RUSSIAN FLEET TAKEN

Taihape Daily Times, 9 April 1918, Page 5

RUSSIAN FLEET TAKEN

* BETRAYED FOR GERMAN GOLD. # : Fresh Hun Offensive at Lens. ADVANCE ON AMIENS CHECKED. Owing to Heavy Losses and Exhaustion America's Utmost Efforts Promised

#ESTERii FRONT.

WONDERFUL DEFENCE BY TRENCH TROOPS, LONDON, April 7. Keuter's French Headquarters correspondent, reporting on the 7th Inst, says: In the second battle, which commenced on Thursday, we held and repulsed the enemy at most places with heavy lofcses, with troops which entered the battle on March 25th. The closing days of March were among the most critical of the war. The Germans had been stopped on the Oise and Somme, but confronting them, between Montdidier and Moreuil was a mere cordon barring the way to Amiens. By the 28th reinforcements had been brought up and the line reestablished but it was Teld by only three French divisions. During these four successive days they had to meet the shock of thirty enemy division's. During the) whole battle relief was impossible, yet iiresh German divisions were throwncin;daily As;: soon , as ■'■ oitei> division. < gained: i ita objective, [itu.was , withdrawn, placed.. The-retiring ~.division.was .re:-* inforced, rested a few days and: then sent into battle again. The. ;xorr£spoadento gives many instances of the fine stand and fierce fighting .by; small bodies:' of '■'. French against great odds during those critical days. Today's lull is expected to be of short duration, i • ■•''-'• . A FRENCH COMMUNIQUE; ;;a. .or in;: ;T LONDON, April ■7;. ■A French communique* issued . at,. 1 o 'clock, this . mqrning,.,says: Artillery stopped attempted .enemy , attacks,.in the tegion of.Hangarden san and caught concentrations, of ■ troopls at various points on the front, north of Montdidier. ,-.,:... A strong German attack on the right of the Meuse, north-east of Hill 344, was repulsed after sharp fighting. The enemy's losses were important. Seven aeroplanes and two balloons were.brought down. Five tons of bombs were dropped on cantonments in the Roye region. .FOR ANOTHER DRIVE. LONDON, April 7.

ON THE FRENCH FRONT. ENEMY ATTACKS BEATEN OFF. LONDON, April 7. A French communique reports: Last evening we repulsed an enemy attack in the Grivesnes region, five miles north-wetet of Montdidier. Great reciprocal artillery activity occurred during tHe night between Montdidier and Noyon. A strong enemy detachment which gained a footing'in our advanced line west of Noyon was immediately driven out by our counter attack. The Germans have not renewed their attempts in the district on the Oise front. Enemy coups de main north of the Chemin (ies Dames, were unsuccessful Kheims was. very violently bombarded during the night. " a " Ht (GERMAN CUNNING.'. ' ". ■jiii SCI- .-J-L'Jl v: :■■'■■ t 'o •- •••■'■-••«] ■■ »bnu 4-3-,-d J LONDON, April 7.° -jo*: b«er: od.i c -:o■■■-■< •■ ■■'■:■. ■: ■■• Mall Gazette describes. : ther Mahammedan;. andy ■, Hindu; < /prisoners' toj? ; ,in Germany as. a veritable; parae,,'lt is centre of Oriental paganda. , u ■.. -, \>. : -. . ,r- ---. GERMAN OFFICIAL REPORT. ; SUCCESS, ,ON. THE.. OISE CLAIMED. °: a "-~ ;'■'"• LONDON, April 7.". ilSEfj lit' o; vvu; i ■ .-.; -.- ■ ■' ■■- i fojfaiseless m -German Official: ; After VloieW'artHlery fire; the Anglo-French attacked on the Andre-and Avre.' "English masses collapsed northward of Beaumont-Hamel, and before a bridge-head position at Albert. The French vainly stormed between Castle Mailly, eastward of Thory, and near Cantigny. They stormed five times near Mesnil. AH broke down after desperate handto-hand fighting. *We crossed the marshes of the Oise and stormed the suburbs of Chauny. We also took positions near Amigny, and in the north-eastern portion of Coucy Wood, prisonering over 1400, 4 We downed 18 aeroplanes. Wireless German official: We captured Plerremande and Folembray. BU<J|eSSFUL BRITISH OPERATIONS. LONDON, April 7. •At 10.25 this evening. Sir Douglas Hals reported: Our successful minor operations southwards of the Somme this morning led to sharp fighting. The enemy strongly counter-attacked, . suffering heavily. We repulsed two atacks at Bucquoy by artillery fire. GALLANT BRITISH AIRMEN. SPLENDID WORK REPORTED. LONDON. April 8. Sir Douglas Haig reports: Our aeroplanes, watching enemy movements, reported a hostile concentration south of the Somme. Large formations immediately went out in the rain, and, i dropped over 500 bombs and fired fif-j ty thousand rounds at the assembled ! Infantry. We brought down fifteen, and down eleven enemy machines. Sixteen of ours have not yet been located, many of them being doubtless forced to land behind our lines,, owing =fv dMßeulty In finding the aerodromes/ m tfcft heavy rain. ; Canadian ■ airmen have - done v ; very ' valuable work during the present bat- j

Mr Phillip Gibbs writes: The Germans are struggling hard to bring up heavy gun's and to complete the organisation of 'tneii divisions before atempting another drive on a Big scale. This may come soon, as the Germans have still large concentrations of troops north of the Somme. They must be very wretched, being always under our harassing fire in a sinking ditch about Aveluy, Mesnil, and Thiepval, where foul water lies stagnant below rows of dead looped trees, and the frightful smells arising from the battle' of two weeks ago. The Germans have no cover in this valley of death. We see every movement_ TREMENDOUS LOSSES SUSTAINED. LONDON, April 7. At 1.45 this morning Mr. Percival Phillips reported: Repeated attacks on practically the entire front yielded the enemy such scant gain of ground that his position has in. no way improved since Friday. Massed divisions tried to advance on a front of thirty' •miles. Fighting everywhere was extremely heavy. The enemy showed great determination. His infantry was constantly exposed on open ground. We had na difficulty in breaking up all serious concentrations. The Germans may not have put in their greatest striking foree,but the attacks were parr of a general scheme of advance. They will probably try again with harder blows. The number of Ger-

mans killed since Friday has been prodigious. Ten German divisions attacked on. both sides of Albert in order to relieve the almost intolerable pressure of the cramped front in the Ancre marshes. The Germans sought to throw us off the high.ground above the western bank, also enlarging the bridge- ' haed below the town. Since crossing the Ancre from the old 'strongholds at Thiepval and Ovillers the enemy infantry has been unable to climb out of the narrow valley. The Germans are closely held against the railway at Albert and Deraneourt. Another nut the Germans could,not;,crack.was.Ave-, luy Wood German., machine-gun. posts clung dizzily to the,eastern fringe of trees at the water'siedge, but we,controlled the remainder Of a mile,-deep belt of timber*screening chalk hills. We could see the Germans-assembling for. battle, and our artillerymen throughout were all ready. AMERICA'S ASSISTANCE. NOT AN INSTANT TOO SOON. LONDON, April 7. The. • United Press correspondent says: President Wilson's decision to hasten America's armed support to the Allied troops has not come an instant too soon. It is now proved beare to force the issue rapidly in order are to force the issue rapidly i noFaer to end the war this-year. Prisoners, with sullen obstinacy, insist that the offensive cannot stop until the war is won. THE GERMAN TANKS. AN INTERESTING DESCRIPTION. Received 8.5 a.m. LONDON, April 8. The "Morning Post's" correspondent on the French front gives interesting details of the German tanks used in the present offensive. The Germans have modified the construction and use of tanks after their experience of British use. They have greatly increased the speed, and have tanks capable of five miles an hour ; over, broken ground. The tanks ad- ! vahce in'formations of five, moving j zig-zag. ■ ' Special tank schools have | been formed in Germany in vast manI b'euver grounds. ' The tanks are torj pedo-shaped, and each weigh* ten j tons, are eight yards long by three wide, 2Jyards high. 'They are able to turn easily, and are completely protected by armour; the loopholes ! are impermeable to gas,. They a're fitted with a 5.5 rapid-firing gun, and furnished with a periscope; they also fire gas shells. Each tank also has four machine-guns and flammenferfer. In ..case of obstinate resistance the flame is projected sixty yards, produced by a mixture of tar and carboljneum, which is sent out by oxygen under, pressure. The motor has eight cylinders of' 250 horse-power. The personnel consists of two drivers, two gunners, four machine gunners and two reserves, 1 under the orders of a junior engineer officer. The clothing of the entire crew is fire proof.

great numbers of -the enemy. Simultaneously the Dragoons and Lancers were sent to head off the attack on Marcelcave. Here they eo-operated with the Australians, Afterwards the latter V commander addressed a charming letter to the cavalry commander, praising the magnificent behaviour of his men, and saying it was the Australians pride and delight to fight with them. CAVALRY HAVE A GLORIOUS TIME. | WORK"'HAVOC AMONG THE : • •■■' "•' ,f[} &NEMY. "■'■■■■• ! ■ -; ; . : 'i ■;■■>■'?: )JOV ii„ '.■■■' Received 8.50 a.m. = LONDON, April 8. J Mr. Pirie Robinson, continuing his story,' ;; says:'^—Twelve hundred dragoons had a really gorgeous, fight at Hangard on March 31. An officer described them as eager going off like "scalded cats." Three waves dashed through the wood, despite tremendous havoc wrought by fresh German battalions. The Dragoons captured many prisoners and machine guns. Seeing a whole regiment of the enemy pouring out of Villers and Erables, the cavalry and artillery attacked in daylight on open ground. One battery fired 1500 rounds, another over 2000, all finding marks, which staggered and disorganised the army, whose remnant straggled back, leaving the ground covered with dead Germans. GERMAN LOSSES. LATEST ESTIMATE. ) Received 8.55 a.m. LONDON, April 8. An authority from, the front puts the total enemy losses at 250,000. He I states the French made a rampart of German bodies as high as a man. TRYING TO CONCEDE GERMAN LOSSES. Received 8.40 a.m. ZURICH, April 8. German newspapers semi-officially issue a'warnjng that severe penalties -wil be imposed on anyone spreading alarmist rumours regarding the" army's losses on' the. Western front FRENCH WITHDRAW FROM COUCHY FOREST. Received 10.30 'aim. PARIS, April 8. The "Petit Parisien", says the Germans will doubtless.- glorify the German occupation of the lower Couchy Forest, from which the French withdrawal was almost inevitable. Trie withdrawal was accomplished' volunI tarily, : practically •'< without' cost> distinctly improving the • situation; ; <

GLORIOTJS WORK BY BRITISH CAVALRY. COVERING BRITISH RETREAT. TAKE TERRIBLE TOLL OF THE ENEMY. Received 8.40 a.m. LONDON, April 8. Mr_ Pirie Robinteon writes that despite the terrible testing time and inevitable losses during the past fortnight, cavalry units rejoice that thenarm at last had a chance to do its share. Certainly they did it at first engaged as infantry, thereafter they were split into sections serving in the thick of the battle as cavalry dismounted, splendidly covering the infantry retreat about the Oise, Pontoise towards Noyon and 'elsewhere. The Scot Greys, once entirely cut off, spent the whole night mixed up with the Germans, but escaped in the morning. On another occasion, during a ,mist, divisional headquarters found itself four times under machine-gun fire. The cavalry magnificently charged Quericourt ridge at midnight, on March 25, and pushed the enemy off the highest ground; then they thrust north-west and sorrounded Suroy village. Later in the day, with the assistance of s. Candians, they appeared in a fair way. to occupy the whole ridge. When, in accordance with a pre-arrangement, the infantry retired, the cavalry held on, covering the retreat. The Germans attempted an outflanking movement. The Lancers, Hussars and Canadians fought wildly and splendidly, till they obtained a position at Divette. Cavalry units while holding the line at Ferriers, Plainville, and Broyes on March 28, were ordered to help to cover the approaches to Amiens and cut the enemy out of Moreuil Wood. Then following some of the hardest fighting pince the offensive, wherein the Canadians finely charged clean through the wood and got firmlv positioned on llcrcirll-Dcrjiuir Jcadl They killed

AMIENS THE GERMAN GOAL.. ; FORWARD MOVEMENT INTER-- .' RUPTED. -Jyss'int Received 11.20 a.m. PARIS, April 8. A semi-official statement has been issued saying there is Teason to regard the German attack on Hill 344 yesterday as indicating a forthcoming offensive in this sector. A great mass of Germans is still moving towards Amiens, which is still the goal of the German High Command, though the enemy is momentarily forced to interrupt his forward movement owing to exhaustion and the heavy loos suffered by his troops. BRITISH SLIGHTLY PROGRESS. ENEMY ACTIVITY AT LENS. i Received 10.30 a.m. f LONDON, April 8. At 2.30 p.m. Sir Douglas Haig reports: We advanced our line slightly during the night on the south bank ' of the Somme eastward of Vire Sous and Corbie. Hostile artillerying took place during the night on the whole battle front. There is heavy hostile gas shelling between Lens and La B'assee Canal, also eastward of ArmentierOs. THE LONG RANGE GUNS. BURSTING OF ONE CONFIRMED. Received 10.30 a.m. PARIS, April 8. Official: The bursting of one of the long-range guns bombarding Paris has been confirmed from a sure source. It occurred on March 25. One officer and nine men were killed. The bombardment of Paris continued yesterday, but. there were no victims. NEW ZEALANDERS' GREAT FIGHT GROUND COVERED WITH ENEMY ..,,:■ '/.' t , , dead; . . '. ,'£ - LONDON, April 7. Reuter's correspondent at British Headquarters says: , < ; Three""attacks against the New Zealanders proved

horribly costly to the enemy. On each occasion the New Zealanders continued firing Lewis guns until the rapidly thinning waves were sufficiently close, when they bombed them furiously with hand grenades. It is easy to believe the assurance that the Boches disliked this form of resistance. Their dead are lying 'like corn swathes at harvest time before the New Zealanders' positions. The Germans are bringing immense numbers of guns of every c&bbre into the struggle. We are combatting them pretty adequately-