SURPRISE ATTACK BY THE BRITISH

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 287, 23 August 1918, Page 5

SURPRISE ATTACK BY THE BRITISH

NEW ZEALANDERSI ACTON ' CRISIS IN SIBERIA CZECHOSLOVAKS HEAVILY OUTNUMBERED Hard upon tho news of General Mangin's successful coup on the !4isno, reported yesterday, comes the news of a surprise attack by the British on a front of nine miles. Tho attack, which was entrusted to the British Third Army, nndev Sir Julian Byng, was a brilliant success, the enemy being taken by surprise. Many guns and hundreds of prisoners have been taken, as well as five villages. It is noted that the enemy's resistance is much feebler. As the result of the recent operations on the French front, ten thousand German prisoners have been taken since Monday on the front between the Oise and tho Aisne alone. ' "While liese stirring events are taking place in tho West, tho situation in Siberia gives canse for some anxiety. The Czecho-Slovaks, only eight thousand strong, aro fa.ced by 30,000 apparently well-organised and wellequipped Austro-Germans. Tho Japanese War Offieo publishes a message from the Czech lino urging the promptest rolicf. Tho Old Country is face to -faco with a grave coal shortage, and drastic economics aro coming. • NO REST FOR THE GERMANS NEW SURPRISE ATTACK BY THE BRITISH SIR JULIAN BYNG SCORES A BRILLIANT SUCCESS By Telegraph-Preeß Aesociation-CopyrijM. London, August 21. Sir Douglas Haig reports: "We attacked at 4,55 o'clock this morning on a .■wide front north of the Ancre. and are makin? satisfactory progress. Wo repulsed strong attacks on our new positions north of tho Scavpe. Wo advanced our lino during the night between Festubert and the lower river, and captured'Lo ffouret. English troops made a successful local operation on a mile of front on the Locre sector (in' the Kemmel hills)."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Eeutsr. THE HIGH COMMISSIONER'S REPORT. The High Commissioner reports:— London, August 22, 1 a.m. A British official report states:."On our whole front wo penetrated deeply into the ensmy's positions. The English troops and the New Zeulanders, accompanied by tanks, stormed the enemy's foremost defences, aided by mist, and eaptured five villages, We reached the neighbourhood of tho Albert-Arras railway after severe fighting at different points. Strong enemy connter-attacks were repelled." CORRESPONDENTS' DISPATCHES THROUGH A CAMOUFLAGE OF MIST (Eec. August 22, ■ 5.5 p.m.) London, August 21. . The United Press correspondent writes: "General'N Byng's offenlivo opened through a camouflage of \ mist, which lay thickly over tho ragged and worn battlefield, adhering to tho ground, whilo tho tanks, cavalry, and infantry advanced over and around old trenches and new wires. By 9 o'clock the suai burst through, and revealed that the Germans had cleared out from most points on this sido of the higli embankment of the ArrasAlbert railroad. The artillery crash preceding the advance agitated (o» along 6ix miles of the northernmost front. Fifty minutes later the big guns, which had teem concealed' in (readiness for several days, were loosed on the lower part of tho line, and tho other troops swnnz into action. Before tho end of fifty minutes parts of the old lino had been passed, and tho Germans were lightly holding the northern end, where they were identified as a section of tho Guards Beserve Division and the Fourth Bavarian Division. The latter was; recently bard hit, and'was incapable of resisting. The resistanco at M'oyenneville was weak. Two hundred prisoners were taken there, >Somo state that a British attack had been expected Tor a week past. Tho British casualties woro few. Ten minutes later Coarcolles was captured with equal ease. A German company's strength re. vealed the fact that it consisted of 50 men. Altogether tho conditions for the attack were ideal. The crews of the tanks were able to see as far as was necessary, while the tanks were hidden from tho Germans until too late. The Germans fought desperately before permitting Iho crossing of the Ancre and tho railway near Beaucourt. The combination of railway and river made this gain moro costly than iho town itself, where the casualties were said to liavo been only three though wo took 00 prisoners. Some of the hardest nuts to be cracked 'bv the afternoon were Logeast Wood, which has apparently yielded, and Miraumont,' which still holds out, the defences thereabouts forming a marked salient in the British line. 'Ihe immediate rear of the fighting line affords odd contrasts—soldiers harvesting the wheat fields, while the zone of women farmers ends a couple of kilometres further back. Meanwhile fresh troops, headed by cheerful bands, swin» past towards the front."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. GENERAL BYNG'S SURPRISE COUP m, , i , London, August 21. u i j , ' ,j} n Association s correspondent learns that General Byng attacked Irom Moyenncville and Beaueoturt-sur-Ancre without artillery prepara,f m, nenl ' V ? ras ColTl T>letely surprised. The number of prisoners is not yet available. The captnire of C'onrcelles and Aehiet-le-Petit means an advance of two pules or three at the maximum. A local operation of some importance also began in tho Lys salient, this going from the Loere Hospice south of Ivukedot. On a ■cri • '" ousnn d yards wo advanced about eighteen hundred yards captwe ' n ' lso l ler ®- The enemy in turn attacked tho new British positions south fc,t vicinitv of Fampouv He gave us a heavy bombardment. astfessfaatir * »»»«■* ** «—« TERRIFIC BOMBARDMENT AFTER THE ATTACK "THE THROBBING "OF A GIGANTIC MILL." (Eec. August 22, 11.30 p.m.) „ , London, August 22, , 5011 T rl p / : r T le lvils divided into two sections, tho northern (on _ lu,cpo yarns ot front) and the southern (on 5000 yards of front), the latter coming into action one hour after the former, probably becnuse it was nearer the railway. The British Command did not expect a'strategic surprise, but hoped for a tactical surprise. So it proved. Suddenly the still nWit air was Bhaken by an outburst from l.lio guns, and orange tongues of flame flickered in tho thick mist. Torrents of smoke, fire, and death continued for three hours like the incessant throbbing of a gigantic mill. The men advanced in waves under the barrage, not leaping out of tho trenches, nor rushing on wildly, but walking quickly across No Man's Land. Soon tho wounded men began to tricklo back. It is stated that the Innks led the first lino assault by about 100 .yards. "The Germans, exeent the mncliine-<"unners, did not slay long in their positions. Some of our infantry, it is stated, walked straight forward over a milo without seeing the enemy. Certainly the resistance was slight until the railway was reached. Here tho opposition becamc n very different matter, ami the wounded increased directly our lines npproached it. Wo learned durinir tho afternoon that the tanks and sonic of the infantry were across the railway, which means success for the whole movement. Jt is reported that there are about a thousand unwounded prisoners. Two hundred were taken in one clutch outside Courcelles. Everyone is oleased with tho results so far. If we hold the railway we may possibly see Bapanmo again before long. Tjelow'B Seventeenth .»Tiny, with probably fifty battalions, opposed today s British advance. Tho enemy's front line, thin bn,t deep, was arranged not ill continuous trenches, but in isolated outpnsts of machine-gun positions, one bcnind the other, at a considerable, distance. Tho railway between Al'hert and Arras, consisting largely of cnHincs and embankments, wero both enually serviceable in checking an attack. This railway formed the real line of defence. Accordingly along this railway the l>euviesl fighting was expecled. and so it furned out. Achiot-le-flrand. unon thr. railway, and Achiet-lp-Pct.it, just westward of it, and towards Miraumojnt, on the Ancre. were regarded as tho central points of tho first day s attack, aiuHikely to be the strongest points of resistance. It is always impossible to learn of the details of an engagement immediately, but our inevitable perplexity was increased during the morning by the dense moist smoke of the 'barrage and tho high ground outside Bucquoy. Wo could jot see more than fifty yards in any direction u.nlil 11 o'clock, when the mi«t Sissolved, leaving a, hot cloudl-'-s autumn day. The mist was at first to our adjpntage, but led to some confusion among tho infantry and tanks, llanpily, (ho Germans aro alreadv wilhout Ihoir guns, and only now and then shells 'came splashing over the lines. Unfortunately, one splashed into tho very thick of an advaucud dressing station.—Aus.-NtZ. Cable Assn.