WESTERN FRONT.

Taihape Daily Times, 12 July 1918, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

IN THE ANCRE VALLEY.

GERMANS’ UNENVIABLE LOT.

LONDON, July 10. Mr. Perceval Phillips states that the . German second army’s lot is unenviable in the Ancre Valley, above Albert, where repeated attempts to climb out of the river bed were frustrated, and also southward of Albert. They suffer constantly from the pernicious activity of the Australians. Many roads are so swept by shell fire that aeroplanes are the only medium of bringing rations to the front lines. Prisoners state that the soldiers lynched some airmen who managed to drop their rations on the wrong side of “No Man’s Land.” PARIS, July 10. A total of 141 have been lulled and 482 injured by long range and aerial bombardments in Paris from January 1 to the end of June, excluding 66 suffocated during the panic on March 11. LONDON, July 10. 4 Mr. H. Perry Robinson says that captured army orders issued by General von der Markitz show that discipline, which is the keystone of the German army, is seriously shaken. There were numbers of cases of soldiers refusing to obey orders, and this was increasing to an alarming extent. PARIS, July 10. It is semi-officially stated that since June 15 the French in local operations captured 5400 prisoners. FURTHER FRENCH SUCCESSES. Received 9.25 a.m. LONDON, July 11. A French communique states: South of the Aisne our infantry finally overcame the enemy resistance at different points. We captured ILagrille Farm and quarries north and Chaviony Farm, eastwards. Our patrols Teased Longpont and entered the northern part of Corey, taking prisoner?. FIGHTING IN THE AMIENS’ SECTOR. GERMAN ATTACKS REPULSED. LONDON, July 10. ■Sir Douglas Haig reports: We repulsed local attacks eastward of Vil-,-*Ters Brettoneux.

Enemy guns developed considerable activity from Villers Bretonneux to the Ancre.

We drove off raiders southward of Bucquoy. We Slightly advanced our line in the neighbourhood of Merris. French communique.—There was reciprocal artillery fire from north of Montdidi’er to south of the Aisne In the region of Chavigny Farm. We made several coups de main in Champagne and took prisoners. Seven German aeroplanes and two captive balloons were downed. If _________ ALLIES' RAIDS. LONDON, July 10. Mr. Gibbs writes: The ferocity or German artillery fire on Monday was mainly intended as retaliation against Allied raids. He does not think it is a forewarning of a big attack. Canadians on the Arras front have also been raiding with relentless inTying out 48 raids in ninety days. the raiders left 90 ydead iJKhe Germans’ trenches in addition many wounded. All were The Canadians say they prefer bayonet to bomb because it makes a cleaner job.

EXCELLENT BOMBING DONE

LONDON, July 10. Sir Douglas Haig’s aviation report states; Enemy aircraft were active on the northern part of our front. Ten were destroyed and one driven down uncontrollable. We dropped fourteen tons of bombs over the enemy lines, two tons on Lille Junction, and one and a-halt tons on Bruges docks. Three British machines are missing.

We dropped, at night-time, UTree tons of bombs on enemy railways and camps. All our machines returned. THE HOUR AT HAND. £ARIS, July 10.

Military, experts opine that the first German lines are now thinly hold by second-rate troops as the first-rate have been withdrawn to the rear preparaory to an attack. Tms suggests that the nour of the offensive is close. GERMAN DISCIPLINE. LONDON, July 10.

Mr. Percival Phillips, referring to von Der Marwitz’s order regarding the want of discipline in the German ranks, says Von Marwitz’s Division, since taking positiins at the end of facing Amiens and astride tlie Somme, has had a scries of disheartening reverses and constant artillery punishment. No wonder dry rot has set in.-There arc reports of excesses in the back areas, including looting supply trains and misconduct. Some infantry are entrusted with the forward defences. He adds: There is no evidence that the decay in discipline is general or widespreda, but it is significant that cas’cs of pillaging occurred- in the ISth Army zone of Mar: witz’s left. Meanwhile, the long-pro-mised offensive has not materialised, and the reason of which we can only guess. Von Marwitz has not made a single effective counter-attack. OUR AIR SUPREMACY UNDOUBTED. Received 11.40 a.m. LONDON, July 11. Mr, Perceval Phillips writes: —British air supremacy has been very marked during the past few weeks ana the quality of the German pilots has deteriorated as shown by the frequent collisions between unskilfully-driven machines when attacked by British. Our aviators accept battle despite tremendous odds. Ten of our machines fought twenty of the enemy’s on July 4th, out-manoeuvred them, and forced them to run for safety. On another occasion four British attacked forty Germans and downed two, whereupon the remaining thirty-eight fled. Though our men frequently bomb targets from a height of two hundred feet or less the Germans rarely descend so low.

Other correspondents state one British airman has brought down 75 German aeroplanes, including twentyfive in a single month. Some others have reached a total of fifty.