FROM OTHER SOURCES.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 April 1918, Page 2

FROM OTHER SOURCES.

BRITISH OPERATIONS. LONDON April 5. The British, southwestward of Albert- are strongly lioldding the railway embankment, thwarting the enemy's determined effort to advance on the highway to Amiens, via, Corbie. The French frustrated a German attempt to reach the Amiens-Claremont railway, inflicting prodigious losses.

AN ENQUIRY. LONDON April. s. The “Daily News" states an enquiry is being held into the Filth Army at St. Quentin. THE FRENCH FRONT. LONDON April o. The French have taken over the line, as far as the River Avre.

A FORMIDABLE EFFORT, ENEMY MAKE ADVANCE, NEW ZEALANDERS EFFORT. TAUSTRALIAN & N.Z. CASIE ASSOCIATION] LONDON April 5. British Headquarters state: Fuller details reveal that the enemy thrust between the Somme, and the Avre was a formidable effort, which aimed yit getting astride of the ParisAmieus railway, and developing, the thrust at Amiens. Thanks to the stubbornness of the resistance the enemy’s success was limited to the ■ creation of a salient seven thousand yards wide, and of an extreme depth of two thousand yards, There is reason to believe that the Germans threw in fourteen divisions of fresh troops,■ including some crack corps and three Guards divisions. / The Fifth Gcjrman division, Which boro a large share in the early days of the offensive,- and was withdrawn to refit and rest, was again fighting It is estimated that practically one hundred German divisions have been used in the present battles.The Prisoners are complaining of the state of the roads duo to our ceaseless shelling, causing delay in getting up heavy batteries and adequate munitions.

Yesterday rifles and machine-guns played the principal part in' the defence.

To-day the Germans show considerable aggressiveness. At eight o’clock this morning the enemy attacked in the neighbourhood of Dernaneourt, on the river Ancre not far from the Somme junction, on a front of nine thousand yards, with an estimated strength of six divisions. After desperate fighting the Ge-rmans reached the railway.

We attacked from tho sector around Fronqnevillers. It is reported that we gained our first objective at Bucquoy. The Now Zealanders were' induction again, and as the result of a dashing sortie, they toot four officers and 130 men prisoners.

Fighting is progressing on a considerable portin of the front north of the Somme; but not on' a grand scale such as would indicate a general resumption of the 'offensive.

GERMAN'S RENEW ATTACKS. LONDON, April 6. <A headquarters report states: At daybreak tins morning the Germans were attacking astride the Somme valley in the direction of Corbie, but there is no news as to /how the battle is progressing. The main weight of the thrust seems to be west of ]{oi« do Vaire. The Germans continue to fight desperately for the possession of the main Amiens road.

Some of the fighting yesterday was of the fiercest character. The enemy massed early in the morning west of Dernacourt, north of Corbie, hut we blew up the neighbouring Somme bridge. The heaviest attack then followed, wherein the New Zealanders eventually repulsed the enemy after a dingdong battle.

ANOTHER THRUST. LONDON, April 6. Reuter’s report states: This evening the enemy is again thrusting at what he believes ih the junction of the Franco-British. armies, in the hope of yet separating them. His assaults against the British yesterday were apparently aimed at a converging movement upon the little town of Corbie, on the Somme. The attack was delivered in dense waves, which our machine-gun and rifle fire heavily punished. The enemy succeeded in straightening out a little salient in our line in the neighbourhood of Hamel Wood and village.

Our counter-attack was not sufficiently strong enough to restore the position. The weather is wet and misty,-and it is impossible for our airmen to cooperate.

Fragments of projectiles, with, which the enemy is shelling our back areas, hear British marks. This shows that tho guns and ammunition have come from the Russian front.

GENERAL FOCII’S OPTIMISM. \ LONDON, April f>.' The “ Daily Chronicle's” Paris'correspondent states that General Foeh, in addressing the' English. FVench and American war correspondents said:—• ‘The German advance had made nracticallv no progress since the 29th of March. Tho enemy waves die on the beach, because sufficient obstacles are found. The Boeho is completely arrested. We must try and dp still better. The future is ours, itfe will | show the measure of our suocets- I

GERMANS CREEPING UP. LONDON April 6. The “Daily Mail” states that tho Germans are daily creeping oloser to Amiens, and it is impossible to yield much more ground without Amiens sharing tho same fate as Rheiins. The Allies are not facing an attacE, but an avalanche.

Tho United Press Correspondent states that the -Germans to-day occupied the crest of a wedge-shpaod ridgo in the confluence of the Noyo and Avre A few shells have fallen on Amiens wfcich has hitherto only been bombed.

GERMAN FORCES. PARIS April 6. Semi-official:—The majority' of tfbe fresh German divisions appear not to have been drawn from reserves, but are troops from other sectors, indicating that the German General Staff is now. economising the men. Tho Franco-British aviation has definitely obtained mastery of the air on the Somme battlefield.

ONE ALLIED FRONT. NEW YORK, April 5. The “Times" Washington correspondent learns that British, French Italian and American troops compose the reserve army on the West Front. The American military authorities believe that there will be practicaßy one Allied (front from the Adriatic to the North Sea,

The Allies man-power will be pooled under General Foeh’s supreme '■ command.

FRENCH OPINION. LONDON, April 6. French opinion squarcly_ faces the prospects as yet remains optimistic. A semi-official commentator states that the struggle will continue with sustained violence; but with the Allied reserves entering the battle line, the Germans’ chances of making a rupture have disappeared. The “Echo de Paris” states that the German tactics are always rigid. They continue to pursue' the idea of overrunning Amiens from the sftuthTt is now evident that their manoeuvres are similar to those at Verdun. The French press correspondents are satisfied with Friday’s fighting. Three French divisions on Friday withstood eleven German divisions, causing at least twelve thousand casualties. The British endured an equally heavy blow in lioggv ground. The French continue to predict a counter-attack.

German publicists are preparing Germany for prolonged battles’ The Kaiser, Herr von, Kuhlmann (Foreign Minister), von /Hindenburg, and von Ludendorff are conferring at the Imperial, Headquarters.

FRENCH REPORT. LONDON, April 6. A French communique states that the Germans did not renew their attacks to-day. We vigourouslv counterattacked north of Mont Didier, improving our positions at several points, notably in the region of Mailly, Rameval and Cantigney, whereof we hold the northern outskirts. There has been reciprocal violent artillerying between Lassigny and Noyon. We regained ground this afternoon north of Marl and Renaud.

Twenty-three tons of bombs were dropped on enemy cantofmients and railway stations. Fires were observed at the railway stations at Laon and St. Quentin. - Five enemy aeroplanes were brought down.

A VIOLENT ATTACK. LONDON, April 6. A French communique states that during tho night there was a violent bombardment north and south of the river Avre, especially in tho region of Nonchel. There was no infantry work on the right of the Meuse and Aynomont Wood. The artillery duel con. tinues very lively.

COL. rEPINGTON’S REPORT. GREAT FRENCH ACHIEVEMENT. LONDON, April 5. Colonel Repington states that the enemy’s strategic objective remains unchanged; namely' l to separate the British and French; drive the French south ; to hold the Somme defensively against the British; to coop the British up in a limited % are*a northward; and to cut us off. from our Seine bases.

Probably an inferior German force could hold such a position, hut Colonel Repington assumes that there is now no risk of this, particularly in view of General Foch’s guarantee of the security of Amiens. \

Colonel Repington considers that the relief of our Fifth Army by the French was a splendid achievement and should be publicly recognised. The climax of the battle has yet to come. We must expect the enemy. to bring up every available man and^ again seek to overwhelm us, believing' that success is worth men.

ATTACK NEAR ALBERT. LONDON, April 5. A War Office communique states that the Germans have since dawn delivered heavy attacks north and south of Berancourt, and south-east of Albert. The Germans obtained a foothold in our defences at Berancourt and southwest of Albert, but our counter-attacks restored the situation. At Albert the enemy heavily shelled our position in tho region of Mesnil and Beaumoiit-Hamel. .. Som'e infantry fighting took place near Mesnil, when the enemy gained no advantage. We repulsed an attack on Noyonville. We attacked south-east of Gommecourt, imprisoning 120. Tho situation is quiet on the British front, north of the Somme.

AMERICANS’ FRONT. \ (Reuter’s Telegram.) LONDON, April r> Reuter’s correspondent at the Americen Headquarters, states:—“An American force is now occupying a carter of tho Meuse Heights, south of Verdun. The enemy yesterdav raided here after having conducted a heavy bombardment.”

ATTACK ON CORBIE. LONDON, April 6. The Germans attacked terrifically at Corbie, in the Sonime Valley. The fighting continues.

MR MURDOCH’S ACCOUNT. A DIFFICULT POSITION. LONDON April 6. Mr Murdoch states: The formidable resumption of tho battle has brought the most furious fighting to within sevon miles of AmieDs. The enemy’s prearranged organisation, whereby tho Gorman evolved order out of the battlefield* brought up masses of guns so speedily that it gives a striking proof that tho Huns aro making a trong and confident bid for absolute victory. The battlefield at present extends for many miles on each side of the line, on a frontage of 50 miles. •Everybody is digging in when not wiring.

The French are holding on, and are piling up munitions on the dumps. There is little visible of the actual area of the fighting, except brown earthworks, and now and then the gleaming wire and the black shellbursts. The lines seem sleeping hv day ; but during the night there is furious activity everywhere . The Germans have concentrated Gothas and other aeroplanes, and apparently abandoned their attacks on defenceless cities in order to produce the maximum effect on.the front. Despite regular heavy aerial attacks the Amiens railways and the main laris.Amiens railway continue their almost normal runningy while the trains along the whole strategic railway system on the French front defy the constant efforts of the * enemy airmen. . *

It is sheer folly to imagine that the Allies can easily, or even certainly, hold the Germans. The Allies are getting every possible soldier Into the cam bn taut ranks, and are drawing all the trained men they can from America.

. FRENCH OPERATIONS. B RII. L TA NT COUNTER-ATTACK.

LONDON, April 5. / An evening communique issued by tin? French • states:—The enemy continued bis . attack during the night with undiminished violence, hurling info the .a bat tle fresh forces. We identified fif- ’ teen divisions on our battle front, of which seven are fresh.

Despite the marked numerical superiority of his effectives, which were used up regardless of cost, the enemy could not attain 1 his objectives, namely, the railway from Amiens to Clermont. This is borne out by orders found on 1 prisoners.

Our regiments, by resisting the attackers step by step, and by energetic counter-attacks, maintained their line entirely. They inflicted on the enemy'' cruel losses. To the northward, we. have withdrawn to the neighbourhood of Castel Wo repulsed the enemy from Bois de Larrierecourt to the west of MaillyMemeral. South-east of Grivesnes, a . brilliant comnter-attack gave us ‘St. Aignam Farm, which we retained against ajl assaults. ■Between Mont Didier and Noyon an artillery struggle contimfed. It attained , great intensity. We attacked and conquered the major part of Hois de Pinette, six hundred metres north of Vi 11c Rossorel. All efforts to dislodge us were vain.

Further oast a local operation has enabled us to extend our position north, of Mont Renaud, which the enemy,o notwithstanding bis mendacious statements, never succeeded in recovering.

THRUST FOR AMIENS. LONDON, April 5. News from the front late this evening shows that the enemy is making no progress in attempts made from either side of the Somme,. to advance towards Amiens.

The report states that the British on the south-westward are strongly heolding the railway embankment (on the Amiens-Arras railway line), which is thwarting the enemy in his determined efforts to advance anlong the highway leading from Arras to Amiens, by way of the town of Corbie, on the Somme. At the same time, south of the Somme, the French have frustrated the Germans in their attempt to reach the railway, and they have been inflicting prodigious losses on the enemv.