MAIN GERMAN BLOW YET UNDISCLOSED

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 215, 30 May 1918, Page 5

MAIN GERMAN BLOW YET UNDISCLOSED

VIOLENT STRUGGLE IN CHAMPAGNE GERMANS ACROSS THE VESLE By Telegiaph-Prees Association-Copyright. crosKS bXe^SSnKn^y 011 S *» mile^S RESERVES ARRIVING. Semi-official; "The enemy gained an initial advantage in tho K'fcaK north of the, Aurao.. The battle continues, desperately. While tho Allied troom aro contesting the ground foot by foot our reaves are arriving, am wi prevent tho enemy exploiting his first success, and will hold him on tho final lino of reTHE OFFICIAL REPORTS THE HIGH COMMISSIONER'S REPORT. ■ The High Commissioner reports:— Sir Douglas Haig report* :-'Trench nnd British this nTo'rning cLfto-att'ack-ed and reestablished the lino eastward of Dickebusch Lake. Yesterday four mints" im Ost heavil iV ancl the Allied lino wag maintained at all Tho French, official report states that counter-attacks on the left arrested the German advance. In the centre a battle is developing with sustained violence on tiio veslo line winch the Germans crossed at several points, notably in the region of Bazoches and Fismes. ■ West of Montdidier the Americans, supported by tanks, carried the enemy's line on a front of two kilometres (over a mile). ■■ BRITISH LEFT ON THE AISNE GIVES GROUND. c,. „ , TV . , London, May 28, 1.35 p.m. bir Douglas Haig reports: "Late on Monday tho enemy crossed tho Aiene west of the British sector, and compelled our left to fall back. The enemy is developing attacks of great strength on the wholo of the Aisne battlefront. The enemy maintained a continuous pressure all day on Monday against tho British front on the Aisne, and eevoro fighting continues on the whole front of the British sector. On tho right the Twenty-first Division, in touch with the French, held its battle positions all day and successfully withstood tho enemy's attempts to advancq mi tho centre and left of the sector. The Eighth, Fiftieth, and Twentyfifth Divisions, by determined resistance, maintained tho second-line positions until a late hour Iho weight of luuattacks carried the enemy across the Aisno west of the British sector, towards the end of tho day, compelling our left to fall back. ' "Local fighting has recommenced on the Lys front, oast of Dickebusch Lake. Successful raids elsewhere yielded prisoners."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reutcr. ■

FRENCH OFFICIAL REPORT. (Bee. May 29, 5.30 p.m.) .r. i' m■ i ■ ,■, ' London, May 26, 4.40 p.m. A Ironch official communique states: "Thanks to tho arrival of fresh enemy •forces, the Germans on the night of May 27 succeeded in crossing the Aisno between Vailly and Berry-au-Bac. Tho Franco-British troops are facing an enemy who is numerically superior, and havo continued gradually to withdraw The battle continues to rage violently between the Bivers Veslo and Aisno in tho region of tho plateaux, in the rear of which our leserves are arriving. Them is fairly livoly reciprocal artillery firing in the Champagne region, on the right bank of tho Meuse, and in the Woevre. A strong coup-de-main against our positions on tho Chambrottes sector broke down under our fire."—Aue.-N.Z. Cable Assn.Reuter. GREAT OFFENSIVE DEVELOPS IN CHAMPAGNE GERMAN ADVANCE ON 25-MILE FRONT. (Rcc. May 29, 11.5 p.m.) ,n, r< it 1 ; /•.. , London, May 28, 8.15 p.m. 'Iho German attack in Champagne has devoioped into a great offensive The enemy crossed the Aisne on a front of 18 miles, and his advance averages five miles on ii front of 25 miles. New troops are constantly arriving. Tho British are guarding Heims.—United States. ATTACKS ON THIS AMERICAN FRONT. Washington, May '11. A communique from the Amorican front in/Pieardy states: "German infantry detachments succeeded in penetrating our advanced "positions at two points. Tlio American troops counter-attacked, expelling them, and entered tho German lines." —Aus.-N.Z. Cables Assn.-Eeuter. DISPATCHES FROM THE CORRESPONDENTS THE SITUATION IN FLANDERS AND NORTHERN FRANCE. London, May 28. Reuters correspondent at British Headquarters writes: "When the 'battle died down on Monday evening the situation on the right nnd centra of the front remained practically as before. To tho northwards, between La Clytte and Diekubuseh Lake, where- tho left of tho French rested on the British Hank, the Germans were still in possession of a small length of our front-line trenches. Tho night was fairly quiet. Nowhere north of the Somme has tho enemy renewed his heavy bombardments, 'lhe French and British were again actively engaged at daylight this morning east of Dickebusch. Tho issiw of yesterday's battle in Flanders may be regarded with complete satisfaction. The Germans practically attained nothing, and their casualties were most severe."—Renter. The United Tress correspondent writes: "While the French and British are battling heavily on the heights above the Aisne Valley, there is comparative quiet, on the northern part of the line, except south-west of Ypres, where French and British counter-attacks to-day already practically regained all the ground won by tho onemy'e initial onset yesterday, thereby thirarting Von Arnini's aims."— Aus.-N.Z. Cablo Assn.

Activity BetwODn Yprcs and the Sommc, Mr. I'OTcival Phillips «ays: "Simultaneously witft t.ho heavy assault on (ho n-aiwo-Jtritisli line west nf Kcims this morning llus ciioiny stirred himself be|twwn lpi-es and the Summe. This is suggestive of the immiuDiicp of grenlnr wenfcs. lieloro daybreak the oiiciny loosed portion of h'is newly-masked artillery piinsl the British on both sides of Arras, and tho old battlefield defences irpm thence to tho Ancro and Snniruc Valleys, but no infantry autijii followed. Ihe (.ierman attack against tho French between Locro ;u«] tho Tscr Hats appears to be n. local operation, though, had the French given way tho ciieiuv was no doubt ready to exploit the silualion."-Aus.-N.Z. Cnblo Assn. COMMENTS ON THE SITUATION GERMAN GAINS IN CHAMPAGNE "VERY SERIOUS." The "lernmn gains in the Champagne have proved very wrious, ami'llie connun tion of the offensive is expected. Thoiijfh French correspondents « ui'it the derm (ins have mado hugo sacrifices in order to secure the rain? thev do no minimise tlw importance of the enemy's success. Commentate-* claim "thiit the Crown. Prince r.iitempted to break thronffli, the first day's results falling far short of his programme; hut they agree that. th.> evacuation of the tea-rilory gained[ "Iγ m, ~ T ,,' i| > - "' 1"1" is a disappointment and a surprise. Jho 'Standard" states that the Germans have made further ort?ro-s nuainst Assn ' eA '° havn bcen considerable loses in prisoncre.--A'iis.-N.Z. CaWo ENEMY'S MAIN RESERVES STILL MASKED. General Jram-Ictv wrilins in tho "Daily Chronicle," expr ( w"s lf>, ti lo M "opin S i o n that the. Crown Price's attack has rather the appearance of all" Koiv than a grea., , ; effort intended to produce great resul s r „ distance behind the thirty-mile front attoclfed, Tho' British an ]••/Sch 1Z noining vital and have room l<, Blve way without, serious consequence. The famous heigflta of O.tonne ami the Chemin dw Dnmos had ('real local vi uV b'-CHUSo the- rpniraaivd tho entire Ailctte Valley, n ,,d the 10/s ,i Ib - yement; but tiie GevD.wns would ndvanco into Ihe hi K iilv win -V m In ho strong hue of the Aisne The German, prob.bly ro.koi ed i' a „Fo would try hard to kenp ho Chemin des Barnes, and also Sclierpei-1 er an THEIR SUPREME EFFORT. }L Marcel Hnlin writo: "Certainly tho blow has been a hard'one'. recoil is important; but it is better to retreat to secure the defend of the Vfcne than to defend tho Chemuv. des Dames .at. heavy cost." M Kutin thinl-; I o Germans are now raakin ? their supreme effort. General Fooh's grenlest care mu4 be to safeguard tho armies by the judicious use of the reserves. The Ulied hie was thinly held, and a retreat early in tho day became inevitable > , Commentators point out t.bat the Germans will inevitably secure earlv reMilt? in the ofiensive, but General .Foch has never failed to stabilise the situation.-Aus.-jN./o. Oublc Assn. FRENCH'PREMIER'S VIEW OF THE ATTACK. M._ Clemenceaii, conversing with deputies, inineated that this battieVonly a diversion. Tho main attack is still to come.-Renter. THE KAISER'S BOAST The "Lokal Anzeiger" pnblisli.es the followinß statement by the Kaiser- "Wβ are to-day surer than ever that wo shall strike tho enemy down to the litmct depths. — The Times. VON MACKENSEN AT ANTWERP. in «m l t> >, i L- ' , Amstordam, May 28. i i ■ ni I e ¥ aafs fr° nher correspondent says that General von Maqkensen and Ins htait liavo arrived in the neigh ourhood of Antwerp.—Eeuter

15,000 PRISONERS CLAMED BY THE GERMANS. .„,.-,., 'New York, May 2S. A Berlin message claims tke captwre of 15,000 prisoners.—Eeuter. "LONG FRITZ" AGAIN. ' m, , ~,,■, Paris, Mav 28. The lonu-raiige gun killed threo nod wounded fourteen. Little damage was done.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. ; GERMAN GENERALISSIMO ILL (Hoc. May 29, 5.30 p.m.) ~ . ' London. Hay 2S. In connection with the recent mmoure of Von Hindenburg's death, the German papers aro now allowed to announce that Voii Hindenburg , has'been ill for several weeks, and that Vou Mackensen has been co-operating with Von Ludendorff at German Headquarters in Belgium.—Renter. ' . . APPEAL TO BRITISH SUBJECTS IN NORTH AMERICA New York, May 28. British and Canadian recruiting missions in Washington havo appealed to subjects of the Realm to join the colours, urging that this is the supreme crisis of the war.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.