WESTERN FRONT.

Taihape Daily Times, 12 March 1918, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

LOCATION OP AMERICAN FORCES Received 8.40. WASHINGTON, March 11. An official war communique states the Americans are located at four points on the West front, including north of Laon, where they hold four and a-half miles of trenches. ENGEL AERODROME BOMBED Received 10.15. LONDON, March 11. The Admiralty reports that aeroplanes bombed Engel aerodrome and dump, starting two fires. All our machines returned. DAYLIGHT RAID ON STUTTGART. IMPORTANT DAMAGE DONE.

LONDON, March 10

Sir Douglas Haig reports: We today dropped 1| tons on the Daimler motor works at Stuttgart, in broad daylight. Several bursts were observed at the railway station,* where a stationary train was set on fire. There were three bursts at a munition factory south-east of the town and other bursts at the Daimler works and buildings'. Hostile machines withdrew after weakly attempting to attack our formation. One of our machines did not return owing to engine trouble.

COMBINED FRENCH AND AMERI-

CAN ATTACK.

Received 11.40.

LONDON, March 11.

Combined French and American troops for the first time in Lorraine executed destructive attacks on the enemy- organisation, charging across sixahundred yards of No Man's. Land. TJhe -showed 'the- utmost daift:-' The'" artillery is co-operating "■'" ; ■'

PICKED TROOPS' DISASTROUS,

LONDON, March 10

1 Mr. Perceval. Phillips state®: Attacks of picked troops on Friday were a disastrous failure. They resulted in a heavy German casualty list and the demoralisation of their storm troops. Our-men ..do not.,fe.ar these elaborate driyes,. Tho spirit confidence was rieve r r higher. The, purpose o£, the at T tacks... at Houlthulst . Forest and Pal.S_puc,.was to ..removelocal salients and. give better observation to the Germans.. 1% was meant to 1 be a siurprfeej. but.. thQ| storm ers were badly shaken by the British artillercy before' their barrage (moved. About 250 men on a front of 800 yards occupied six of our posts at Houlhulst Forest and forced back the British occupants 100 yards. Flame; machines assisted the Germans, but our machine-guns prevented reinforcements coming until the Yorkshire Light Infantry and Royal Fusiliers chased the -Germans into a swamp.

ENEMY RAIDERS REPULSED. LONDON, March 10. Sir Douglas Haig reports: Hostile raiding parties, under cover of a heavy bombardment, attacked positions eastward of Armcntieres. A few British arc missing. Wo repulsed thoi attack _ Artillery fire has markedly increased between La Bassee Canal and Yprcs. BRITISH BARRAGE .PREVENTS GERMAN ASSEMBLY, • LONDON, March 10. Mr. Philip Gibbs writes: The attacks on. Friday wcro frustrated owing to our barrage making the assembly of Germans impossible. German officers at Polderhoek behoved their plans had been revealed They therefore paraded the men and said the attack had been postponed owrng to deserters carrying news to the British. FRENCH COMMUNIQUE LONDON, March 10, French communique.—There was reciprocal artillery fire activity at Bandisapt and Yiolu. Our aeroplanes dropped fourteen tons of bombs on enemy works behind the lines. GERMAN OFFICIAL REPORT. LONDON, March 10. Wireless German official.—Wo repulsed reconnoitring thrustsi southward of Monchy.

Strong French detachments penetrated the foremost trenches between Ancrewiller and Badonvillers. Counterthrusts drove them out