The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE MONDAY, AUGUST 12, 1918. THE ALLIED VICTORY THRUST.

Taihape Daily Times, 12 August 1918, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

MONDAY, AUGUST 12, 1918. THE ALLIED VICTORY THRUST.

(With which is, Incorporated The Xaihape Post and WaTnmrl-ao News).

On the 21st March the Germans commenced the great battle of Picardy, the struggle which experts were of opinion might end the war, and although there has been a lull of some two or three months, there are still very strong reasons in sight which confirm the old idea that this battle will have very much to do with the final collapse of the Hun thrust for world dominion. This great battle spread from south of Montdidier to Ypres, : and even further north, . and some, very sensational German. ad ? . vances and captures were made. In the second phase of this great battle, the, offensive was opened by the British, and cables right up to last night confirm the impression received earlier, that the Allies are just as powerful and clever in sensation-mongering as are their enemies. From the moment of the first gun being fired the development of battle on the whole line from Lens to Montdidier has been more rapid, the advance into the enemy line farther and more destructive, and the captures of men and guns far more sensational. The most pretentious claim of prisoners taken in one day by Germany, which was officially denied by the British, was sixteen thousand, but on the first day of the present battle twenty thousand Germans were taken, and over two hundred guns. The advance by the second day had gone from the Avre to Chaulncs, a distance of not less than fifteen miles; guns and men came in so fast that it was impracticable to keep count of them, and the. battle had only just commenced. The length of the present front is a little obscure, but from localities mentioned the impression is given that the line is not continuous; dangerous salients are being left at points that are untenable with Allied success, and this seems to be what happened' at Montdidier. That quaftit little town, perched upon its hill, was left while the drive was put into the German line many miles deep to the northward, and if the town has been evacuated it is almost certain that the retirement will have to go back a long distance to avoid the pinching off process which Foch is cleverly practising in all his offensives. An understandable amount of details are coming from north of Albert to Montdidier, but it seems that the attack is developing to much farther north, the enemy is retiring along the valley of the Lys, in Flanders, and there is rather unexpected retirement from Givenchy, just south of Lens, and it may be that the Fresncy captured by the Allies is that a little to the south-eastward of GivenUicy, if so, that would fully explain the retirement from that place; it would also indicate that a thrust was being made from Yimy. However, that part of Sir Douglas Haig’s offensive commanding most attention is that which seeks to destroy the Montdidier sector and to cany the line back some forty miles to that of St. Quentin, Lo Fere and Coucy. On the morning of the second day of the battie he had covered nearly half the distance, and, with his lines so desperately engaged on the Somme and also between Coucy and Soissons, it seems next to impossible for the enemy to stop Haig’s attack from developing into one of the most sensational incidents of the war. Poch had, by his persistent and admirably conducted attack on the Marne salient, drawn thereto every available German reserve to save the Crown Prince’s army from entire destruction, and now we are witnessing the great Generalissimo’s alternative. With no reserves available from the Somme area to the north, and all those on the south being engaged in death grips between Soissons and Rheims—between the

rivers Veale an<J Atsamik—BriflsJi cavalry are scouring the ©ountry miles be-

hind the German lines, surrounding men and guns, and already the prisoners number twenty-five thousand. Poch. does not appear to 'be eagerly pressing the enemy position between the Vesle and the Aisne, but he seems very determined to drive in as deeply as he possibly can towards St. Quentin. If the line of 21st March can be reached and the wedge widened, 'winch there seems to ; be nothing to 'prevent, then a far greater coup is. '.possible than was ever presented as a possibility in the Marne counter- offensive; but how the Germans south of such a drive, from Montdidier to Soissons, are to, find room and opportunity for retirement to safety will tax the German High Command’s strategic ability to the greatest extreme. It is apparent that a period of sensations has set in, for Poch has his enemy so very dangerously placed that he can go on knocking corners off him almost at will. There is little doubt about which side now has the initiative, and it is not unreasonable to hope that Germany cannot for the life of its army’s sake, stop retreat till the line of the Mouse is reached, which in reality is the German frontier. In fact, the cable stating that the Kaiser had ordered the formation of a “Last Stand” army, gives some indication that conditions behind the German lines, as well as in Germany, are much more strained than the Allies were prepared to admit. The retreat in Flanders continues, and no doubt lines of easier defence will be selected at various points so as to slow down as much as possible the Allied thrust whenever it may come. German manpower is obviously unequal to the task Poch is setting it, and with such enormous losses of men and guns that are now taking place it must soon reach a stage of great desperation. According to authorities the enemy is losing very nearly a quarter of a million men a. mpnt.h in casualties, while the. Allies have that number ~ of, , young,, ac.tiye, well-equipped Americans going iqto. the fighting ,line, in., ar, similar period. Ludendprff,; .in, Marph,., undertook to win the war.if he were allowed half-a-million of casualties; according to Colonel Repington be,, overstepped the million before -the Allied counter-of-fensive was begun, and at the present moment the ratio is being largely increased. In only a few weeks Poch has rendered Paris almost as safe as London or New York; he has also completely killed all German'hope of reaching the • Channel ports, while he is now delivering the missive that will inform the Kaiser and his war lores that all hopes and aims for world domination are completely shattered. Any moment the war from within may be begun, but whether it is a factor in complete victory for the Allies on not, we are convinced that the most awful holocaust.,Jhe ; world has ever known is fast .drawing; to a close.