho German trenches Md communications during the past three days has had its desired effect e M m - TS , ln . fant P' ind guns assembled, the British guns punished 'v?? J Movements of tho enemy s troops have been impossible. An annihilating bombardment of tho Gormans in tho forward area con tinns day and night, pounding, iho reliefs cominij up to take °,r e r. th 6 . broken trenches from tho remnants of the exhausted divisions. Tho reliefs thus arrivo at their destination greatly weakened and demoralised. Prisoners admit that tho reliefs often lost their way, and drifted hopelessly over n wido area, unable to locate their units. Every day's deay adds to' the enemy s loss and difficulties. Wo have not any illusions about the German plans. In spite ot their enormous casualties Ihey must try and takei tho chain ot link behind Kemme . lam convinced that these plans ?' 01 iL d j-m u- eady c mater ' alls ? (l hnt the British gunners, Rain has added to the difficulties of an offensive, working havoc in the roads and fields. In water-logged I'landers it takes a long period of steady sunshine to stiffen the crust, enough to bear the infantry and guns. The Fourth Germany Army is now inhabiting broad Mtchos. of impassablo ground, where streams have overllowed the shallow banks, rvnd which have now become lagoons The Ger mans present front lino around Ypres and Scherpcnberg is a livin- bo» and" tho British forays keep tho enemy m a state of tonsion."—Aua.-N.Z. fiablo°Assii. ON THE FRENCH FRONT (Kcc. May 7, 0.25 a.m.) A French official communique states:-"There is intermittentroijml artillery firing north cud south of the Avro. Eleven German eoroplanoi were brought down on Friday and Saturday, and twenty-three others were forced to desccnd behind their own lines. Our machines dropptd 28,000 kilogrammes (28 W° { p j, o]cc , l ' lcs on-the enemy 8 railway stations, depots, and "cantonments afc-Hom, Chaulnes, Jussy, Peroime, and St. Quontin."—Aus.-N.JS. Cab-o Assn - Router. BIG RAID BY THE AMERICANS , , , New York, May 5. iho American Army in l'ranco raided tho German lines in the South Hallo-ville-Lorrame sector on a GOO-yard front. Tho American troops penetrated tho llno ' Amencan artillery levelled tho German positions.-Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. GERMAN OFFICIAL REPORT (Kec. Jtay 7, 0.20 a.m.) A wireless German official report states: "After tho strongeTartilbry' preparation, the Irench divisions attacked our lines at Ifommel, near Bailleul, but M«ro heavily Tepulsed. We took over'three hundred prisoners. Our fire prevented tho development of an English attack west of Bailleul. Stron" EiHish thrusts south of Hebuterne failed. Reciprocal artillery firing was revived "this evening oil botli sides of tho Sominc, especially at Villers Bretonneux and on the west bank of the Ayre.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.—Reuter. i ONE OF THE BIG GERMAN GUNS REPORTED OUT OF ACTION. It is reported that a French shell has knocked out ono oMho' W-raLe guns.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Aesn. ° D . Deputy Lebourcq, Controller of the Army Commission, eonfirn^n'ie^pnrt 'of the destruction of a long-rango gun Ho was present when a French baltery, afler repeated shots, scored tho bull s-eye. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. A NEW GERMAN GAS. (Rec. May 7, 1.30 a.m.) American reports that tho Germans aro Jnew Sefied gas, contained in bottles. When tho latter burst, thick white fumes arise Milling nausea, sneezing, and coughing, but tho cffecta innirwllw !! *11 Aus.-N.Z. Cablo Assn. c cc,s a PP ar <«"ly aro not fatal.- *

HARRYING RAIDS BY THE AIRMEN. Allied aviators sunk Iwonty-t hrco Belgian boats, in a Jn^o^lav" o '!'idpt, ) with Bjnvcl and crushed stpne for Hie German front. They are daily de.sliwin.- others I hey also destroyed two piers of I lie Luxemburg bridge at Xannir.—Renter. BRITISH AND GERMAN CASUALTIES COMPARED THE ENEMY'S REGENT COSTLY REVERSE. i tg 2usttsrj&M ' Thov ur4> the wriMs Z^!l° USl f onga? r' Sin^"' e o]lonin S of thu offensive. Hm'lmno J serious necessity of providing suflicient reserves to slreiietlien 1 "'wyotbe British. Numerous epic doings of Sir Dou-laslS cnsinlHM }ri IV4 i?r ln ° '-l'? 1 divi ' slons which sustained £0 per cent of halted by slklitlv otp, l S ,'if ° •? • 16S,0 , n „ 6l< 'l te ( 3 th:lt tm »«'»» Germans-Were thorities thn \ llin.l ro-n 1 milh P n Al , lled troopg. According to French nur w'ii 1 re ? ervcs i9»' outnumber those of the enemy-Renter ! t — c """ 1 THE FIFTH ARMY'S ORDEAL AT ST. QUENTIN GENERAL GOUCJH'S TRIBUTE TO THE ULSTER DIVISION. (Rcc. Slay 7, 1.20 a.m.) orhr^ 6 Mayor of Belfast has received n. letter from erlj commanding the British Fiitli Army until recalled after the break at St Quenßn), paying a tribute to the most gallant conduct of he uLr Divi«taV in stemming tie immense German attack of March 21. "Themain feature of tho situation to which the whole of the Fifth Army was exposed is shown bv Hi* mtuts ngtunst them-fourtoen infantry divisions fighting 'fortv German divisions Ld'l reinforced by from eight to ten more divisions on 23 FriZ'i lhol ' 1 I» l . A ™T , s splendid ten«ity saved the British Empire and Franco by permitting the arrival of the reserves."-Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. | AMERICAN HOSPITAL BOMBED AND DESTROYED (Hoc. May G, 3 p.m.) an '^^^cSelne. 16,532 AMERICAN PHYSICIANS ON SERVICE. Assn ' ICrO ar ° imcrican P'O'sicians now on active service.-Aus.-N.Z^Cablo THE ALLIED WAR COUNCIL ' MR. LLOYD GEORGE'S IMPRESSIONS. Mr. Lloyd George, interviewed by Renter's representative, was as'kct/for "his K eS TT°" S °y» s . Tlsl 4 to tho armies in France, 110 said: "1 saw Generals Lr,! n S ' I n'lt Pershin s> By 1 1?, a"' l Hawlinson, and other officers of the higher command. They were all very confident. I also saw a yery 4go number of regimental officers end soldiers who havo actually been in the iightiii" line for the .ast six weeks, doing very strenuous work. Their confidence is .also fimaziug. 1 mot no pacifists and no p&sGimiats among tbem." 'lVy' could not in the least understand the wrangles in certain quarters in England which seemed to proceed on _tho assumption that they had been defeated, and that the only question of importance was who was to blame. Apart from the misImp in the first few days, which they all ■ recognised, they were confident they wore winning, and wcro inflicting great tosses on the enemy. "'When the wicmy got 'round/ " the generals say, " 'we make them pay an enormous price lii theso_ offensives you can always, buy land if you, are prepared to pay tho pur- r chase price; but tho cost for the Germans is great and incro;isin>\'" The generals wcro certain thfit tho Germans will souti bo very sorry they have committed themselves to thoso attacks, even if they aro not already so That was the general feeling tho Tremier had found among the men of all ranks in tho British and French Armies. Asked "What about the' American Army?" tho Premier said a good' number wero already there, and many more will pour in during May. Tne French who saw their fighting in tho battle lower down the line, said 'they were first' class fighting material, full of courage and resource, and very keen. The Germans had rendered at least two great services to the Allied cause. They had accelorated the advent of American troops, and they had made the unity of command at last a reality. Tho French and British were fighting in close comradeship, each with full appreciation of the qualities of the other. "Tho messago I bring from the-British Army to tho people at home is: 'Be of good cheer; ivc are all right."'—Renter.