WESTERN FRONT.

Taihape Daily Times, 8 December 1917, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

THE WITHDRAWAL FROM BOURLON. GERMANS DRAWN INTO A TRAP* Received 8.25. LONDON, December 7. British correspondents at the front state the withdrawal from the Bourlon Wood salient was carried out with the greatest discipline. The ■ success depended on the enemy ’s ignorance, and the valour of the rearguards. The enemy bcame suspicious owing to the strange silence, and the emptiness of Bourlou Wood. Later on groups crept forward to the sugar factory on the Cambrai Road. Large bodies now advanced with bayonets fixed, peering around evidently fearing a trap. The silence of onr guns puzzled them; our artillerymen waited until the ground was black with moving Germans, then, at a pre arranged signal, opened fire. The Germans were caught and badly punished. A considerable; number of men also assembled for a mass assault, but the artillery shattered them on the sunken road. We now occupied positions taken from the enemy, # with good observation posts and strong liues beliiud.

- RAIDING OPERATIONS. Received 8.25. LONDON, December 7. • Sir Douglas Haig reports: There -is great activity on both sides. On Wednesday we carried out long distance reconnaisances, bombing machine-gun ground and targets, including Gontrade and St. Denis aerodromes, and Douai railway stations Fighting continued all day. Ten Gernßin machines were brought down, and five of ours are missing. Another successful raid was made on Germany to-day. PATROL ENCOUNTERS. Received 10.40. Sir Douglas Haig reports:—The infantry action on the Cambrai front last night was confined to patrol encounters. There is increased artillery... fire astride the Scarpe River. .BOURLON .WOOD EVACUATED.. LONDON, December 0. The evacuation of Bourlon W T ood and the Noyelles salient did not surprise those who visited them. The enemy were placed in many ridiculous postures by the withdrawal For instance, they shelled Bourlon trenches and the vicinity hell-for-lea-ther long after they had been vacated After a hurricane barrage, they attacked in dense masses only to discover that the forest was garrisoned by corpses. Later, mounted patrols, were seen cautiously approaching the ruins, of buildings near the CambraiBapaume road, southward of the wood, like wary mice approaching a bait of cheese, British shrapnel sent them scurrying, only to return, going through the same performance, presently entering the ruins and signalling ‘all clear.’ A further bombard- , ment was laid down on another empty trench, whereupon thick waves of Germans poured over the crest of the hill on both sides of Bourlon to storm positions which were unoccupied save by ground rats. The British left nothing behind. Every telephone wire was neatly rolled up and dug-outs were destroyed.

A STRATEGIC RETIREMENT. LONDON, December 7. The retirement strengthens Sir Douglas Haig’s positions w'hich required cither passing on or readjustment of the line. The decision was taken w r ith due regard to German reinforcements from the Russian front and Hindenburg’s avowed purpose of forcing an issue before the Americans arc able to hit w r ith force. Sir Douglas Haig reports; — was local fighting in the neighbourhood of La Vaequcrio. The situation is unchanged. Our artillery and infantry fire repulsed minor attacks southward of Bourlon Wood with severe enemy loss. Hostile artillery is active at a number of points southward of the Scarpe. also in the neighbourhood of Armenticrcs. Reuter’s Headquarters correspondent says: We have fallen back from Cambrai deliberately upon a wmll choosen line, which rules out the salient made by Bourlon Wood and Sieourn, thus enabling us to maintain our hold on the captured portion of the Hindenburg line whatever pressure the Germans may 'apply, less than onethird of the total gained by the great tank-drive a fortnight ago.

GERMANS PUSHING WEST. LONDON, December 6. Headquarters, report: German prisoners state that all leave on the West Front has been stopped. There is extraordinary congestion of westward bound traffic. Every species of rolling stock is being employed to bring up reinofrcements and material.

THE GERMAN REPORT. 9000 PRISONERS TAKEN. \ “ LONDON, December 7. Wifeless German official. —We stormed trenches southward and south-west of Mouvres, and pressed forward to positions between Moeuvres and Marcoing, withdrawing to the heights, northward and eastward of Flesquineres. We captured Graincourt, Anneus Cantaing and Noyelles heights, northward of Marcoing, penetrating four kilometres on a front of ten kilometres. The retreating enemy fired villages. Prisoners now total 9,000 guns 25S and machine guns 716. We cleared out the English from Marcoing.