WESTERN FRONT.

Taihape Daily Times, 31 July 1918, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

thebe-mile advance made on SUNDAY. ENEMY EXPECTED TO OCCUPY LINE OF YESLE. LONDON, July 29. The enjemy continues all along the lino of the Ourcq. The OPrench arc now on the north bank, and further to the east have secured practically the whole road between Eheims and Dormans. The enemy rearguards are resisting very strongly, especially in the very wooded country between the Arde and the Samoigne, a tributary of the Marne. So far they have succeeded in cheeking, but not stopping the French advance. The Americans between Fere-en-Tardenois and the source of the Ourcq are pressing on closely and vigorously. ' Generally speaking, the advance between noon on Sunday and Sunday night on a twenty-mile front is two to three miles in depth. The enemy has now abandoned his line along the Ourcq, where it was thought he might make a stand. There is little doubt not. that he will fake up a line be-’ *-hiS the Vesle, occupying a straight j line from Solssons to Eheims, which will probably be well entrenched and very strong, with rtear-guard com J mnnications. All the villages between Soissons and B'azochcs are afire), the enemy burning them as a preliminary to a further retreat. The enemy’s new line will be to some extent threaten Eheims from the northern outskirts, and there has been heavy fighing in the neighbourhood of Buzancy, but the enemy’s retirement is being made in good order as is emphasised by our only taking prisoner one hundred and capturing four guns. FEENCH FOLLOWING UP CLOSELY. LONDON, July 29. Correspondents on the French front state that infantry, cavalry, and tanks on Sunday followed up the artillery’s destructive work, and cleared the enemy out of Fere-en-Tardenois towards the north-east, after hand-to-hand encounters. The enemy’s destruction of bridges over the Ourcq has not greatly delayed the French, who have forded the shallow stream at several points. ■The French are proceeding cautiously, not wasting men or cavalry. They have located the Germans at the Bois Mqunicre', where, it ia anticipated tlrey will resist strongly. GEEMAN OFFICIAL. EEPORT. LONDON, July 29. A wireless German message reports: In the evening, sever© attacks on our new positions west of Fere-en-Tarden-cis failed sanguinarily. i - FRENCH OFFICIAL REPORT.. LONDON, July 30. A French communique states: Dur. ing the day there was very violent fighting on the whole front north of the Marne. The enemy, whose resistance has strongly increased, disputed every foot of ground, and attempted to drive ns back by enormous counterattacks. We repulsed all assaults and made a further advance to the outskirts of the village of Buzancy. The Scottish captured Park Chateau and maintained the positions despite repeated German assaults. East of Plessier-Hulu and Mueichy le Chateau, we passed the Chateau Thierry road and captured (Grand Eozoy and Cugny, also Butte de Chalnnont t after a brilliant action. We extended our gains and entered Itergy. .Further south, Eoncheres fell into our lands. I VL

On the right we passed the DormansRheims road, south of Villers Igron. We gained ground west of Bligny and St. Euphraise. A German attack in the Champagne region south of Mont Sansnom, failed. An American official report states: There was severe fighting beyond the Ourcq. Sergy, after changing hands four times, remains ours. A wireless German official states: We evacuated on the night of 26th27th July the fighting zone between* the Ourcq and the Ardre and shifted our defence to the region of Fere en Tardenois, unobserved by the enemy. Our forefield guards after fulfilling their task, fell back before strong enemy attacks south-east of Fere en Tardenois. Violent combats ensued,, wherein we repulsed the enemy. VILLAGES BURSTING EIGHT MILES BEHIND. ' ; ;; V ’ London, July 29. Villages eight miles behind the' lines are burning. Heavy fighting is’ raging. Sergy was taken and retaken four times. It is now in French hands. The Fourth Prussian Guards attacked the Americans south of Sergy. The Americans stopped the assaults dead, with heavy losses. The French surrounded Buzancy, but were unable to hold it. Sir Douglas Haig reports: In a successful minor . operation on the night of the 28th, in the Morlancourt sector, we prisonerod many, and gained all our objectives. We beat off three counter-attacks, ininflicting losses. BRITISH OFFICIAL REPORT. Received 10 a.m. *’ vLOINDON, July 30. Sir Douglas Haig reports: A successful raid was carried out in the neighbourhood of Ayette, where the Australian patrols entered Morris. There was hostile gas-shelling northwest of Albert.' * GERMANY’S STRENGTH. GENERAL ATTACK POSSIBLE. LONDON, July 29. Colonel Repington says Germany in January had three million men in the West, and the power of getting one and a half .million more during 1918. He adds: ‘-'I reckon Germany’s casualties, including sick, in 1918 thus far at one million, of which 700,000 are permanently lost. In four months tho Germans have spent the value of two annual contingents. Prince Rupprecht has only twenty-three divisions of storm troops intact, and the ‘softness’ of the rest has become remarkable. It is most likely that the Germans will make a determined effort to restore the situation, and wo must expect an attack all along the whole front.” ■ ; i 7. THE GERMAN RETREAT. ( BREAKING THE NEWS TO' BERLIN EXTRAORDINARY NERVOUSNESS 'exhibited. Received 8.55 a.m. BERNE, July 30. The full significance of the German retreat was only made known to the public of Berlin early on Monday, and increased the extraordinary nervousness which has been noteworthy du?. ing the past fortnight. Official newspapers continue to pretend that the loss of ground is without importance. Other newspapers are attacking Hindenburg, describing him as the leader of the old gang, opposed to Ladendorff, who is heading the younger Imperial staff officers.

FIERCE GERMAN ATTACK. AMERICANS DRIVEN OUT OF POSITIONS. AUSTRALIANS CAPTURE MBRRIS. Received 9.35 a.m. NEW YORK, July 30. The Germans, attacking fiercely, drove the Americans out of Cierges, south of Fere en Tardenois, also from Bougneux, near Grand Rozoy, On the west front the Australians have captured Merris. DETAILS OF LATE FIGHTING. PINCHING OFF MARNE SALIENT. NO LONGER REGARDED AS A POSSIBILITY. Received 10.35 a.m. LONDON. July 30. The French are advancing in spite The heaviest fighting is between the The heavies fighting is between the Ourcq and Ville en Tardenois, where the French are nearest to the crest of the plateau, between the Vesle and the Ourcq. The Germans violently attacked Cierges, and drove out the Americans; they also ousted the French from Bougneux. Seventy-one enemy divisions have been identified, including ten of Prince RupprecEti*L The pinching off of the salient is no longer regarded as a possibility, but the driving back of a numerically superior force and the capture of many prisoners is a sufficient cause for congratulation. It is unnecessary to lament the non-fulfilment of ill-found and extravagant hopes, based on cutting off the enemy. * THE FIGHTING FOR SERGY. GERMAN GUARDS AND HATED YANKEES. A DESPERATE STRUGGLE. HUNS PAY FEARFUL PRICE.' Received 10.35 a.m. i * LONDON, July 30. ‘ Reuter’s correspondent at Headquarters; writing on the 29th, deals .with the hard fighting leading to the final-; capture of Sergy by the Americans, who also captured Sereinges and Roncheres. The fight for Sergy resolved itself into a fierce struggle with the Fourth Guards Division, one of the crack disvisions of the German Army. The Guards swept down the hill when, the Americans were re. organising their lines. AH were picked, fresh men, determined to strike terror into the hated Yankees, with whom this was their first engagement. The Americans) were overborne by the vast weight of numbers, and gave ground foot by foot to - and gave ground foot by foot to the brink of the Ourcq, but they fiercely recoiled and drove the German belter skelter , at,, the point of the bayonet from the ruins of the village. The Germans suffered fearfully, their dead lying in heaps on all parts of the field. r-