WESTERN FRONT.

Taihape Daily Times, 19 August 1918, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

FRENCH BOMBS DROPPED IN BATTLE ZONE. LONDON, August 16. A French aviation communique Reports: Our bombing squadrons dropped thirty-two tons of projectiles in the battle zone, also behind the front. Several railway stations were bit, notably Terginer, Noyon, Mezieres and TMonville. GERMANS RETIRE WEST OF BAPAUME. LONDON, August 17. Latest reports are that the Germans have retired from the villages of Serre, Puissieux, Beaumont 1 Hamel and Bucquoy. They have also slightly retired eastward of Yieux Berquin and Meteren, ALLIES’ AERIAL PERFORMANCES; 1 LONDON, August 17. The past week has been unparalleled as air activity. The results have been disastrous to Germany and encouraging. to us. The battle begun on the eve of the Somme offensive was the biggest during the war period in the number of machines engaged, the intensity of the fighting, and the magnitude of the enemy’s losses during the fighting, especially the first day, between Albert and the AmiensRoy© road. An important feature is the effect on the enemy. Though the enemy was largely reinforced on the first day, the resistance was subsequently markedly weaker. His scouts operated in larger formations, probably owing to losses, but the British attacked with undiminished determination, inflicting even heavier losses. The total for the week is 339 destroyed and 123 driven drown uncontrollable. There was an enormous amount of other activity behind the enemy’s lines 320 tons of bombs being dropped with notable success, consisted of the continuous bombarding of the Somme bridges by day and night, in which the lessons the British airmen learned on the Piave were applied with signal effectiveness. FROM OFFENSIVE TO DEFENCE. LONDON, August 17. General Maurice writes: A month ago whole German front between the Argonne and Yyrcs was an offensive front. To-day, withdrawals show that the greater part has become a defensive front. It is now a question of the Germans balancing loss of prestige against loss of men. If he likes, ho can stay at the Roye-Lassigny-Noyon. Nesle quadrilateral at a price, but the position Is most uncomfortable. We are able to render railway communications useless and bomb the Somme bridges incessantly. The Lassigny massif dominates positions along the Divette, which mrc taken in reverse from the high ground at Boulogne-La Whatever the result, we watch the enemy’s solution of the problem with quiet satisfaction. ACTIVITY IN FLANDERS LONDON, August 17. British official report: We progressed in the neighbourhood of Yiex Berquin, after sharp .patrol fighting. A Slew prisoners were captured here and in the neighbourhood of Merris. There was considerable hostile artillerying at Montrouge, Scherpenberg, and Zillebeke Lake. destroyed four machines and drove down five. We dropped twentytwo and a half fons of bombs, and Iheavily attacked- two aerodromes, sevtaal dumps and railway connections.

THE GERMAN VERSION. LONDON, August 17. A wireless German official message says: Southward of Thiescourt the enemy captured Attiche Farm. The enemy suffered heavily fighting for Lassigny. We drove him back six times during ten hours’ heavy fighting. THE NEW ZEALANDERS. LONDON, August 17. The “Daily Chronicle’s” correspondent at British headquarters states that he visited the New Zealanders who are facing the Hermans where the latter recently withdrew west of Bapaume. He says: The New Zea-' landers early on the morning of the 14th found the ground before' them unoccupied. Two large bodies passed forward 600 yards. They encountered resistance on the right. Trench fighting continued all day. One party turned a strong redoubt on the enemy’s left and captured it with prisoners, but the enemy held the main positions until dark. Meanwhile patrols, creeping forward north-west of Puissieux, found the enemy still in the trenches. Next day. other patrols cautiously entering Puisieux, found the place apparently unoccupied. A small party laid their arms aside and were resting, when forty Germans siludenly sprang from the ruins, wounding a corporal. The New Zealanders quitted the place, taking their rifles but leaving their equipment. When they returned the enemy was gone. Puisieux is now .our 3, and as soon as we choose we can occupy it. ANGLO- FRENCH ADVANCE CONTINUES. . NEW YORK, August 17. The Anglo-French advance is continuing. The British are pushing eastward and north of the Amleus-Roye road. The “Echo de Paris” announces that the Germans are preparing to evacuate the Roye-Lassigny-N.oyon line. AUSTRALIANS IN A VERITABLE INFERNO. LONDON, August 17. Australian headquarters, describing the good work done by the New South Wales men in the recent fighting, gives the instance ,cf a prominent cricketer and footballer. When the men were under heavy machine gun fire he took charge of the whole operation on this section. He organised the men, and rushed two machine guns single-handed ahead of our objective. He was wounded in the leg, and hobbled, with the aid of a stick, for three hours, when he was again wounded in the thigh. He then carried on for an. hour under fire heavier than ever previously experienced. An Australian graphically declared that while the machine guns were going, one couldn’t have placed a threepenny piece between the bullets. This officer sustained forty-six shrapnel wounds in the Ypres battle. The report adds that after the Australians’ final objective had been reached, they came across several cows calmly grazing In an orchard, and promptly milked them. Mr. Murdoch, correspondent at Australian headquarters, describing the intensity of the fire faced by the Victorians in their gallant, but ineffective attempt to cut off a large body of the enemy, says thUf aeroplanes, flying low, machine gunned and bombed them, while the rattle of machine guns on the ground rose to the intensity of a shrieking wind. Anti tank guns added to the inferno. Two land mines were exploded, hurling some men Into the air. Never since Lone Pine and The Nek has a considerable body of Australians met such intense machine gun fire. It was such a short range that some of the bullets.

bit through the tanks, killing and \ wounding the inmates. Our men were | in a semi-circle of heavy fire, with a very heavy barrage from more distant machine-guns heating across the line of retreat. The tanks, as they crawled homewards like ships, had rainstorms of bullets beating against I their sides, making tens of thousands of sparks, so that they moved like dazzling patches of brilliant colours. FIVE AND THREE-QUARTER MILES FROM NOYON. « )!? y: LONDON, August 17. JTjhs French are now 52 miles from Noyon, which is completely overlooked. FRENCH CAPTURE DOMINATING HEIGHTS. LONDON, August 17. A message from French headquarter.. on the evening of the 15th, says: Humbert’s troops gained ground today, The most important, though small in extent, is the Thiescourt massif, capturing the Attiches position, so-called after Attiches Farm, and Monolith Farm, which is the crown of the crest, at a height of 550 feet, and which dominates the Divette Valley and all the German positions and roads below. A couple of miles northwest is the crest crowned by the Chapel of Saint Aubin, which the enemy holds, overlooking Plemont. With Attiches Farm and Monolith Farm in our hands, we are very nearly masters of the Massif, and the position may become so difficult for the enemy that his whole leffxto Noyon and the Oise will bo endangered. GERMANY’S CASUALTIES. PARIS, June 17. Latest statistics of German casualties prior, to the March offensive are given as six million, including 1,400,000 killed, Between March 27th and June 17th, the Germans lost 120,000 killed alone, , ATTACK ON AMERICANS. ..., ■ NRW YORK, August 17. The New York Times correspondent at the American front states: The Germans launched a violent combined gas, artillery and air bombing attack against the Americans on the Vesle sector. The Americans held all their ground. SIR DOUGLAS HAIG’S REPORT. LONDON, August 18. At 12.30 a.m. Sir Douglas Haig reports: Our lino northward of Proyart was advanced slightly. Progress was made on a front of nearly a mile northward of Lyons. Enemy attacks ‘on posts in the Schcrpenberg sector, and a raid in the neighbourhood of Loerc, were repulsed. . I Fifteen enemy aeroplanes, were j downed. Six British arc missing. Aerodromes at Hanbournden and Lomfe. were .heavily attached on the 16th and 17th by a large number of our machines. Six hangars at Haubouruden and two machines standing in the open were destroyed at Lomme. Fires were noticed at both places. FRENCH STILL GOING ON. LONDON, August IS. French communique: We'continued to progress north and south of the Avrc. We captured strongly-held Caesar’s Camp trenches west of Roye, and •pushed our lines south of the Avrc to the vicinity of Boanvragncs. Over a thousand prisoners, numerous machine guns and much material have been captured north and south of the Avre since yesterday. Further south, we captured Canny-sur-Matz. A strong enemy counter-attack at Caroy Farm was repulsed. North of tho Aisne, in the region of Autreches, we captured positions on a front of five kilometres, and to a depth of 1500 metres. Two hundred and forty prisoners were captured. Twelve German aeroplanes were felled. GERMAN OFFICIAL REPORT. LONDON, August 18. At 12.30 this morning a wireless German official states: We repulsed repeated attacks on both sides of Roye. extending northwards as far as Chaulnes, and southward as far as Lassigny. The enemy near Boyencourt gained ground in the direction of Roye. Our counter-attacks regained lost ground. Repeated French attacks south-west-ward of the Avrc collapsed. BRITISH CROSSING THE ANCRE LONDON, August 17. Sir Douglas Haig reports: In the north-eastern outskirits of Thicpval Wood, after local fighting, our patrols are now crossing to the left bank of 1 the Ancrc.