CARMAN SPIRIT SHAKEN.

Taihape Daily Times, 29 June 1918, Page 6

CARMAN SPIRIT SHAKEN.

V PRISONERS' POOR MORALE. LOCAL ATTACKS AJ.L FAIL. . I still believe that the plans of the enemy have hen seriously disarranged by the recent incessant heavy fire, to which they have been subjected by the allies says Mr Percival Phillips, special correspondent of the New York Herald, with the British forces in France, in a despatch dated May 16.

It is reasonable to suppose, he continues, Ihat the improved visibility during the last two days has given our gunners even better opportunties of observing the German infantry, and transport and destroying them. It does not follow that the Germans will not attack simply because they are constantly shelled. It is evident that they suffered severe losses and that in some places the troops in advanced positions have not been fed regularly, but sooner or later we must expect another serious and determined attack on a wide front in spite of the effectiveness of the British and French artillery fire. There is cause for satisfaction in the j fact that every local attack of the en-1 emy to improve this jumping off place j las failed. Not only that, he has been unable to take back the ground lost in similar attacks by British and the French. Yesterday morning's thrust against the Australians west and south-west of MOrlancourt, beftween the rivers, broke down completely. The French have crushed -several minor attacks on their front, and near the British flank in Flanders we find the same result. The lessons of these failures in the north.and south seem; fo be that the German divisions cannot hope to make the slightest progress unless they are thrown in with tremendous weight and sacrificed as they were in the first two great attacks. Whenever they attempt local successes they meet the same solid resistance as during the trench waTfaTe. ... German artillery may blast a path trough our new wire and even wipe out freshly-dug trenches, as at Eidge Wood, but the men who follow the wake of its b s - rra S e cannot stick to the ground when counter-attacked. These last attacks have shown a fainter spirit. Australians had no difficulty in evicting the assault troops near Morlancourt, and the prisoners they took were very tame. It is the old story, said an officer today, when they advance a,mile or two realise they have plenty of support behind them their tails go up. The constant gunning wears them down, and they hate local shows. Then we take prisoners, who evince what is called poor morale, prisoners who admit quite frankly they did not expect the offensive to be a lengthy affair. Some of them believed the war would be practically over by June 1. Amiens fwas to have been taken ■within a week, It is nearly two months since the big drive began, and the enemy is no nearer Amiens than he was six weeks ago. He has been held as firmly in Flanders. The German Higher Command now knows the British and French cannot be separated and that the formidable allied army is planted firmly across their northern path and they must go on^ Of course, I think they will try again very soon, but I am sure there is not the same degree of confidence in high quarters, certainly not in the rank and file of the German army. "Oh, these damned English," wrote one Prussian soldier after the last defeat at Villers Bretonneux, which he described as the gate to Amiens. "They make us fight for every yard of ground; they keep us from getting on. When will- it all end?" The dream of easy conquest appears to be vanishing.