WAR NEWS.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 26 April 1917, Page 3

WAR NEWS.

MONDAY, Raid on Dover Fails — German Destroyers Sunk — Continued French Success — Turks Suffer Two Reverses. A raid on Dover was attempted by five German destroyers on Friday night. British patrol vessels sank two, and possibly a . third, of the enemy's vessels. The remainder escaped in the darkness. T-^2^ are further indications of new activity on the Russian fronts. . Progress has been made at many points by the French on the slopes of the Aisne plateau, in the region north of Rheims, and in the Champagne. Attacks have been made against the Turks on two fronts. The Egyptian army on Wednesday captured the enemy's advanced positions at Wadi Ghuzzi, on a front of 6H miles In the Mesopotamian theatre General army completely routed Turkish army, 70 miles north of Bagdad. TUESDAY Hospital Ships Sunk—Two lost in one day — German Wounded Aboard—New Crisis {in GreeceBritish Progress on Three Fronts.

Two British hospital ships were sunk last Tuesday evening. One vessel carried 582 persons, including 167 wounded Germans, and 23 British and 15 Germans are missing. The other carried slightly wounded British soldiers, 29 of them and, 12 of the crew are missing. Survivors state that the German's behaved abominably frantically struggling to reach the boats.

Affairs in Greece are said to be approaching a climax. The Government has not fulfilled the allies' demands, and German and Greek officers are organising bands of irregulars.

The southern portion o£Havrincourt Wood, the extensive area south of the Bapaume-Cambrai Wood, is now in British possession.

British forces are pressing the attack on the Turkish positions north of Bagdad. British forces are in contact with the enemy's main positions covering Gaza, in Palestine.

WEDNESDAY Offensive Resumed —- Advance on Wide Front—Germans Strongly Reinforced—French Defeat attacks in Belgium.

The British offensive has been resumed on the Arras front. The attack was launched on a front of about 10 miles, from the Douai road to the Sensee river. The Germans had massed new forcesof infantry and artillery, but the British fought their way forward on the whole front, inflicting heavy losses, and capturing Gavrelle and Guemappe.

The French have repulsed several attacks at various points in Belgium. Attempts by the Germans to recover the heights of Moronvillers, in the Champagne, have been defeated.

Britain has proposed to Germany that combatant prisoners whose captivity exceeds two years should be transferred to a neutral country."

The Turks have been driven put of their positions at Istabulat pi} the Bagd^d-Samarra railway. .-Xhey have retiresd to positions sirfcjniles nerer S,amarra, against •v^Hta the B.ritish attack has heerfrenew^cj.

THURSDAY Intense Fighting—Enemy Effort to /Check Advance—British Qaining Ground—Success in Air Combats— ' Seaplane Sinks Enemy Destroyer > ' All reports agree that the new .phase of the British offensive has developed a conflict of exceptional intensity. The Germans massed seven divisions on a front of eight miles, but as the result of a day of fierce fighting the British advanced on the whole froftt.'' The Germans are striving Withqut regard to Iqssgs, to check |he WxanQeV-. The anxiety at fheir headquarters is revealed in the communique issued on Tuesday eyening, which describes the battle as oile qf life and death. There was a record number of aerial fights on Monday, British aviators went fat* behind the enemy's lines, forcing the German machines to give battle. Fifteen were destroyed, and 24 driven down. By a di rect hit, a British seaplane heavily damaged—and probably sank—a German destroyer.