LONDON PRESS COMMENT

Nelson Evening Mail, 18 September 1916, Page 5

LONDON PRESS COMMENT

SIR DOUGLAS TIAIG'S DESPATCHES EXPLAINED. MOVING FORTS. DEFENCES OK LE PPJEZ. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) LONDON* .Sept. 16. Sir Douglas Fai'g : s despatches yesterday were among the most ibrilliant of the war. The newspapers display big hea-a-lines rending: "'Sweeping ...British Advances,"' and 1 "Germans on the Run."' The capture of, 2300 prisoners 'brings the total British captures on the >Sormm> to over 20,000. Sir Douglas 'Haig's bulletins stating that t-hs situation on the -rio7imie is unchanged invariably portend events of importance, and the public are not disappointed. Everything was in readiness for a frith er advance on Tlrarsday .night. The attack at daiwn resulted; in an advance on a.six-mile fiont, ena'bling the British -■> follow the example of the French ai Bouchavesnes and .-mash through the third and> 3ast line of the enemy's longestabliishedi position. •Sir Dougkis. Haig's references to mysterious armoured cars, and aeroplanes swooping like. falcons and pouring streams of bullets -upon the lltnimn infantry form a now and' marvellous battle picture, and details are eagerly awaited. It has been whispered in the Ariiv for several days that there had been developments trom trie armoured cars which rendered good service in Flanders early in the xar, and afterwards Xn. Egypt. ?t"t was known that they had successfully passed' the experimental stage and were to be -tested in thc■Somme offensive. The details of their construction are unknown, ibut the soldierscallthem "tanks." c". more 'humorously. "Willies." No vehicles mounted 1 on ordinary wheels couirt hope to survive the shell-torn, roadless, and trench-intersected wilderness. Mbreover the ears '-must be ir: vulnerable to machine gun fire. WTien the details are pubLi-ihed wtshall 'be in a position to gauge the feelings of the German infantry, who in the uncertain light of cjiivn- on~ Friday eaw

Jin aiT.i\ (.1 unearthly monsters advancing laboriously but I'L-asolt/.-siN over trendies, -barbed wilt?, and shell craters. It is understood' that- the curs, are really forts on wheels. Their chief work is to karate German machine g-unners, and tihe difficulties of tln- attackers 'have been surmounted. The defences of Le Prie/. Farm, in addition to an underground system, consisted of six successive lines of entrenchments linked by commu mention trenches and Hanked i*>y four redou'bts bristling ■with .machine amis. The Germans spent months in constructing the work, hoping t.hat it would guard* Combles against ts, flank at-tadkf. Certain pari.* were intav<t after the French (had poured in shells of all sizes for an entire week. General FayolJe's- gallant troops, however, took the position in two hums. THE KIXG\S ISOiXC n;ATT : iLATIONS. J.ONDON, Sep'. 16. The King, in a nies.v.tge. to Sir Douglas Haig. said: "I congratulate you and my "oravc troops upon t'ne brilliant success just, achieved. I have never doubted that complete victory will ult imateiy cr-Ciwn our efforts, and' yesterday's splendid results have confirmed this view. ' FKEXCII. PRAISE OK THE BPTTISii ATTACK■PARIS, Sept. 16. Military critics arc loud in praise of the .British success, and admit that the task was still harder than that- of the French.

The British still have to face enemy ■lines, which have been long organised, but the situation has greatly improved since the great Berlingots trench, was captnred. The critics add that the battle is 'bound to continue with fierceness. We are too close to Mont St.. Quentin for the German lilring, while its massed artilier-- interferes with us. The fa; iture of Morvar will make the escape of the garrison of Odmbles impossible. :i {_: ALAICST I.X'CPETHBLE BOMBARDMENT. PARIS. Sept. 17. .Military correspondents, on the Somme front describe the almost incredible effect of "the 72 .hours' British bombardment of the German 'trenches. The whole ground, was cirarned tip. A splendidly fortified and armoured work opposite -Courcetlette was completely razed, and no trace of it was found when the attacking; infantry crossed the ploughed soil. The whole battle was one of the most sangni,nary description. The enemy massed large forces at every point threatened, ibtii although they were enjoined -~to defend every inch to the last man they were compelled to acknowledge a crushing defeat and surrender wholesale.