WESTERN FRONT.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 20 June 1917, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

GENERAL .HAIG'S .DESPATCHES

PLAN OP OPERATIONS DIS-

CLOSED

Received 10 a.m. LONDON/ June 19.

General Haig, in his despatch covering operations from November 18th to the commencement of the present offensive, affords a connected story and a valuable historical record, elucidating much which has hitherto been obscure, revealing strategic plans behind the apparently isolated attacks and raids which have continued throughout the winter,. showing •howall fitted into a comprehensive and systematic scheme in order to prepare a favourable situation for the sprintr advance. Owing to the Somme battle the enemy in the region of the Ancre Valley had been forced into a pronounced salient between the Ancre and Scarpe Valleys; therefore a further short advance would give command of Beaumont Hamel spur. Accordingly, the attack 'was delivered against the defences the valleys of Pys and Grandicourt on November 18. The object was to advance within assaulting distance ol Le Transloy-Loupart Line. Five thousand yards of valuable positions were acquired in January; the weather then held up operations until the end of January, when the whole spur was captured, and we advanced one thousand yards up the Beaucourt Valley with exceedingly light casualties, owing to the close and skilful co-opera-tion of our infantry and artillery and the fine aircraft work. The possession of this high ground opened up an extensive artillery field, and further successes on the 3rd and 4th February gave us an important section of the German second lino north of the Ancre, making the evacuation of Grandecourt inevitable. Our next task was to dri the enemy from Beaucourt Valley, which began on February 10.

The capture of fifteen hundred yards of trenches lying on the southern front of Serre Hill made the village of Serre a pronounced enemy salient, and further progress up the Ancre valley would make it untenable; therefore, a larger ' operation began with a view of acquiring the northern extremity of Morval and Thiepval Ridge, which commanded the southern approaches tc Anys and Mirauniont, and observation posts in the Upper Ancre Valley. Simultaneously a smaller attack was designed to capture the road north of the Ancre, which ' controlled the western approach to Miraumont. During the night of the 17th February, assaults were delivered, and, despite the heavy ground, a thick mist, and an alert enemy, who put up a barrage,, our troops assaulted with great gallantry, and we succeeded completely in gaining the desired observations, also command of each artillery position in the Ancre Valley, and his defences of Pys and Miraumont. Our subsequent bombardments as anticipated forced evacuation of Pys and Miraumont on the 24th February. On the following day, positions from the north of Guedecourt to west of Serro, were captured. The weather favoured the enemy retirement,, the thaw broke up the roads, the sides of the trenches collapsed, and the acquired ground became worse than a quagmire. The roads behind the enemy improved the further he withdrew, and a succession of misty days prevented rapid pursuit. Consequently it is greatly to the credit of all ranks that constant touch with the enemy was maintained and continuous. Systematic advances drove out the enemy from successive positions until the 2nd March, when wc reached the Lc Trans-loy-Loupart line, except at Irles, which formed a salient, Seven days were then devoted to improving Communications and bringing up guns, and on 10th March Irles was captured., Our casualties were less than our prisoners, who were 289. The way was thus opened for attacking- the Le TransloyLoupart line, which was shelled so effectively that on 11th and 12th March the enemy fell back to parallel lines. Whereupon Grcvilliers and Loupart Wood were occupied, and methodical operations begun for attacking the next line. Prior to this there were indications that the German withdrawal would further extend. It been ascertained he was preparing new defensive system, known as the Hindcnburg line, running from Arras southward to Queant, thence west of Cambrai towards St. Quentin. Various trenches branching off .this line were also under construction. The enemy's immediate concern appeared to be to escape from the salient between Arras" and Le Transloy, which had become inreasingly difficult to hoM.

BRITISH SUCCESSES REPORTED LONDON, June 18. Sir Douglas Haig reports: We took prisoners during the enemy's failure to regain positions on Infantry Hill.

Our troops gained ground slightly in the direction of Warneton.

There was mutual artillery fire all day in the neighbourhood of Lens and northward of Armentleres.

Air fighting yesterday was again in our favour. We downed ten German aeroplanes. Five otSers were driven down. Two of ours are missing.

GERMAN COMMUNIQUE.

LONDON, June 18.

Wireless German official. —There was lively artillery fire on the Yser Canal and both sides of Ypres and the Lys river, also between La Bassee and Sensee Brook.

British reconnoitring advances south-westward of Warneton, eastward of Vermelles and in the neighbourhood of Loos failed. Three British attacks eastward of Croiselles failed. A successful German enterprise resulted in increased French artillerying in the neighbourhood of Cerny, also on large sectors of the" Aisne front and western Champagne. General B'ulow's forces repulsed several British attacks south-west-ward of Lake Doiran. GERMAN RETREAT PREDICTED. PARIS, June 19. Military experts predict that the Germans will be compelled to fall back, because the Ypres Canal and the river Lys" are at the enemy's rear and the British artillery is ceaselessly shelling the bridges across which the Germans must bring supplies. The British staff, are aware of the German plant 1 !. It is believed that the attacks on Klein, Zillebeke, and Holle beke were directed at the pivot of the German retreat. FRENCH COMMUNIQUE. LONDON, June 18. French communique.—There was marked artillery activity in the region of Laffaux, at Pantheon and the Craonne-Chevreux sector. . ' We captured ,a system of trenches forming a salient in Champagne on a front of 500 metres... The Germans continue to bombard Rheims, into which 2000 shells were thrown to-day. Civilians were killed and injured. , . -iV."

AFTER THE MESSINES .VICTORY.

SCENES ON THE BATTLEFIELD

.LONDON, June g. Mr Pirrie Robinson ,("Times" correspondent) says:—- .

"A victory completer than ours yesterday would be impossible. This morning there was a small attack by the Australians for the. purpose of rounding off the gains.. Only a bit of ground with certain trenches required to be taken. The operation was as.successful as everything else, and finished at half-past 9 o'clock. "Later the enemy made a show of attacking in force. The artillery got to work, suggesting an attack which did not develop. Considering the smallness of losses, the swiftness of victory, and the number of prisoners, there was absolutely no flaw to be found in yesterday's operations, which resulted in the cleanest and most unequivocal triumph ever won by the British arms. The Germans may pretend \that another [attempted breakthrough was foiled. But we correspondents knew in advance what was proposed, and I pledge my word that every jot was achieved. BATTERED GERMAN LINE .

, "Yesterday I watched the bombardment of Messines Ridge. To-day, I, a civilian, wandered about it, strolling peaceably and unmolested. The ground between the tree stumps was brown and ploughed up and mixed with remnants. The battle area is, perhaps, a more dreadful place than either the Somme or Arras. Our dead are curiously few. The majority were entombed in their trenches and dug-outs. The German line is cJean cut on one side, with green grass on the other, a chaos with wilderness of interlocking shell-holes in which the wire is heaped in twisted knots. So it is over the whole network of trenches—a desolation complete as Viniy and Pozieres. "I saw many craters. The biggest Avas 70ft. deep and 100 yards across. "Apart from the loss of life, there is no doubt that the terror and demoralisation caused by the mines was enormous.

"The Usltermen aTo in a happy position. Hardly anyone has a story to tell. Their casualties were slight, but they took a thousand prisoners. One battalion had 50 casualties (three killed) and took 100 prisoners. The* Ulstermen did their work cleanly and beautifully. The South Irish were just as good, and officers of both tell me that it was impossible to hold the men." r ";'■>•