GERMAN OFFENSIVE

Taihape Daily Times, 26 April 1918, Page 5

GERMAN OFFENSIVE

Despite Fighting South of Somme Insignificant German Gains DETAILS OF ZEEBRUCCE RAID Superb Valour of British Sailors Allied Success at Salonika.

WESTERN FRONT.

INTENSE GERMAN GAS ATTACK. GERMANS REPORTED TO HAVE CAPTURED HANGASD. Received 9.25 a.m. LONDON, April 25. The Germans developed an intense gas barrage on the Flanders front, and heavy assaults have begun. The British regained ground around Villers Britoncaux. Anotncr report states the Germans have captured Hangard-en-Banterre. SOUTH OF THE SOMME. I DESPERATE GERMAN ATTACKS FAIL. I NO GROUND GAINED. I Received 9.20 a.m. I LONDON, April 25.. I At 11.55 Sir Douglas Haig reports: there fighting yesterday. IVe heavily' bombed. Merville, Astaires, Verwicfe Lagbrgne, . and Chaulnes iailway"station; and junction, and Oslend docks. We brought, down fifteen Ind drove down two enemy machines. I)ne of ours is missing. Our night-fli-Irs dropped twenty tons, of- bombs on Routers, Merville, Armehtieres,, Bataume, Thprout, Courtrah and Chaulles railway .station, and Zeebr-ugge locks. Direct hits were obtained on 111 these targets, and several, .fires 1-ere started. All our, ’planes return--1 A French communique of the 2</.li Bates: At 1.10 a.m. a furious homBardment of the Anglo-French posi■ons south of the Somme and on tfie Bvre was followed by German attacks & great force along the front. The Biemy at five in the morning attacked Bangard-en-Santerre, in the region of Bailies Wood. Senecat, south of the Bncre. The battle, which lasted all Hy and is still raging, was particular. ■ desperate in Hangard region. The Bemy, after a series of furious asHults, gained the foot of the woods, Hrtb of Hangard, also in the eastern Htskirts of the village, which we deHnded desperately. The struggle was Hually violent in the Railles region. Hveral assaxUts on the ridge east of He village shattered by our forHs and counter attacks. Further Hath, at Groud Attemps and Senecat Hood, and Hill 82. enemy attacks Hied, and both places remained wholH in our possession. Hrmans very slight gain. ■ USING BRITISH TANKS. Received 9.45 a.m. H LONDON, April 25. United Press correspondent Bs Hindenburg used tanks for purposes in assaulting the |Hnco-British positions eastward and of ’Amiens. The enemy incharged near Villers Breneaux under the tanks’ protection. IHfr. Perceval Phillips writes that ■ enemy failed everywhere except H Villers Bretonneux, where is heavy fighting on a front ot The attack, which we have expecting for several days, does H seem a great thrust for Amiens; |Hbattle is rather due to the enemy’s to wipe out the local salient take the high grouhd on either H of the Amiens Road before athis big advance. The GerBH assault troops in the northern ||Hck united objective. tanks nmy be the derelicts we behind. Hitherto the Germans ||H naed tanks in order to bring am. to the front lines. Hr. Philip Gibbs stated two divi-

sions attacked Villers Breton-' neaux. The Germans advanced a small distance and hold the outskirts of the village. It is a place of- some sise on the ridge south-east of Amiens, perched above the Somme. As a tactical position it has' some importance, and ■would enable the enemy to advance four or five kilometres. The German bombardment commenced at three in the morning and continued furiously for four hours. Then the Fourth Guard Division, who have already been twice in action in recent battles, attacked with the Seventyseventh Division just from Russia. At the same time the Thirteenth Division comprising Westphalian, troops, attacked the flank at the Castle and gained a footing on the rising ground. WHOLE BRITISH FRONT*; , 3 ATTACKED. nociltaD- . .^ipN^pjN^April; 24,;.; Sir Douglas Aftqjt a. violent bombardment r ,.this morning ■ the • enejny Attacked the , whole f %|t-i ish front south of the; Somme, and the ‘ :AiO .Vi J’tijijb (ib-iL.v J French on pur The attack-, i! repulsed. ", The attack : was renewed ■ KSt> ol ?f jO’ c :un ■■ later in strength on our, positions In. this sector..'. The., enemy obtained .pos-^ session of "Villers Bretonneux, wheiie. fighting was severe and continues. ; , - ■ • :., LONDON, -April 24. ■ , ■We repulsed other, attacks,. on the north bank of the Somme, northward of Albert, taking prisoners. V■„ ;■ , . ■■ C,f’Ujr VC 7 ’ We captured a post north-west, .of FeStubert, ;! fvhich we lost on tbe 2|£d; f The garrison strongly' resisted, and lost ’ heavily.*h We 'took 1 ' prisoners; and machine guns,- !! - ? -" tr We repulsed a strong attack on our new positions eastward of Rcbedij, and maintained our line intact. We also secured prisoners. There were minor enterprises eastward of Nieppe Forest and in the neighbourhood of Meteren.

ENEMY'S IMPORTANT MOVES. LONDON, 'April 24. A British Headquarters correspondent, reporting on the evening of the 24th, says two enemy attacks against important tactical positions, in parts of the line widely asunder, were launched this morning. The first was against Dranoutre, at the foot of Mont Kemmel, which the French troops have been defending. The enemy gained an initial advantage, but suffered so heavily that they were unable to press the attack, ana the situation was restored. The second attack was against Ylllers Bretonneux (about three miles south of Corbie), and followed a violent bombardment of shells. Two enemy divisions assaulted from the direction or Bernard Road, and penetrated cur line at Posis and gained a footing in the outskirts of Ylllers Bretonneux. The battle is still progressing. The enemy’s objective has certainly not been gained. Coinciding with this operation, an attack was delivered against the French between Castle Sailles (near Hangard), but it failed to attain the known objective. This morning the enemy endeavoured to push forward the line south of the Clarence River, but was re. pulsed.. So effective was our rifle and machine gun fire that the enemy was beaten back without giving battie. In the attack on Villers Bretonneux three German tanks were seen advancing along the road, with Infantry following. BRITISH STOP GERMAN , INFANTRY. ' LONDON, April 24. The United Press reports relating to the bombardment of the entire front to the junction .with the French ’

suggest heavy fighting between the Somme and the Avre. Moreover, ai■most simultaneously, Von der Mar. wiz’s artillery became active east of Amiens at dawn. The British positions on both. sides of the Lawe and north of Bethune were deluged with high explosives. The lines northwest of Albert were similarly shelled. When the Germans leaped out of their trenches and advanced, British rifles and machine guns got full into them. The enemy, discourage* darted back to their trenches. British guns scattered concentrations north-west of Merville. LUDENDORFF’S INTENTIONS. PARIS, April 24. A military expert predicts that Ludendorff intends to make a double stroke, simultaneously attacking (1) southward of Arras, (2) between Villers Eretonneux and southward' of Moreuil, with the objectr of outflanking the Picard positions. Wireless German Official.—We stormed Vlengelhoek Hill, north-east of Bailleul. We repulsed English attacks west of Bailleul, and frustrat--9 ■ ■ ed strong advances north-west of Bethuae.