ON THE WESTERN FRONT.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 21 March 1917, Page 5

ON THE WESTERN FRONT.

GREAT SALIENT PRACTICALLY GONE. GERMANS DRIVEN FROM ARRASBAPAUME ROAD. ENEMZ SCHEME FORESTALLED BY BRITISH ATTACKS. LONDON, March 19. , Reuter's headquarters correspondent, telegraphing on Monday, says: "We continue to press the- retreating enemy hard. Whatever the German tactical scheme may be, it is certain that w« him, and are hustling him to a degree he did not anticipate. "uur patrols have crossed the ArrasBap.* ume road and railway at many pomi, and although we cannot yet claim to cominate these important roads, the Geixuans are certainly off them. In otn.v.r words, the grout salient has practically gone." u French official report states that the second German position east of the Oito has been captured. r ine enemy shamefully devastated and piii„ged many localities. Thousands of inhdLuitants whom the Germans wene unable to drive away are welcoming the Fjench. NESLE AND ROYE EVACUATED, ?WANTON DESTRUCTION BY GERMANS.

THE FRENCH OPERATIONS. GERMAN RUTHLESSNESS IN RETREAT. LONDON, March 20. The High Commissioner cables:— French official: During the day wo passed Ham on the Somme, and Chaumy on the Oise. We hold many places between. Our cavalry scoured the country for many miles northwards of Ham, and captured a convoy retiring in the direction of St. Quentin. Our advance here is to the depth of 35 kilometres. Soissons is cleared, and north-east of Croay advanced elements are ranging the whole length of the Maubeffgc Road. Twenty villages have been delivered. The enemy is devastating the country, cutting down the finest trees, and destroying the fields. They have burned many villages, the inhabitants of which are without shelter or provisions, and are being fed by us. Roads and bridges have been destroyed. -On the left of the Meuse we retook almost all the, elements of trenches where the enemy penetrated. Fighting continues.

Ecceived 8.45. PARIS, March 20. French aviators flying over Nesle on Sunday, observed a man on a housetop waving a tricolour. They descended and found the Germans had evacuated the town. The cavalry entered immediately after, and received an enthusiastic reception from the population, ' which numbers 2000'. • The entrance into Rove was delayed owing to flood:, and obstructions piaeeu on the road:-*-. Ihe town was savagely and systematically looted, the Germans carrying off, or destroying crockery, linen, pictures, and furniture, leaving the inhabitants only a mattess, table, and chair apiece, but many houses and churches are intact. ENEMY RETIRED TO OPEN UOUiVi'KY. IMPEDING THE PURSUIT. A TRAIL OF DESOLATION. Received 8.45. 'L« LONDON, Mareh 20. Mr Phillip Gibbs, the war correspondent, in writing on the recent operations on the West front says:—The enemy is refusing battle, and has further retired to the open country east of Bapaume. Our cavalry is in touek with the Uhlans on a line west of Cambrai and St. Quentin. The exact location is vague, as the movement continues. Our. cavalry is moving among a large number of villages, which are everywhere burning, and there is widespread destruction. At Peronne, everything was done to impede pursuit, bridges being destroyed, trees cut down in the streets and formed into barricades. The houses were ignited, and were burning fiercely when the British entered.

HEAVY FIGHTING AT VERDUN. LONDON, March 19. A French communique says: After, a violent bombardment the Germans last evening powerfully attacked on the 'Avocourt-Morthomme front, but our barrage and machine-gun fire smashed the -waves of assault along the greater part of the front before reaching our lines, and inflicted heavy losses. In the direction of Hill 304, and the edge of Avo4tbnnt wood, where enemy parties succeeded in penetrating our limes on a front of about 200 metres, there was lively hand-to-hand fipfeting, and the enemy was partly driven out.

GERMANS FLEEING BEFORE THE FRENCH. ROADS PACKED WITH TRANSPORT COLUMNS AND GUNS. LONDON, March .19. A correspondent at the French headquarters says the enemy is falling back more rapidly before the French than the British. All roads behind the fleeing foe are closely packed day and night with transport columns and guns, while everywhere on the horizon smoke clouds tell of preparations for; further retreat. The work of destruction is proceeding systematically. As an example, in the village of Cadour they burned farms and waggons rr.fl destroyed machinery and everything useful. They carried off boys approaching military age, besides the mayor and deputymayor, and not only seized all the people's produce, but American relief supplies, forcing everybody to work in return for three-quarters of a pound 01 L-read aam.

GREAT RAPIDITY OF BRITISH ADVANCE. GERMANS RUSHING EAST. LONDON, March 19. Reuter's correspondent at the British front says: The most striking illustration of the rapidity of the advance during the past two days is the fact that patrols have got astride the railway and road between Arras and Bapaume at various places without encountering resistance. The great Le Transloy-Hebuterne-Arras salient has disappeared. The railway and roads are much damaged, but communications can be quickly restored. We are now practically holding the line Joffro chose in the attempted but unsuccessful French stand during the great retreat. Latest news shows that the ArrasPeronne front is swinging round to-day like the alteration of a clock's hads from 5 o'clock to 4.30 o'clock. The Germans have fallen behind Hendecourt, nearly ten miles south-east of Arras, only two miles from the main road to Cambrai. BRITISH PURSUIT CONTINUES. ADVANCE FROM TWO TO EIGHT MILES. LONDON, March 20. Sir Douglas Haig reports: The pursuit of the enemy was continued to-day. our cavalry advanced guards driving back the enemy rearguards. Ground was gained to a depth of from two to eight miles. Forty more villages were taken. THE GERMAN VERSION. LONDON, March 19. We stormed trenches on 500 and 600 metres fronts couth of Bois de Milan - court, on the slope of Hill 304.

A BIG ADVANCE. GERMANS.RETREATING IN GREAT HASTE. LONDON, March 19. French communique:—During the day our troops advanced beyond Ham on the Somme, and Chauny on the Oise. We hold numerous localities between both. Our cavalry, operating several kilometres north of Ham, captured a convoy which was returning from the directicn of St. Quentin. Our advance at this point has attained a depth of thirty-five kilometres. Our detachments south of Chauny readied a line from the Aidette to Soissons, and entirely relieved the enemy pressure north-east of Crouy. our advance elements progressed along the Maubeuge Road. About twenty villages and small towns were liberated during the day. Before retiring the enemy laid waste the country. Fruit trees wer e cut down and torn up by the roots, fields destroyed by mines, and roads and bridges demolished. Numerous villages have been incinerated. Shelterless and starving inhabitants were fed by I the French troops.

176 VILLAGES LIBERATED. . LONDON, March. 19. -The Somnie advance .has liberated 176 villages, representing 1250 square miles, with 11,000 inhabitants. SUCCESS IN CHAMPAGNE. LONDON, March 19. There was violent artillery fire in the Champagne. We captured almost all the trenches on the left bank of the Meuse, which the enemy penetrated. Fighting continues. SIR JAMES ALLEN ON THE RETREAT. WELLINGTON, March 20. "The news is very good, but one ought not to draw conclusion that this is the sign of the end, > ' remarked Sir Jas. Allen.to your correspondent, apropos of the German retreat. ' ' We don't know what they may be going back to; we must not allow ourselves to slacken off. We must keep going to the finish. We only hope it is the beginning of the end. It is very good so far as it goes. I'm sure there are dicffiulties before our men yet. The enemy has the inner lines of communication, and it is always shortening the front. I don't want to sound a pessimestic not, because I don't feel it, but I don't want the people to believe it is the end. We must redouble our efforts now we see we can beat them and keep going until we finish them.'' The Minister was asked if the Government has matured plans for demobilisation, and replied that these Avere worked out, and are being considered by the staff at the front. The National Efficiency Board's efforts are all in that as the Board will continue L : T( i". -;ic war. The Returned Soldiers' i'< ; ] n continue till the "°'v 'ran is re-absorbed into civilian

",'y Allen declared that there was no r-trr way to place the soldiers than m the bind; therefore the Government was paying special attention to this vital subject. It also recognised the need for instructing the men in town occupations. CONPLAGATIONS 50 MILES BEHIND THE LINES. NEXT TWENTY-FOUR HOURS WILL TELL. Received 11.5. NEW YORK, March 20. The New York World's Paris correspondent states that the German High Command has stemmed the rapidity of General Neville's pursuit. French aviators returning from scouting, report that conflagations are visible fon fifty miles behind the lines. Mr Frank Simmonds, writing to* the New York Tribune, predicts the next twenty-four hours will decide whether the Germans intend to retire to the Franco-Belgian frontier, on make a stand at Cambrai, St. Quentin, and Laon front. WHY THE GERMANS ARE RETREATING. FOR STRATEGICAL REASONS. Received 11.5. NEW YORK, March 20. Mr Wood, a Universal Press representative with the advancing French armies, writes that French refugees state the Germans hope by shortening the West fnont, to release thirty divisions for strategy elsewhere. The recaptured territory is wantonly destroyed, the devastation exceeding the original German invasion. The Germans mined Roye, but were compelled to evacuate it after firing only a few mines. Civilians were hurled out of beds, and craters forty feet wide, and thirty feet deep were blown in the principal street.