WESTERN FRONT.

Taihape Daily Times, 8 January 1918, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

THE FINAL ROUND. WILL THE ENEMY FACE THE COST. LONDON, January 7. Mr. Gibbs writes: The enemy at the moment £re not doing fnuch. Snow-bound and ice-bound like ourselves, there is little activity behind their lines. Their gunfire is still fierce. There are sudden bursts of fury 'against Passehendaele and |the back areas of the Ypres salient, also at Havrincourt and Cambrai. The opposing armies are waiting for the snow to melt, and after that there will be another little wait until the thaw is complete and until the mud, ooze and slime which-fill the.trenches will have dried. Prisoners say the • enemy will strike a blow in the event of the peace efforts failing. We cannot .ignore the menacing possibility that ,our armies when, the ground has hardened, will be put. on. the defensive against a great concentration of guns and men moving forward in massed attacks in a last desperate attempt to gain a decision, at any cost. My personal opinion is that before that happens the enemy, knowing the strength of our defence,- will make a desperate bid for peace. She cannot:- face the utter and permanent ruin- of the race which would follow on that pouring out of a river of blood from the last reserves of her manhood. . ,-•

ACTIVITY IN FLANDERS. - -i AMSTERDAM, January 6. All the villages in north-east Flanders are packed with German soldiers, feverishly constructing fortifications. fc : AERIAL ACTIVITY. LONDON, January 7. Despite the weather yesterday, our aeroplanes dropped half a ton of explosives, on Ramegnieschin aerodrome obtaining direct hits. They also dropped a ton on Conflans (near Metz) station, causing a big explosion and fire.

Aeroplanes dropped a further half ton on Courcelles station.