WESTERN FRONT.

Taihape Daily Times, 15 December 1917, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

BYNG'S BLUNDER.

LORD NORTHCLIFFE INTERVIEWED.

Received 9 a.m. LONDON, December 14

The Tribune's London correspondent interviewed Lord Northcliffe who said, "No I do not agree that the time is altogether on the side of the Allies. While they are discussing the transportation of United States troops the Germans are actually moving forces from the Eussian frontier to France. Ships are not used to their fullest capacity, and development of air services would give the Allies victory. '' \

Frank Symonds, in the Tribune, says General Byng's neglect of Ms flanks on the Scheldt in an attempt to reasonably enlarge his success was a blunder and even he may find his personal position insecure.

GERMAN ONSLAUGHT. HEAVY FIGHTING ON CAMBRAI. LINE. GERMANS SEVERELY PUNISHED. VERY SMALL GAIN ACHIEVED. LONDON, December 13. Mr. Phillip Gibbs writes: The enemy attach near (to close fighting, throughout Wednesday, but it was still limited to a local operation on a 500 yards' front. It is no more important for the moment than biting off a small salient which was useless to us. The onslaught looked as though it was preliminary to big endeavours. . The enemy made a considerable demonstration of their offensive spirit, bombarding eastward and westward of the point attacked, and pouring poison gas and shells down the Cojcul Valley, about Heniuheningc, and in the valley below Queant. When the Bavarians, advancing in depth, penetrated the maze of earthworks, there was hard fighting for very little advantage. Wc did not intend to let them have this spit of land for nothing. Our counter-attack drove back several times on Wednesday, though at the end of a long day's struggle the enemy had slightly deepened tneir driving wedge, and this morning, held the base of the line of the salient. There/- was close fighting —sometimes within bayonet reach and always within bombing range—resembling old trench struggles. This was somewhat varied by British airmen at a height of fifty feet machine-gun-ning infantry in the newly-captured trench. They made plentiful use of bombs, flying back three times for renewed supplies. Four aeroplanes were engaged, enabling us to clear the line of trench captured by the first assault. Darkness alone prevented us continuing. The artillery inflicted severe losses on the Bavarians. Probably these losses checked the renewed attack planned for this morning.

SIR DOUGLAS HAIG'S REPORT LONDON, December 13. ' Sir Douglas Haig reports: We successfully attacked a post southward of Sillebrag Instaine. The garrison were killed or prisonered. There was bomb-fighting this afternoon eastward of Bulleconrt in portion of a trench which the enemy penetrated on Wednesday. The enemy's artillery showed some activity southward of the Scarpe and north-cast of Ypres. Aeroplanes engaged the enemy during the attaek at Eullecourt on Wednesda}-.

There has been much fighting. Six enemy machines were downed.

A CRISIS APPROACHING GERMANS CONCENTRATING IN THE WEST. A DECISIVE BLOW TO BE ATTEMPTED. LONDON, December 14. Colonel Repington writes: There are now 150 German divisions in the West, and 79 in the East, but the latter has been denuded of all fighters between the ages of 19 and 35 for the West Front. Possibly more complete divisions are following. We must expect half a million fresh fighters in the West and many more guns and aircraft. Germany may maintain safety with second-grade troops in the East, but the whole of the German forces fit to fight will be concentrated for a decisive blow in the West, possibly in the winter or spring. Exhaustion of reserves and want may compel them to strike more quickly than we think. In any case the long German defensive has ended. We must take corresponding precautions. Whatever is done must be done quickfly. We have roughly two million men in the. West and a million elsewhere. We need a million men in order to maintain our existing forces in 1918.