THE OFFICIAL REPORTS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 6, 2 October 1918, Page 5

THE OFFICIAL REPORTS

BELGIAN ADVANCE ON ROULERS .! London, September 30. > A Belgian communique slates :—"Tho .Belgians -unrelentingly continued." their attacks, and in spite of the enemy's resistance gained a footing oil the Flanders ridge, the enemy's second line. We carried Dixmude, barren, Stad- j ciiberg, I'asscliciulaelc, Moorslede, and part of Westroosbekc. The enemy j brought up reserves and violently counter-attacked north of Houthulst, but j llio attack was completely broken and the Belgianswere enabled to occupy j Tcrreest height. The Belgian advanced guards readied to a point within i two miles of Poolers, and attained the Roiilcrs-Mcnin road at one point. The prisoners counted since yesterday exceed 5500, and over a hundred gutw, j including several of tlio heaviest calibre, and a vast quantity of other ma- j terial have been taken."—Aus.-N.is. Cable Assn.-Router. ! (Kcc. October 1, 10.30 p.m.) ' ! London, September 30. 1 A Belgian communiquo states:—"During to-day tho Belgian Army, and ' tho British Army under General I'lumer, continued their success, beating the j enemy after a severe light on tho old Great Flanders ridge. Wo also j hold the Messinos and Wy-tschaete position. Tho Belgian .Army, capturedij Dixmude, 7/arren, Tercst, Stadenbcrg, West Roosebckc, and Moorslodo. j This army also repulsed strong counter-attacks between .Stadcn ;nnd.,Tercst, j and at the end otf tlio day was attacking the Roulors-Mcniii road at St. Pis- < ter, and also at Collie Molenhoek, 2i miles west of ltoulers. General Plum- ! er's army, after capturing the Messincs-Wytschacto ridge, encountered.very j strong resistance. The enemy vainly attempted to defend the approaches j to tho Lys, and suffered very heavy losses, especially at Ploerschaede Wood. At the o'nd of tho day Winner's army had passed the eastern outskirts of I Ploogsteert Wood, and captured St.Pemprielcn, Teshand, and Doortzeele. j During September '28-29 tho Belgian Army and General Plimier's army have ; taken over nine thousand prisoners and over two hundred guns, including,'! some 240 mm. guns, 280 mm. guns, and also a considerable quail- j tity of material. General Phnner's army has taken sixty-livo officers and i 3b'oo men, and also ninety field-guns. The British air service contributed very | powerfully to the success of the. operations, bombing incessantly the-enemy 5 i columns, trains, and lines df communications."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reu- j ter. ■ ■"■'•' '•'■ :;; 1 — , SIR DOUGLAS HAIG'S DISPATCHES 1 '■■■•• London, September 30, 3.30 a.m. '. Sir Douglas Haig reports:—"At dawn the battlo successfully developed ; southward to St. Quentin, and now extends over the thirty mile, front be- j tweeu St. Quentin and the Senseo River On tho right we attacked across .j the Scheldt (or Gscnut) Canal from Bellcngliso northward, Ihe 4fallrUivi-.j 'sion, provided with lifebelts, mats, portable bridging materials and rafta, and j covered bv concentrated artillery and machine-gun fire, stormed tlio mam Hindenbm-" defences along the eastern bank of the canal. 11l spilo of the . depth and breadth of the canal and the strength of tho enemy • defences,-} which include Bellongliso and numerous tunnels and concrete- works, we cap-j lured the whole German position oppositions. The troops pressed forward) with great bravery and determination up the slopes of the lulls beyond tlm j canal, taking man'v prisoners. Wn captured Bcllenglise, Le "Uaucourt, and j Magny-la-Fosse. ' Further north, at the same hour, Hhe New York, Ten- j nessee and North and South Carolina troops, under Major-General Read, j attacked tlio Hindenburg line on a front of 5000 yards where the canal) passes through a. tunnel. The Americans pressed forward dashingly, and ; captured Bellicourt and Nauroy on tho left bank. ' Fighting proceds hi the j neighbourhood of Bony. In tho centre the British captured Villers-Guislain, >. and the New Zealanders cleared the Welsh Ridge, breaking up a hostile'coun.! ter-attack, and captured La, Vacquerie and the spur between Bonavis and j Masiiicres. Meanwhile the 62nd Division secured the canal crossings, and] continuing their advance captured Jlasnieres, Les-Rues-Vertes, and the defen-.l sive system'covering Rumilly. On their left the 2nd Division crossed the j canal about Novelles, and advanced a mile and a lyilf up the rising ground east of the canal line. Tho 63rd Naval Division forced the passage east ct ; Cantain°7 and reached the southern outskirts of C'ambrai. ■ On their left j the Canadians fought forward through tho defensive system covering Cam- j hrai, into the outskirts of the town, Mid further north they captured San-. court beating off heavy'counter-attacks, while English troops cleared the slopes south of the.Senses canal. Wo have captured 22,000 prisoners and j 300 guns during the past three days."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. i

• VEM STIFF OPPOSITION.; .. ■,■■:< ; ;j (Rec. October 1, 10.30■ p.m.) .■••;:;'■;- , '. j • ' ' " • London, September 30, 2.35 pjn.' '■! Sir Douglas Haig reports: "Northward of.St,. Quentiji ~pn.. Sunday, the, j Forty-sixth (North Midland) Division captured four thousand prisoners and forlv guns The enemy's resistance was obstinate between Bellicourt and, Gonneliau. The Americans, Australians, and English had heavy fighting until] tho night. Despite strong opposition we gained .ground ,-and : took, many;! prisoners. Counter-attacks pressed us back slightly to'the.western cut-1 •shirts of Bonv and Villers Guislain. We maintained our gams elsewhere,j and made fresh progress northward of Gonneheu in the direction of Lea-Kues, Devignes Heavy fighting on the left of the battlefront. compelled our ad-.; vanced troops to withdraw from Ajibenohenl-au-Bao and Arleus. Tho enemy.| was unable to prevent our progress westward and north-westward of Um : ; brai Our advanced detachments leached the junction of Arras-Cambrai, and liapaume-Cambrai roads, and entered the northern suburbs of the town.. We repulsed determined -counter-attacks on this, sector, and inflicted heavy ; losses. Heavy rain fell at night, aud the weather is still stormy. -Aus.-j N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. FRENCH OFFICIAL REPORTS .'; .London, September 30, 3.30 a.m. ' ! A French communique states:—"South' of St. Quentin we attacked on the! front from Urviller's to Cemy, and ejected the' desperately-rosistiiig enemy; from those .villages, which are now in our possession. Between the Ailette: and the Aisno we advanced to-day 2000 yards on both .sides of the, Chemiii > ■des Dames, and occupied Pargny-Filain and Ostel. On the Champagiio front, the troop?! following up attacks, obtained important result?. ■ On the,.right! they captured Bouconville and enlarged the positious north of it. To. tbe! west they carried Mont Cuvolet despite bitter enemy resistance. Thoj French, pushing northward, carried Sechault, and advanced over a mile be-; yond in tho direction of Challcrange." . , 5 A. later communique states:—"ln the .Champagne' we captured Mont I Fauselles and Vieux, and carried our lines to the southern outskirts of Auro-j On the left we penetrated Saint Marie-a-Py."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. : .Keu-i (Rec. October 1, 7.45, p.m.) ■.' .. ,' London, September 30, 4.20 p : m % j A French communique states:—"During the night the.Germans jnade vio-j lent counter-attacks in the region of Urwllers, south of St. Quentiu, all of.' which were smashed.' There was no infantry fighting' last night in ...Champagne, where the battle was renewed at dawn, to-day. —Aus.-N.Z. table; Assn.-Reuter. , ;. - j HEAVY AHACHS ON THE AMERICANS . J New York, September 30. i •Vn American communique states:—"We continued to meet determined enemy resistance. The Germans were forced to bring up divisions from, other parts of the front. We repulsed heavy counter-attaoks between Cierges arid the Aire Valley."-Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn-Reuter. ■.. i • —- '.vJ THE ENEMY'S REPORT *. : j London,.September 30. j A German evening communique states :-"There have Defe fresh engagements east of Ypres. Tremendous fighting is in progress between aid St Quentmfthe English assault is failing on the whole* Violent French and American attacks in tho Champagne and between the Argonno and the jLuse were repulsed, except for local broaches on both sidles of Ardouil Aus.-N.Z. Cablq Assu.-Reutcr. ' j THE WAR IN THE AIR j AIRMEN IN THE BIG BATTLE ;_, j GOOD SCOUTING AND OFFENSIVE WORK, ..;."] (Rec. October 1, 9.45 p.m.) j London, September 30. : Sir Douglas Haig reports-.—"Our aeroplanes co-operated with every phase of Saturday's operations.. Patrols reconnoitring in the rear of the German lines reported tho trciid of tho enemy's movomonts. They operated from an extremely low height on the enemy's troops, transport trams, and, gun-teams, and heavy casualties wore inflicted. Twenty-two German, ma-; chines wcro destroyed and three were driven down. Twenty-four of.ours, are missing."-Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. ...,"..!

EXPLOITS BY THE AMERICANS '. New York, September 30. ; Mr Edward James, "New York Times" correspondent, says :-"Tbc First Wric'an Armv now has all American mr-fighters, bombers, pilots, and obj sen™ She first time since the United States entered tho jar, the American divisions in the latest offensive did not have to. depend on heir •on the Frcndi and British airmen. . The Americans are still usiiur French and British machines; but American-built aeroplanes are ar; rivino- in Franco faster and faster, and soon the American airmen will use An mem 'Dlanes entirely. The American flyors, since Thursday, have madfi co . fIS taking'luindrcds of photographs behind tho rearward Gor, man defence system. The bombers haye done immense damage at enen>> strategic point's far back in enemy territory;" and by forming a cordon, with \ hundred battleplanes round the sector of tho Mense, the American airmen prevented the enemy flyers from reaching tho American line. The Amen; cans engaged' in fifty-two air combats in one day, and brought down thirty; three enemy machines without tho loss of an American froplane. The American- airmen on the versatile de Havi land machines attacked Oerman iroops with machine-guns, and also brought down several enemy aeroplanes. Others dropped'4(ll ].ounds of high explosives each amidst groups of German sol ies, and silenced an entire, battery. Our regular bombers dropped tw<] tons of bombs on Ktain, scoring seven direct bit* on the railway track.'-In „m in tauce thirty-four of our bombers went iar behind tho German hues , were attacked' by thirty-six Kokkors, of which seven wre brought down! Five of tho American machines hnvo not returned."-Aus.-N.Z. Cablo'Assn.j

AMERICAN OFFICIAL REPORT. ./ ',| Washington, September 30. s It is officially announced Hint the American aviators during the latest American offensi've brought down 60 enemy machines, while less than 2C American aeroplanes were brought down.-Aus.-N.Z. Cable Absn. , /j

WITH THE FRENCH SQUADRONS. • . j , London, September 80. } ' A French official report states:—"Our airmen bombed assemblages oi enemy troops in tho battle zone. Groups of fifty machines twice attacked rej serves which wero preparing for counter-attacks near Marvaux and Lory Fifteen enemy aeroplanes and three balloons were brought •doihi.'S&us. N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. > , ■ •,