The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1917. SOMME BATTLE NUMBER TWO.

Taihape Daily Times, 23 November 1917, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1917. SOMME BATTLE NUMBER TWO.

(With which is incorporated The Taihape Post and Waimarino News).

Several important aspects of the war were cabled to us yesterday. Sir Douglas Haig has returned "to the scene of what was stated to be the bloodiest battle of the war. Ho has, without firing a gun in preparation for attack, sent British infantry once more to recommence on the Somme sector where his first great success'' on the West front was achieved. We have fresh in memory the names, Combles, Bapaume and Peronne, all capture?? in the battle of the Somme. British soldiers never distinguished themselves more than they did at Pozferes, Montauban, Thiepval and a dozen other places in the Somme and Ancre region, Now, without one piece of" artillery to prepare the way, but an army of tanks to knock out gun emplacements, destroy chained machine-gunners, and blaze the way, British soldiers are sent over their parapets with nothing but rifle and bayonet, and with what a glorious result. They literally walked, or ran, over, all the German defence in the much vaunted, impregnable Hindenburg line, smashing everything in their way to a depth of five miles, on a wide front. They have penetrated and captured the Hun's last line of defence in that sector, and have taken thousands of prisoners. In the first Somme battle gains of one hundred yards were reported as great achievements, now, without a shell to help, following up 1916 captures in the same sector, infantry drive the Germans to a depth of five miles, and completely smash the Hindenburg line. The first Somme victory was looked upon by Germany and the more pessimistic amongst Allies and neutrals as a British defeat, while the Verdun thrust, just then ended, was proclaimed a brilliant victory for France. That may be so, but without the 1916 battle of the Somme the glorious triumph just consummated could not have been possible. What the immediate result will be it is difficult to see until more definite and detailed news comes to hand. Hindenburg has told Germany of the smashing of his line, and says he is furnishing the necessary counter moves. It is apparent that British soldiers could nat have ac-

complished what they did in the time had the German line not been drawn upon, and its reserves dangerously depleted to send men where Sir Douglas Haig is knocking his hardest. To keep the British out of Eoulcrs, Hindenburg has been cmpcllcd to let them into Mareoingj through the last line of

Gorman defence in that sector. He has virtually let the British into sight of Cambrai, the nearest point to the eastward and the Rhine yet reached, and lie has no defences in the rear. At the close of the 1916 Somme battle. Hindenburg sneeringly remarked that British £ains were of no consequence, they had merely made a small dent in the German line. What will he say now that the boasted inaccessible region behind his line has been reached and a highly important town captured? The game he is playing in Italy is being successfully played by Haig in France. He has not yet reached the rear of the Italian line, Haig has broken down his very last fence in France, with the plains before Cambrai almost in sight. Thousands of prisoners have been taken; is"it possible that our waiting cavalry have found an opportunity for real and effective cavalry work? The attack was a surprise, so Avas the attack against Italy; it was a complete success from a strategical viewpoint. Being so complete and successful a surprise, it may be presumed that Germany will not be prepared to defend a great deal of the neighbouring country. Flanking operations seem to be capable of bringing about considerable extension of the five miles on a wide front already captured. Where is Germany to bring the men from to repair this hole in their line? They scarcely dare to take a man from before the victorious French further south; they have more than they can do to hold our brave fellows in the Ypres-Eoulers region. If there is any truth about a rumoured report of gathering forces to "scrap" Swisavneutrality by an attack on France through Switzerland this disaster to their Hindenburg line on the Somme will certainly upset their arrangements, and while they are bringing men from before Switzerland there is time for the British to make the damage done irreparable. Let us hope that the dark hour of Russian collapse and Italian failure has not caused any undue hastening pf British plans and strategy on the West front. If not, then wo may feel,- .assured that' Sir Douglas Haig is. prepared' to take full advantage of the gap he has' opened'up. The rapidity with which the advance was made, together with" the large number of prisoners captured, indicates that resistance was i; hot great, that the attack was entirely unexpected and unprepared for, ahd as a consequence, that British losses were particularly light. This smashing, of the German last line of defence;cftnd the capture of Marcoing will have a great moral effect on belligerents and neutrals. Our brilliant successes in Palestine, on the i Euphrates, L and now in France, will greatly "'disturb feeling in Turkey, Bulgaria and" Austria. Germany : will nee'd to apply all her persuasive powers on her 'Allies to get them to forget the losses of territory and the slaughter of their brothers in their own land, while they are being used for German glorification in Italy. Germany works lip to a heartening climax which is doomed to be overpowered and to have a cloud of gloom put over it, which fills both Germans and the peoples she dominates with a new terror. What the full and ultimate result of Sir Douglas Haig's brilliant coup in the Somme sector will be, there is no detail to enable the formation of any approximate opinion upon. We know it is a most important victory, the results of which will be farreaching. In the first bottle of the Somme both combatants claimed victory, Germany has already admitted defeat in the last battle, and only says steps are being taken for making the necessary counter-moves. We wonder what British, and probably French forces will be doing on the spot while the Hindenburg steps are being taken. We are, at least, assured that they will be German steps to the rear.