FRENCH CAPTURE LASSIGNY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 288, 24 August 1918, Page 7

FRENCH CAPTURE LASSIGNY

■ ) —— TWENTY VILLAGES FREED FROM THE KUN HAIG FORCING THE PRESSURE By Telegraph-Press ABtoclation-Copyrißht. Paris, August 22. . General Mangin's thrust continues to yield magnificent results. Some'thou- ' sands more prisoners and considerable material have been captured. The pres;6ure on'the left forced the Germans out of Carlepont Wood; and compelled a retirement towards Seinpigny along the Oiso Valley, and thus created a now and small but dangerous pocket, which outflanks Noyon from across the river. The retirement from the narrow salient along the north bank of the Oiso will be a difficult operation. Meanwhile trsneral Humbert has seized Lassigny, further tightening the hold on Noyon from the west.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. NEW " MINOR ENTERPRISE " BY THE BRITISH REPORTED CAPTURE OF iLBERT. London, Ausust 23. The United Press Agency correspondent states that the British, in a new minor enterprise, launched an attack on the high ground between Albert and Bray. It is progressing well. The first batch of a hundred and fifty prisoners hns come in. It is unofficially reported that the town of Albert has been recaptured. Tho British captured a thousand prisoners round Albert.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.- ' NEW ZEALANDERS SCORE A " RAPID SUCCESS " (Rcc. August 23, 11.10 p.m.) London, August 23. Mr. Porcival Phillips stales that tho New Zealandcrs scored a rapid success on Wednesday, when they took two hundred prisoners. The number of prisoners taken was much'greater than the total of their own casualties—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. BITTER FIGHTING AT ACHIET-LE-GRAND ENEMY'S OPPOSITION MATERIALLY STRENGTHENED. (Kec. August 24, 0.10 a.m.) London, August 23. , Keuler's correspondent at British Headquarters, writing on August 22, says: —"Bitter fighting has been in progress since yesterday morning in blazing hot weather. ; The battle has spread over wide areas. The enemy is holding Thiepval Ridge very strongly, and is strongly entrenched between Hainlincourt and St. Leger. A steady stream of reinforcements is coming up from Bapaume and Poronne. There -was most bitter fighting yesterday around Achiet-lc-Grand, where we crossed the railway in spite of skilfully camouflaged . machine-gun nests. Against the weight of numbers thrown in by von Below we were unable to-maintain nil our gains everywhere, but it must not be inferred that the battle is not progressing satisfactorily. Ihe developments between tho Somme and the Ancre are progressing favourably, which may tactically affect the situation to our advantage. A considerable force crossed tho Ancre and attacked on a not very wide front. We are making progress betwen Bray and-Albert."—Renter. FRENCH CROSS THE AILETTE WEDGE DRIVEN BETWEEN VON BOEHM AND THE CROWN PRINCE. New York, August 22. The .French have crossed, the Ailctte. The capture of the lino of the Ailette means that General Foch has successfully driven a wedge between the armies of General von Boehni ami the Crown Prince—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn, OFFICIAL REPORTS "LASSIGNY HAS FALLEN."' London, August 22. A French official communique states:—"Between tho Mat a and tho Oise the enemy, despite his resistance, bent under our vigorous pressure. Lassigny has fallen. .Further south we gained a footing in le Plemont, captured Orval Wood, and reached the outskirts of Chiry Ourscamps. We continued our successes cast of the Oise, and captured Carlepont Wood. We are on the Oiso cast of Noyon, between Sempigny and Pointoise. Farther east wo passed tho Noyon-Courcy lo Chateau Road, and captured Canieliii, le Fresno, and Bleraneourt," and reached (he outskirts of St. Aubin. Since yesterday we have liberated a score of villages. We advanced five miles at certain points._ Forty-one tons of projectiles were dropped in the daytime on troop concentrations and convoys and on the passages of the Ailctte, in addition to the expenditure of tens -of thousands of cartridges. We continued the attack with bomb and machine-gun on tho Aiietto passages in the night-time, besides dropping twenty-three tons on several stations. "'■hiring last night our troops maintained contact with the enemy between the M.aiz and the Oise, and, east of the Oise, occupied le Plemont, Thiescourt, Canneetancourt, and Ville, and reached the Divette. AVe are on the edge of tho Oise east of Noyon from Sempigny to Brotigny. Further east we captured Bouri;ingiion and St. Paul aux Bois, and are pushing on to tho northward of thoso villages. We renched the Ailette at Quincy-Bas.se. Beween the Aiietto and the Aisne there has been no change except in the, region of Pomuiiers, of which wo ,- hold tiie western outskirts."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. ' SIR DOUGLAS HAIG'S REPORT OVER 3000 PRISONERS CAPTURED. London, August 22. vSir Douglas Haig,'reporting at 4.45 a.m., states:—"Wo attacked the enemy's positions between the Somme and the Ancre, and by nightfall on Wednesday our patrols had progressed on tho left bank of Ancre, to the south and southeast of Beaucourt. We maintained the positions we gained yesterday northward of Ihe Ancre, against strong counter-attacks in the afternoon and evening, on the Miraumnnt-Achiet le Grand .front. Fresh counter-attacks developed this morning, opposite Miraumont and Irles. We captured between two and three thousand prisoners and a few guns. On Wednesday we made further progress cast am! north-east of Merville, and reached J he outskirts of Ncuf Bcrquin; mid' captured a strong point north of BaMleul. After sharp fighting, we repulsed a strong local counter-attack against tho Locrehof Farm, north-west of Draimulre. Further fighting occurred during the night on this sector."—Aus.-N.Z. fable Assn.-Renter. ALBERT RETAKEN The High Commissioner reports:— London, August 22, 11.50 p.m. Sir Douglas Haig reports: "This morning the British and Australians attacked between the Sommo and the Ancre, carrying positions on high ground. We traversed tho "Bray-sur-Somme-Albcrt road, reaching a distance of two miles on a front of six miles. Albert was retaken. Wo captured fourteen hundred

prisoners and a few guns. We made further progress on the left bank of tho Ancre south of Beaumont. The enemy re-entered our positions on the Miraumoiit sector this morning, but was driven out Immediately. Our counter-attack reestablished tho position. Two hundred were taken prisoner. The number ot prisoners to-day and yesterday totals 5000/ NEW ZEALANDERS IN ACTION The High Commissioner reports:- % , A British official report states:-"Or. our whole front wo penetrated deeply into tho enemy's positions. Tho English troops ami tho New Zealander*, accompanied by tanks, stormed tho nnemy's foremost defences aided by mist, . i 1 captured fivo villages. Wo reached the neighbourhood of the A bert-AiUb l.iilway after severe fighting at different points, btrong enemy counter-attacks weio repelled." THE NEW ZEALAND ATTACK DESCRIBED (Ree. August 24, 1.30 a.m.) London, August 22. Mr. Gordon Gilmour, the Australian Press Association, correspondent writes: "With splendid vigour the New Zealanders participated in the general JJiitisJi attack at daylight on August 21, eastward of Hebu erne and for tho past four months the New Zealanders had been in close jWjth the uneasy enemy. I wasi unable to learn the actual results on the battlen 11, the New Zealand Commander stated in tho evening .that they .had. ga ned. all their objectives. Two units were engaged, and had the slighter- es eight in one unit and thirty in tho other. They took prisoner ovei two liun. Ed before evening. The conditions were ideal for tho thrust, -jmoa wa? designed to acceleroto tho enemy s retreat. An officer well i 1 n ,ii M ported early thai the. advance might continue, probably for some nines. Early in the morning the ground was covered by a mist, which was onl> uis perswl by the sun after tho operation had been completed. The New £ea landers jumped off from the ruins of Pruiseux, which their patrols had ed during the past few days. The Germans offend little or no resistance, inej could not see the attackers until they were within a few yards. 1 walked a considerable distance during the hear of the day togwards Achiet-le-Petit, w ere the British troops were strongly consolidated. I saw only one New /lealawici killed, by'shell-fire. I spoke to an officer from Nelson,-whose men had bctn digging a strong-post. He explained the ease with which the advance had been made. Large batches of prisoners -sro constantly marching back. Ihe total vui be many hundreds. Tho New Zealanders are thrilled with the P ros Pe c, M,: ting ahead of the old Somino country. To-day Loupavt Wood appears outline! i n the foreground, and it is'possible to see Bapaume onUhe horizon, where raooablv the Germans are already establishing their main line of defence. ' is every indication that the enemy, consequent on the Allies . gigantic otten=ne spreading, are taking the precaution to. reach a defensive line without disaster. The New Zealanders are almost within sight-of .Flers. ■ Although t y the New Zealanders. took comparatively a small share in the mam battle,-.neir entire units are. ready for any offensive."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. THE ENEMY'S REPORT ; . ' .:' v ' London, August 22. A German official report states,:-"Between the Ancre and the Avre, since August 8, our troops report that more than five hundred tanks have been destroyed. A French .attack between the Oise and the Aisne penetrated our trout lines, but was broken-on a line from Carlepont to the south of Blerancourt, Vczaponin and Pommiers. Our counter-attacks drove back the enemy aavanciiig on the Juvigny Ridge to Bieuxy. Further French attacks late in the evening collapsed on the whole front. North of the Ancre strong English on a wide front broke down with heavy losses. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-lieutei. FACTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES FRENCH COMMENT ON GERMAN COMMUNIQUES. (Rec. August 23,11.10 p.m.) , Paris, August 22. Referring to yesterday's German communique, a semi-official statement says: "The German command no longer is able to plead an elastic falling back or a victory foT their rearguards or a desire to secure more treedom of. movement to explain his retreat. He simply denies it. This method is' too simple to take in anyone. Tho facts speak for themselves. Renter. SljX GERMAN . ARMIES DAMAGED. . ' " New York, August 22. The Allies have damaged six German armies since August 15, and the British are now attacking the seventh. Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.