THE WAR IN THE AIR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 217, 1 June 1918, Page 7

THE WAR IN THE AIR

FULL DAY'S WORK FOR" THE AIRMEN. . . „,. , ,' London, Jlay 30. Sir Douglas Half;. reports:— Yesterday was fine, and the aviators did a full day's wort, d'hoy dropped twenty-five tons of bombs during Hie day upon billets, dumps, railways, and aerodromes, destroying thirteen cneuiv aeroplanes and driving down tour more, iive British machines aro missing, burin" the night Ihe aviators bombed various targets. J,o!ig-(listancc bombers attacked Tliioni ille Station and tlio railway and barracks at Metz-riablons."—Aus.-N.Z. Cablo Assn.-fteuter. (Eec. May 31, 7.25 p.m.) < ~''... , , London, Mav 30. Sir Douglas Haig's aviation report states:-"Low clouds and poor visibility prevented much flying on May 29 uiuil late in the day, when the weather cleared. Wo brought down five German machines and drove one other out of control. No British machines were lost. Our aviators dropped five tons of bombs during the daytime on dumps and billets in the neighbourhoods of Armentieres and Bapaurue, and also heavily bombed on tho night of May 28 the raihv.iv triangle at Motz-Sablons. Ono British machine did not return. Our night/fliers dropped sixteen tons of bombs on the night of May 29 on the railway stations' a'■ Valenciennes and Busigny, and also the Bruges docks. All returned."—Aus.N.Z. Cable Assn.-Beuter. . , Paris. Slav 30. Official.—"Yesterday evening the enemy showed great activity in the air, nnd dropppd bombs in several places behind the front. Some machines attempted to reach Paris, but failed to pass the violent barrage. Some bombs wero drdpped in tho suburbs. An-enemy aeroplane wns hit, and'fell in flames.— Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-.Keuter. , RATE OF GERMAN ADVANCE APPRECIABLY SLACKENS ANOTHER BLOW POSSIBLE ELSEWHERE. (Bee. May 31, 8.35 p.m.) , , T , London, May 30. Beuter's correspondent at French ITr-adquarters, writing on May 29, states:— "The most encouraging feature of the situation to-night is that during the last twenty-four hours the enemy's rate of advance has very appreciably slackened, as he is encountering greater difficulties. Tho enemv, after taking Soissons, pushed out his wing between Soissons and Arcr St. Eeslitne to an 'average distance of two miles on his left. The British were forced back in an angle of the Vosle-Aisne-Oise Canal The enemy now surrounds Beims on three sides. Frontally, the Germans continue to push forward in the direction of Fere-en-'i'nrdenois. and are at grips with the French on the heights south of the river valley. Our reserves arc beginning to arrive on tho battlefield. The Germans at present have a. superiority of about five to one. It is calculated that they engaged about forty divisions and have another forty in reserve. Tt : s quite possible flint thov may strike another sudden blow in the direction of Amiens or Dunkirk. Tho problem for us is to so distribute our reserves as to be able to hold the enemy on both f'onts. Momentarily, Ihe enemy's whole strength is in the battl* between tho Aisne nnd the Marne. Soifsons was taken after fierce street fighting. The, Germans, after Teaching the centre of the town, were ejected by a French counter-attack They renewed the attack, and 'finally pushed the French back to the western edge, which was in flames The Germans succeeded during the first three, days of tho kittle in cutting a tetrahedron on our front, the four corners of which are approximately marked bv Crecy-au-Mnnt nnd Juviucourt. north nf Hip Vsne, and Arcy St. Besfi'im and Reims, south of the Aisnfv During May 27 they advanced 'about six miles to the bank of the Aisne {? Vesle). On Mav 28 they carried their front forward 1.0 the Bi'iiys-ViilPrs-FraiKjueux line, another advance of six miles, with a maximum depth nf from nine to ten _ miles. At Bruys to-dn- tliey gained from (wo to three miles, although at certain points, notably at Erouillet, they progressed a further distance."—Reuter.