FRENCH AIR FIGHTING

Taihape Daily Times, 2 April 1918, Page 6

FRENCH AIR FIGHTING

TERRIBLE ENEMY LOSSES LONDON, MeTbch 31. A French official report states: Between the 22nd and 26th of March our airmen, flying as low as twenty-two yards from the ground, dropped over fifty kilogramme of bombs in eonvoys, marching columns, and massed enemy troops. They also fired thousands or machine gun rounds, from which the enemy suffered terribly. Sixty battle planes and twenty bombing planes on the 27th inst. inflicted terrible losses on the enemy’s massed infantry, blew up munitions dumps, and caused great fires. Our bombing planes co-operat-ed in attacking railway stations at Metz, Ablons, and Thionville. Several fires and violent explosions s were caused at Metz and Ablons. The French air squadron on the night of the 23rd, dropped three and a half tons of bombs on the Badische aniline factory at Ludwigshafen, the principal poison gas factory in Germany. Forty-two enemy aeroplanes were brought down. Our troops, continuing the successes, carried Monchali by storm. A violent engagement occurred for the possession of Plessis de Nojades, all the enemy attacks against which failed before our indomitable resistance. Prisoners stsate that the number of bodies found in this part of the battlefield, and also in -the region of Mont Didier confirm the reports that the enemy losses were extremely heavy, while they achieved.no result. North of Mont Didier the French and British troops were victorious, holding the enemy on a line from the river Avdre to the, front of Luneville, through Sire Bernard, Mezieres, Marcelcave, and Hamel. Our long range guns caught and dispersed enemy infantry columns and convoys on the Laon-La Fere road. There is moderate artillery fighting on the remainder of the front.

A late French communique states; The battle continued with., violence last evening and throughout._-part-rof the night in the region of Mont Didier. Despite repeated counter-attacks the enemy were unable to dr-i«e us out of the villages we captured yesterday.