NEW PHASE OF THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 214, 29 May 1918, Page 5

NEW PHASE OF THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE

BATTLES ON EXTENSIVE FRONTS ENEMY ACHIEVES SMALL GAINS AT HEAVY COST By Telegraph-Press Association-Copyright. :

~ . , London, Jlay 27. A German offensive has begun between Soissons and Reims. The Germans are apparently driving towards Paris. A new offensive has also begun between Locrc and Voormezeeie. The Germans are gaining ground at several points.

Inter reports stated that the Germans have advanced a mile on the Chcmin-des-Danies front (between Anizy, south-west of Laon, and Craonne). The Germans have made some progress in the direction of Schorpeuberg Hill The Allies are fighting brilliantly, but it is too early yet to know the result. General bixte von Arnims infantry advanced at dawn under the cover of a ground haze, following a furious artillery bombardment. The object of the Scherpenberg attack (the Flanders offensive) is Io neutralise the Frcnct succcss at I.ocre. state that both attacks were preceded by hurricono bombardments. The southern offensive is extensive. The northern attack wis launched at 1.30 a.m., and is apparently localised.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

THE OFFICIAL REPORTS SIB DOUGLAS HAIG'S DISPATCHES. London, Mhv V Sir Douglas Haig reports:-"Strong hostile attacks, preceded by a bombardment of great intensity, developed on the morning of the 27th ou wide fronts against the English and French, between Reims and Soissons, and against the French between Locro and Voormezcele. There was considerable hostile artillery action on Sunday night on the British front."—Aus.-N.Z. Cablo Assn.-Eeuter. (Rec. -May 28, 10 p.m.) London, Day ''7 Sir Douglas Haig, reporting at 3.30 a.m. on May 27, stales:-"'J'he British division which is holding the sector of the French front astrido the Aisno at Berry-au-Bac, between Bermericourt and Crayonnelle, was heavily attacked At the same time hostile attacks in great strength were, made against French divisions on our right, and also against the French divisions on our left alon" the high ground traversed by the Cliemin-des-Dames. In the British sector tho enemy's attack was supported by tanks, and accompanied bv an intense bombardment of gas-shells. Our troops on the right maintained'their battle positions and are in close touch with the French. On our left the enemy succeeded after heavy fighting, in pressing us back to our second line of prepared positions Severe fighting continues all along tho front. Strong enemy attacks were delivered this morning on tho Locre-Voonnezeele front, and were repulsed by tho French after fierce fighting, in which tho enemy sustained great losses. The enemv penetrated a short diskneo into tho French positions in tho neighbourhood of Dickcbusch Lake. Fighting continues. Other localities into which the enemv penetrated in his first attack have be»n regained by French counter-attacks and a number of Germans taken prisoner."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assu.-Eeutor. ' (Rec. May 29, 0.45 a.m.) _ . London, May 28. Sir Douglas Haig, in his aviation report, states: "Owing to clouds of mist on May 21! little (lyiug was possible until the evening. Our aeroplanes dropped four tons of bombs in tho neighbourhoods of Annentieres and Fricourt. Wn brought down six of the enemy's aeroplanes. Not one British machine is miss, ing. Our aeroplanes dropped twenty hoavy bombs on tho Bensdorf railway station on May 27, Bursts were seen on,the railway sadings. Hostile scouts heav. ily attacked the bombers over their objective, and one of our machines was seen to go down under control. All tho o there havo returned.—Aus.-NX Cable Assn.-Eeuter. ON THE FRENCH FRONT. London, May 27. A French official communique states:—"Thoro is active artillery action north and south of tho Avro, but no infantry attacks."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Eeuter. (Rec. May 28, 10 p.m.) London, May 27, 3.45 p.m. A French communif|ue states:—"During the latter half of last night dm Germans very violently bombarded tho entire region • between tho Forest of I'cnon and Reims. The enemy this morning attacked on a very wido front The Franco-British troops are resisting with their customary gallantry. The battle is still in progress. There was lively artillery firing at night-time' in the Champagne region, the right bank of tho Mouse, the Forest of Apremont, and in the U'ocvre. Local enemy attacks in tho forest of Apremont and in the region of Kimey, north-east of Badonvillers, were repelled." (Rec. May 28, 11.10 p.m.)

A later report slates:—"The l'Vanco-British troops, in echelon, are retirin" mothodically, and in perfect liason, making tho enemy pay very dearly for his first inevitable success, and assuring by their resistance inch by inch the efficacious use of reserves. Artillery activity continues to bo very lively on butli banks of tiie Meuse, in tho region, oi St- Mihiel, and on tho Lorraine front"— Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Kcuter, . The New Zealand High Commissioner's report states that the Germans attacked at the Chemin-des-Dames on a twenty-fivo mile front. ATTACKS ON THE BELGIAN FRONT. London, May 27. A Belgian official communique states:—"During the night, after a violent bombardment, German shock-troops attacked tho Belgian advanced positions between I'asschcndaeio Caiial and St. Georges. They momentarily iieneirated ouv trenches, but were ejected. An attempted hostile attack in the region of Boesingho failed under our barrage."—A Cable Assn.-Reuter. THE GERMAN REPORT ENEMY CLAIMS WHOLE OF CHEMIN-DES-DAMES RIDGE. (Rec. May 29, O.to a.m.) London, May 28, A wireless German official report this evening claims the capture of the .whole of the Chemin-des-Dames Eidge.-Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-llouter,

DISPATCHES BY THE CORRESPONDENTS HEAVY GAS-SHELLING AND MASSED INFANTRY ATTACKS. . (Roe. May 2S, 0.15 p.m.) nrrmmM at British Headquarters, writing on° tKroing'ot Mnv 27, states: 1 lie German bombardments this morning were scarcely less vio. en than those which preceded the attack on March 21. (las shells were prodi. iraly employe, .the north-easterly wind diffusing Urn vapour widelv along the Jiv rcmt V 'T Wils between (he Ypres Canal and the Forest ot Dieppe, win o tho area west ot Lens !U id (he Kearpe Vallev weer also heavilv bombarded. Iho enemy is heavily shelling the far-back areas with high-vdocitv guns, flis airmen are being unusually venturesome. The British on the rreihh i«ntk liavo been I iu* (.lorrnans camo on in familiar formations, waves keeping close to their iftmg bairege. Against the first heavy thdck (ho trench stood stoutly on the hi!.and centre, but worn pressed back slighllv in the Mcimty of a iarin on the right. During the morning the Germans, with char■icterialic recklessness of the er.it, continued to push on fresh troops, and the trench were obliged to yield m-we i/round, but, subsequently counter-attacking, they restored the lino at most id-ees. M he Germans at present na.;-e .1 footing on (he I'rench front line s-'it iot l.'itkobusch for a distance of eight hundred yarns, and also somo hold at another point of the front-line system in this re. » ii° sl ' u j*' lon > however, appears to be well in hand. Reports from tho battlefield breathe confidence. Our guns and the French artillery are ban-aging the German positions intensely, and the enemy's casualties must f }e VC rv heavy " —Kcuter. ' •" A Local Blow at Scherpenberg. The United Press correspondent .states: "Von Arnim this morning struck a powerful local blow towards Scherpenberg, which seems to be a determined tui'ther attempt to regain lost ground, '['he battle began with a heaw bombardment from the canal bank near Ypres. The German infantry advanced at dawn Meantime tho German artillery was furiously pounding several sectors more to tho southward between Arras and Albert, but all was quiet there at seven o clock this morning, and also quiet in the Sommo area, except for some gas shellin" about Corbie and loiiillv."—Aus.-N.7i. Cablo Assn. ° The Attack on the Alsnc. The United Press correspondent of the attack on the Aisne says: "The long. tj C ; Y°i (l Germnn offensive seems to be at hand. They attacked this morning tho British along tho Aisne westward of Reims, and the French on both tho British flanks siinutaneously, with thrusts against the Allies in tlie region of Montdidier and amongst tho hills south-west of Ypres. The Germans made slHit »ro Kress a.t some places, and were held up at others. Apparently the Montdidier attack was stopped easily but the Crown Prince's thrust between Noyon and Reims S n fevlfr ' ~T ho Bru,sh .ne reported to be holding the lino of Cormicy-Bouffingneureux-Uurcevreux on the Aisne, a little south of "the old advanced i- r " dl are l? I .' ln ß the lino a!o "S Aisno in a north?n l n I'' 0 10 ";7- U ® ? Franco-British 011 t!le right "f Cormicy are reported to lmo taken up their appointed battle positions. Tho French have re-established im> £L°h„ r rn° Il t, ,vhere th « Germans penetrated early this mornSi,, £ continues The Germans south of Dickebusche apparently still hold ■™t , S„ Cd ,^A ot^ reM , h ,renc J le .V»«l "'so part of a front system in the fnl-pri n,r ,1 i • Freno ' l fighting vigorously. The French have already ,cHr, 01, , c n, !lull<lre(1 Prisoners. Fine weather prevails, and our aeroplanes are verv ivrnvnn rm cnel ! l r 13 heayuy massed mound Peronne, Roye, Ham, Nesle, anil ImJ L ill; ll I'®1'® 13 1 t ' VLI ?; int u™ l ' l ? ll that Hle onen, y 18 rea(, y '0 throw everything N Z Cablo Assn 6 5 llltlmale ' ph!l6e of his offensive in tho West."-Aus.. Great Events at Hand, is ± V T L 1e 6p ™ an attllc,c in the"neighbourhood of Locre is not a battle on a big scale, but great events must bo near. The increased Gerff-'' 1 ? 011 S£ ?; eral ? ectors ' from Flante t0 tho Somme, was 1111 V monl, " s ? s H V' OU ° Tll Preparatory to infantry attacks in • force. \ an in,, signals w eie sent up by our troops in somo sectors, but infantry attacks ha\e not followed thus tar. A German "assault" commenced at dawn upon the French line.? beyond the Hospice ot Locre, with the obiect of regaining the ground which the I'rench won on May 20, but it would be unwise to exaggerate the importance of the fighting-, which perhaps is designed (o divert attention from tho main blow, Tho weather remains good. There is universal activity in the aijg. Our fighting planes are going eastward in floeks."-Aus.-N.Z. Cable '\ssn

COMMENTS ON THE SITUATION "TEE LIMIT OF ADVANCE." „ , London, Afay 'V General Maurice, writing in the "Daily Chronicle," savs that one of the lessons of numerous attacks upon entrcnchr-d positions is that if the defender* are* resolute and reserves adequate, the limit of the advance beers a definite relation to the length of thu attacking front. The British victory at Arras, on a tenPule front, advanced live miles. The British at Wytsehiiete, on a seveiwnilu front, advanced three milts Thb Germans in 1918, oil a scventv-mile front advanced about thirty-live miles. General Pocli has been nursing his reserves careneed not fG<ir the wcrsl, though it would bo coutiury to cxporipucc if the enemy does not mako some gain. The Germans in their latest attacks adhered to the employment; of massed infantry, and paid a lieavv price, but it was in the main justified. The only new features of the March offensive were tho short bombardment and the use of fog. Tho former, by sparing tho ground beloro the British front lines, enabled the German infantry and reinforcements to push ■ ahead with huge loads of food and munitions, thus obviating other forms ot transport. The British iinve sometin.es successfully employed artificial fo» but nollim* can equal Nature's fog, under cover of which the Germans broke pur- line, when our macninc-guns and artillery wcro blanketed. But they arc unlikely to have this advantage in the coming months.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. . THE MYSTERY GUN AGAIN IN ACTION PARIS UNDER BOMBARDMENT. , Pans, May 27. The long-range gun has resumed its activity, and shells have been dropping regularly every quarter of an hour since this morning—Aus.-N.Z. Cable issn."