WESTERN FRONT.

Taihape Daily Times, 12 August 1918, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

ATTACK PROGRESSING WELL ON WHOLE FRONT. / ‘ LONDON, August 9. .Reuter’s correspondent at French headquarters, writing at six o’clock on the evening of Thursday, says: The battle of the Avre is progressing well on the whole front of attack. Our troops established themselves on the plateau overlooking the Avre Valley from the east and are deploying there for the continuation of the attack. There is every reason for confidence. It must be remembered that a series of important local. operations., was carried out on this front between the 2nd and sth of August .which, proved successful in pushing back the Germans and taking prisoners. General de Beney since then has not relaxed his pressure, with the result that he held the banks of the Avre from Braches to beyond Fragicourt when the attack began to-day. i i ; ; ~-jv Reuter’s correspondent at Americanheaiilnlarters, telegraphing on Thursday aftemoon y ;,says: Despite bad weather General Retain is- continuing, to advance, and has already:.pushed sufficient forces- across the Vesle to. hold -the ; bridgeheads on the right; bank. The. enemy risks having his! line cut through at its.weakest pointy severing the north-western end of the plateau from the strongly-held ridges to the east, thus ■ threatening the direct line of retreat across he Aisne of the force now holding the ridges, The tendency in that direction is the enlargement of the front at La, Neuvillette, a mile and a-half north of •Eheims. It will be instructive to see the enemy view of these threats, as indicating his strength, as anything confirming the impression of a German shortage of men will have considerable weight in determining strategy. TRENCH ATTACK ENEMY WHILE CHANGING DIVISIONS. LONDON, August 9. The French advanced south-east of Amiens to the assault without artillery preparations, and found the enemy in the act of being relieved, and utterly unable to withstand th'o -onslaught. It is estimated that the British and French troops participating in the battle total a-qaurter of a million infantry, or half a million of all arms. ENEMY RESERVES THROWN IN. LONDON, August 9. The United Press Asociation’s correspondent on the West front reports that prisoners are steadily streaming in to the rear of the British fighting line. Von der [Marvtz’s and von Hutzer’s 7 losses in munitions and other supplies alone constitute a big blow to the Germans. Ten divisions have been identified in Thursday’s fighting, and further divisions have been thrown in since, stiffening the resistance at various spots, especially in the Morlancourt region. The Wurtembergers, who regained the Chipily spur, were ordered to hold it at all costs.- The cavalry elsewhere are rounding up prisoners, and armoured cars are dashing up and down the roads, - increasing the enemy dismay. Tanks and “whippets” are manoeuvring across the fields, co-op-erating with the cavalry far ahead of the infantry The whole area around the bend of the Somme is a tangle of German transport, artillery and troops, all struggling alongthe same roads, over •which low machine-gunning and bombing fl ight and day. All * crossings of are bombed mercilessly, and many bridges, including those at Peronne and Brie, have been destroyed. French cavalry, tanks and infantry are fighting brilliantly on the British

right. The position at 3 o'clock this afternoon was that the British infantry were following the cavalry and • tanks ten miles from the starting line. The total French advance is four miles os a nise-niile front. The Canadians captured Warvillers, ten miles east of Moreuil. The situation is satisfactory, and the German losses, in addition to prisoners, are very heavy while ours are exceptionally light, —■ - \ s ENEMY EVACUATING POSITIONS IN FLANDERS. LONDON, August 9. Sir Douglas Haig, in Ms 1 official report of the'operations already cabled, prior to the final count of prisoners and guns, *'•’ Our progress continues. : The French have' taken Fresnoy en Chausse, and the British are now eastward of Le' Questnel and Caix. The enemy is vigorously resisting northward of the Somme, and heavy fighting is proceeding between Chipilly and Morlancourt. T’he Allies ’took prisoner upwards of fourteen thousand, and the number of guns’ Cannot yet be estimated. The’enemy continued to evacuate his forward positions in the Lys Valley,’ Our line advanced between the Lawe anA the Bourro Rivers, north-westward ■ of' Mervillo, a maximum, depth of two thousand yards. We hold Locon le Cornetmalo, Quentin le Petit, Pacaut and Lesart. We adavneed our lino a short distance on upwards of a thousand yards on the front northwards of Keminel. * ' ' ’ A French communique states': There is no change in the battlefront 1 south of the Somme. There was'Some' artillery firing last night and en'einy'faids in the Champagne at Prbsnes, ; ' Mont Sans Nom- and Sohrin were repulsed'.’] ATTACK RENEWED ON WHOLE FRONT. LONDON, August 10. Sir Douglas Haig reports: The Allies renewed their attack on the whole battlefront southward of the Somme and progressed everywhere despite increasing resistance, the French extending their front southwards of the captured Pierre ■ Pont, and the wood north and north-east thereof. The Canadians and Australians, with admirable dash, after capturing the outer defences of Amiens, advanced two miles beyond after severe fighting. Before evening the FrancoBritish had reached the line Pierre-Pont-Arvillers - Rosieres - Rainecour*Morcourt, where fighting continues. Local fighting is reported north of the Somme. Prisoners are now 17,000 and between 200 and 300 guns have been ’ captured, including a heavy railway ’ gun, large numbers of trench mortars, machine guns, and immense stores of material, including a train. Our casunities were exceptionally light. Von Boehm commands the enemy. The United Press correspondent states: The Germans are burning stores and ammunition in order to } prevent them falling into the hands of the pursuing English, Australians, r Canadians, and French, but the retreat has been so hurried that large j stores of supplies have been found T intact. The Germans mined roads, y but lacked time to blow them up. Guns and howitzers were found intact, f some still in position, others overturned by the roadside. The Gerp mans sometimes fought stubbornly. x One battery of field guns, firing over I open sights point blank, caused some r damage to tanks, but the cavalry, J with drawn sabres, charged the guns 1 and killed or captured the crew.

A message sent on the afternoon of the 9th, says: The position of the British and Dominion troops north or the Somme is vague, as poor visibility impedes communication, but they are progressing.

AIRMENS BRILLIANT ASSISTANCE, LONDON, Auguat Sir Douglas Haig’s aviation report states: ’Aeroplanes co-operated with other arms on the battlefront throughout the day and supplied our advance, troops with ammunition from the air. They also dropped smoke bombs before the tanks’ line of advance, thus concealing their approach from the enemy. Flying low, our squadrons machinegunned and bombed the retreating enemy, causing havoc among masses of troops and transport, also trains, junctions and bridges. We destroyed 48 aeroplanes and drove do>vn seventeen others uncontrollable. Fifty-one British machines are missing. They were mostly shot down from the ground. Airmen continued on the 9th to cooperate with infantry, cavalry and taniis. They heavily bombed the Somme bridges by day and nigbt. CAN AD I AN-AUSTRAL I AN DASH. OTTAWA, August 10. A Canadian, deserting the Canadian and Australian advance, praises the staff work. Tanks and cavalry, within fifteen minutes of the battle beginning, surrounded numerous prisoners. At first the atmosphere was clear and the night starry, but afterwards a fog filled the valleys; but the Canadians and Australians never slacked the vim of their progress. CAVALRY SOME MILES AHEAD LONDON, August 10. It is reported that the British have entered Rosieres, though the report is not confirmed. It is believed to be correct that the infantry’s total advance is ten miles but the cavalry are some miles ahead.. Details regarding them are’ lacking. ‘ In London- it has been reported that , the British have captured Lihons, but latest news suggests this is incorrect, 1 The importance of Chaulnes cannot be exaggerated, as; it is vital to the enemy in this whole sector. If we capture Lihons the enemy yill be unable to maintain communications in the Montdidier-Roye sectors. We are now able to use Amiens as a railway junction. Airmen are taking a brilliant part in the battle, bombing fugitives and destroying communications. With the German positions hitherto overrun, these are mainly trenches protected with wire. No pill-boxes have been encountered. MONTDIDIER THREATENED. LONDON, August 10. At 2.15 this afternoon, Sir Douglas Haig reported: Yesterday afternoon the advance of the Allie'd armies continued on the whole front from southward of Montdidier to the Ancre. The French, attacking southward of Montdidier during the afternoon captured Avencourt. . Le Fretoy, and AssaineVillers, threatening. Montdidier from the south. We over 2000 in this sector. Canadian and Australian divisions have taken Tsoucesoir, Meharicourt and Lihons, and entered Rainecourt and Proyart. A STARTLING ANNOUNCEMENT. I PARIS, August 10. It is believed the Allied advance Is greater than has been announced. Half the total guns behind the German front has been captured. FOCH STRIKES AT RIGHT MOMENT. LONDON, August 10. What Paris papers enthusiastically , style the "British Revenge,” is progressing in a fashion unprecedented in any British offensive hitherto. The - advance is slower north of the Somme than elsewhere, as a succession of rav- > ines there favours defensive tactics but the troops arc back on the old lines, south of the Somme. Generally speaking, the salient has broadened both at . the apex and the base by yesterday’s . successes, and there is no seriouslyt exposed flanks. The Germans, as at the Marne, are being driven into a 1 great pocket south of the Somme with ’ | their backs to the river. They will i need most desperate efforts to maint tain themselves there while retirements ill imperil the flank of the new positions to which they were driven from, the Marne. The crucial point is Chaul- ' nes, which is near an important road and railway centre and where the British advance has attained its greatest depth. Its capture is bound to precipitate a German withdrawal from the Montdidier salient. Some experts ’ think it possible that the Germans 3 will attempt to escape their difficulties by another drive to the channel ports, but, on the contrary, it is pointed out i that Foeh’s present thrust has precisep ly anticipated such a move by noces- ' sitating further inroads on Prince 7 Rupprecht's reserves, and, as expected, Foch can now deal other rapid

blows.. Tke prawgeet* of ;any effective Gacnan retaliation {regarded as dimiaishiag. This is practically admitod by German newspapers which are now talking of new defensve strategy designed to spare men. Reuters 1 correspondent,at the British Headquarters states: The Anglo-Ame-rican assault between the Ancro and the Somme, mentioned by Sir Douglas Haig, was pushed home in forty minutes, when the vitally important CElpil-, ly spur was carried; and Morlancourt captured after hard fighting. ; 1 . • Reuter's correspondent at the BriH tish Headquarters says: South of the Somme cavalry and strong infantry patrols entered Folies, Beaufort, Warvillers, Rosieres, Vauvillers, and the front Rouvroy-en-Santerre by dark. The Australians entered Lihons so swiftly that they captured the German divisional headquarters complete. The train which the cavalry captured was a leave train.

The Americans gave a magnificent account of themselves.

On the Vesle the Americans captured Fismette.