ANOTHER DAY OF VICTORIES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 298, 5 September 1918, Page 5

ANOTHER DAY OF VICTORIES

LENS EVACUATED: QUEANT CAPTURED MANGIN. SCORES ON THE AILETTE By Telegraph-Press Association-Copyright. New York, September 3. The British have captured Lens, and are advancing on a twenty-mile front, Queant (twelve miles south-east of Arras) has been captured, also Bertincourt (six miles east of Bapaume), and Hambbiin-les-Pres (eight miles east of Arras). The enemy is now retiring along the whole of the Drocourt-Queant line. The British have captured ten thousand prisoners. (Rec. Septomber 4, 11.2.5 p.m.) London, September 4, Sir Douglas Ilaig's communique shows that Lens has not yet been occupied, iu spite of the earlier report; that the town had I *been evacuated.—Aus.N.Z. Cable Assn. ' SWITCH LINE CUT IN TWO London, September 3. The English and Canadians attacked at 5 o'clock this morning on a twenty, three-mile front soutlrof the Scarpe. Canadians smashed through the switch (Drocourt-Queant line), cutting it in two on a six-mile front between Etairig and a point south of Cagnico'nH." Our line'Tiins alone the western' edge of Etainrr, the eastern side of Uury, the western edge of Cagnicourt, and ■west of Quearit. Heavy fighting continues in our favour. The British are cooperating with the Canadians near Queant. A series of enemy counter-at-tacks south of Queant expelled us from A r aux Wood, which we had captured in the morning, Vi'c are advancing on Rocquigny, east of Le Transloy. We advanced to-day four miles oh a twenty-mile, front, the enemy_ hurriedly retiring behind the Hindenburg switch line. Street fighting is in progress at Moislains and Allaines, north-east of 'Peronue. Our line of advance in the Lys salient now runs through Voormczeele, Neuvc Eglise, Steenwerck, and La' Couture. Between the Scarpe and the Somme the enemy is strongly reacting in the centre. It is expected that he will certainly react against the switch line. The weather is stormy and gusty. The enemy has another defensive line, running from Douai to Cainbrai, but it' is not very good. It is certainly less formidable than the switch line. In the region beyond the second line the open country is somewhat marshy uutU the Cambrai Plain is reached. 'Fighting.continues near Lens. We captured the suburbs of Puits Fosse. APPROACHING THE GERMAN SECOND LINE ffiec. September 4, 8 p.m.) ' London) September 3, 9.20 p.m. In the Lys sector we captured Richebourg St. Vaast, "and reached Neuvo Chapelle. We have made further progress eastward of the switch line, and are now approaching the enomy's second line, having made a twomile advance on a six-mile front eastward of Lb Transloy, capturing Ytres, ■Le Jlesnil, and several villages.-Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

RETREATING ENEMY CLOSELY PRESSED (Rec. September 4, 8 p.m.) London, September 3. Our progress on tho Western front was continued to-day, ' and further villages were captured. This afternoon tho enemy shows indications of a further retirement. Large fires were observed iu Bus and Bertincourt. We gained two miles on six miles of front. In the Le Mesnil region we now hold Ytres, Etrincourt, Manancourt, and Le Mesnil. Our line south of the Scarpo runs south, from Etaing, a kilometre east of Dury. through the westorn outskirts of Buissy, and east of Pronville. The enemy southward of tho Sensce River is evacuating his positions. Westward of the Canal du Nord.we are pressing the enemy closely. Wo have reached tho southern imtskirts of Sailly-snr-Lelys, south-west of Armentieres. Wo reached tho western outskirts of Ncuve Chapello and captured Bicliebourg St, Yaast. There are signs of an enemy retirement astride the Cambrai-Bapaumo road.— Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. THE ENEMY'S NEXT LINE OF DEFENCE (Itec. September 4, 7.20 p.m.) London, September 3. The enemy, contrary to expectation, is not attempting the recapture of the Queant-Drocourt switch line, but is hurriedly retreating. He has another line behind tho Nord Canal in the Berbieros-Moeuvres district, which probably will be his next line of defence. It is strong, and is too near Douai and Cambrai for comfort. The enemy last night evacuated Queant, Promville, Diognies, Vclu; Lens, and Wulverghem. The situation is extremely interesting, and opens up enormous possibilities. Ten thousand prisoners were taken yesterday. To-day's havo not yet been counted. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable lAssn. AMERICANS ON NEUVE EGLISE FRONT (Rec. September 4, 8 p.m.) , London, September 3, 4.15 p.m. • Tho Germans are strongly resisting tho Americans northward of Neuvo Eglise. Tjio line was pressed hack slightly on-Monday, but has again advanced northward of Wtilvcrghem."—Aus.-N.Z. Cablo Assn. PEN PICTURE OF THE BATTLEFIELD "A 1 SMASHING BLOW." ' London, September 3. Renter's correspondent at British Headquarters, writing in the eve'ning, says: "Tho attack this morning was conducted by General Home's and General By nil's armies, on the"front south of the Scarpo to nearly as far as Queant. This is one of the greatest battles, and there is every reason to hope it will prove one of the most memorablo victories in the war. The attack was launched at 5.40 a.m., after a short but intense bombardment, which was effectual in cutting the wire, and by 7.30 our troops had broken apparently' right through the famous Drocourt-Queant switch line with its fortified system two thousand yards deep. Wo smashed through nearly everywhere along the front of attack. Two hours later, it was rumoured that groups of our motor machine-gunners wcro seen upon the batik of tho Canal du Nord, which is ncai'ly live miles to the east of the nearest point of the switch line. Those were, of course, only highly mobile patrols, pushing out to try to seize bridgeheads and destroy communications; but if they can go so far it .proves the success of the opening attack.

Record Blow for One Day's' Fighting. "Our Miccess may be summed up bv saying wo liavo struck the enemy one of the most smashing and strategically serious blows ho has yet received in 'any one day's fighting. The enemy made, and is still making, every effort to check the advance. Tho Germans had oight divisions standing in readiness to meet the blow. Tlio prisoners number thousands, and are coming in shoals. They includo a Staff officer and several battalion commanders. Wo are now not only working behind iho Hiiidenbiirg line, but have gained ground which commands a long stretch of that "line, '.die battle is still in progress in terrific intensity. That the enemy was on the qui Vive is shown by tho fact that his barrago came within a minute of the opening of our bombardment. It was extremely heavy, but was b(idly directed, and causcd great daniago among his own men. As our leading waves brolto forward many Germans sprang up and Camo running- over with their bands up. The outposts and front-line trenches were cleared after a very small resistance. Our airmen were hampered by bad visibility. Nevertheless they reported that tho German batteries ,were limbering up and trotting, to tho rear. I!y 11.30 a.m. we had reached Cagnicourt, and were attacking a great concentration of the enemy with machine-gun posts, in the Bois do Bouche, considerably east of Cagnicourt. Dury has been captured. Some of tlio heaviest fighting occurred on tlio Dury Hill, south of the village. The slopes were honeycombed with defences. A big mass of Germans was seen debouching from a sunken road near by, and our batteries opened fire, inflicting terrible losses. Our own men were in many places exposed to terribly severe fire. 'Hie enemy seems to be organising his resistance 'in echelon' to a great depth."—Router. IMPORTANT SUCCESSES. BY MANGIN'S ARMY SOISSONS-LAON RAILWAY THREATENED. (Rec. September 4, 10.20 p.m.) London, September 3. Router's ' correspondent at French Headquarters writes: "General Mmigin's attack on the plateau between the Ailette and the Aisne yesterday ' afternoon resulted in another important advance on tho left opposite Guny. Wo have taken the bridgehead across tile Ailetto, and French troops have occupied tho woods westward of Coucy le Chateau, and also established a footing in a little wood south-east of Moulin do Nogent, so that we are now barely a mile from Coucy. Terny-Sorny, which resisted several attacks, was captured, and a footing obtained on the .plateau. North-east of Crouy we are on the edge of the second plateau across the Margival Valley, through which tho Soissons-Laon railway runs. Over twelve hundred prisoners were taken during tho day. Tanks played an important part in yesterday's French attack, and also the airmen. Tho enemy naturally is defending the plateau tooth and nail. The Prussian Guards delivered five futile counter-attacks, leaving tho ground littered with their dead. The five days' hard fighting between the Ailette and the Aisne has given good results. The first powrfiill,reorganised lino across the Terny-Sorny plateau has been taken, and tho second line is already being attacked. The French are across the Ailette at several points. The battle has used up several of the enemy's divisions, who aire no match for Mangin's colonials."—Reiiter. AMERICANS IN HEAVY FIGHTING GREAT BATTLE BEYOND SOISSONS. \ (Rec. September 4, 8 p.m.) London, September 3. Renter's correspondent at American Headquarters, writing on Monday night, says:—"A' great fight, has been in progress all day long north and north-east of Soissons. The enemy is vigorously defending tho Pont Rouge Plateau, cast of tlio Soissons railway, and also the lino right along tho north of the Aisne. We are bombarding bis positions from the south and west. Ill", villages which the enemy hold are burning like vast torches, and, the fires are spreading through the neighbouring woods. Tho enemy drenched our positions <it midday with gas, but our retaliation barrage silenced his guns."—Router RUIN AND VANDALISM IN THE WAKE OF THE RETREAT (Rec. September 4. 8 p.m.) London, September 3. Mr. Perry Robinson writes:—"Tho retreating enemy is carrying out his old work of destroying everything. All the towns.awJ villages on the horizon are wreathed in smoke by day, while' the skies are ablaze, nt night. Bailleul, ruined like Ypres, was a solid stone and brick town, and Is now reduced to formless heaps of rubble. A few broken ruins and only fragments of the cathedral remain. Other successes are of secondary importance. Tho great, feat is the piercing of the switch line. The tanks terrified the enomy ar, all points, but tlio German' artillery was better than recently, and knocked over a few of them, preventing some valuable assistance in the further positions."—"The Times." ' . . OFFICIAL REPORTS SIR DOUGLAS HAIG'S DISPATCHES London, September 3. Sir Douglas Haig reports: "Monday's operations south of the Scarpe wero completely successful, and the enemy was heavily defeated in tho prepared defences of the Drocourt-Queant system, with the result that he is retiring this morning along practically the whole battlefront. In Monday's battle, besides inflictiug heavy losses, wo took prisoner about 10,000 men. Our troops are now advancing, aud aro reported to have entered Pronville, Doignieg, and Bertin'court. The Canadians showed the greatest skill and courage on Monday in storming the Drocourt-Queant lines, which have been perfected during the past eighteen months, and which provided a most formidable obstacle, furnished with every device of modern engineeriug. Tho defences here were reinforced to such a degree that on a front of 8000 yards eleven German divisions wero identified. Undeterred by the strength of the defensive organisation, the Canadians, assislwd admirably b.v English troops on their left, carried all before them. Southward of the Canadian Corps, English, Scottish, and naval troops of the 17th Corps, under tho command of Lieutenaut-Generar Sir Charles Ferguson, performed a no less gallant and arduous task in storming the junction of the Drocourt, Queant, and Hindcnburg systems. These positions were of tho most formidable character, but the troops swept over and around them, encircling Queant from the norHi, with tlie result that this important pivot fell into our hands at nightfall. The Tank Corps again assisted materially in the succcss of the operations.'" —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. LATEST SUCCESSES (Rec. September 4, 11.10 p.m.) London, September 3. Sir Douglas Haig reports: "After the heavy defeat inflicted on the enemy on September 2, our progress between Peronne and Sensee was continued. We reached a general line passing through Beaumetz-les-Cambrai, Baralle, Rumaucourt, and Lo Cluse, and captured or drove back with loss hostilo rearguards, who resisted our advance. Our artillery inflicted heavy casualties on the retreating enemy. Our batteries over open sights successfully engaged large numbers of the enemy who were retiring in close formation over a ridge north-west of Equancourt. In their hurried retreat. the enemy left quantities of stores and material. Southward of the Lys the English captured llichebourg St. Vaast and established themselves on the line of the La Bassee road between Richebourge and Estaires. We captured Estaires and also a number of prisoners and a few guns. "We advanced slightly on the western outskirts of Lens, and eastward and northward of Givenchy-les-La Bassee, and also made progress north-east of Steenworck, aud entered Wulverghem."—Aus.-N.Z, Cable Assn.-Reuter.

. ON THE FRENCH.FRONT (Rcc. September 4, 7.20 p.m.) London, September 3, 4 p.m. A French official communique states: "There was artillery activity at night-time on the Somme and between the Qise and the Aisne. Enemy raids in°the region of Veslo and in the Vosges were without result. There is nothing to report from elsewhere on the front."—Aus.-N.Z. Cablo Assn.-Reutcr. THE ENEMY'S REPORTS (Rec. September 4, 8 p.m.) London, September 3. ' A wireless German official report states:—"The English south-east of Arras, by 'superior forces, pressed us hack on both sidef of the Arras-Cambrai hi"iiroad. The French westward and southward of Couchy-le-Chatcan slightly pressed us back from tho Ailette. Strong and repeated enemy attacks betwen the Aisno and tho Ailette failed."—Aus.-N.Z. Cablo Assu.-Reu-ter, (Rec. September 4, 8 p.m.) London, September 3. A wireless German official evening roport states:—"Between tho Scarpo, and the Somme the movements which wo commenced on the night of September 2 were completed in accordance with plan."—-Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Rcu-ter. THE WAR IN THE AIR DETERMINED AND BRILLIANTLY SUCCESSFUL BOMBING RAIDS. (Rec. September 4, 8 p.m.) London, September 3. Tho Air Ministry reports:—"ln addition to the morning attack on the German aerodrome at Buhl on September 2 we attacked during tho afternoon the same objectivo with very good results, hitting tho hangars and causing fires. At night wo dropped seventeen tons, and again heavily attacked tho Buhl aerodrome, the works at Burbaoh, the railways at Saarbrucken and Bhrangc, trains, and the Boulay aerodromo. Several fires were started at Buhl and three hangars were domolished. Direct hits wero obtained at many of the other places. Our attacks wero enrried out as low as throe hundred feet. Over fifteen tons of bombs were dropped on this aerodromo in twcnty-lfour hours. We attacked the Blirauge railways at the height of ninety feet, every bomb scoring a direct hit. A lire was started at tho Burbach works, and good results were observed. All the British machines returned." —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Renter. WITH THE ADVANCING BATTLE-LINE. (Rec. September 4, 10.20 p.m.) London, Senieinber 4. Sir Douglas IJaig reports: "Our aeroplanes worked all day long in Iront of the advancing battle-line, while observation balloons followed closely.

Largo formations of hostilo machines frequently attacked our airmen, who persisted in their various tasks, maintaining contaot with tlio infantry and artillery, and bombing and machine-gunning hostile troops and transports. Thev also silenced the enemy's anti-tank guns, and dropped supplies of small-arm ammunition to the infantry in the advanced zone. There was much air fighting. Wo destroyed ton hostile machines, and drove down two out of control. Twenty British machines are milling. We dropped twentyfour tons of bombs in tlio dnytimo and night time.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. Renter. COMMENT ON THE SITUATION , "GERMANY HAS DEFINITELY PASSED THE ZENITH." Now York, Soptember 3. Mr Cvril Brown, the "New York World's" Berlin correspondent, and lately at Stockholm, has returned to New York. In an interview, ho said: "Six months ago Germany was at tlio zenith of her lighting power. To-day she has definitely passed that zenith, and her power shows a continuous downward tendency. The Germans aro now giving up hope of a victorious military decision or an early peace. For the first time in the war they nave completely lost tlio initiative all along the lino, and the German people know it. • The moral of the Army lias suffered relatively more than the moral of the people. Only the picked shock* troops retain the old spirit and moral. The great bulk of the Army is affected with the fear of impending defeat. Die food conditions are 110 worse than thsv were six months ago, but the position will be much more serious late in_ the winter and early 111 the spring, when ncuto starvation conditions will increaso the pessimism caused by tlio continuous military reverses." —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.