WESTERN FRONT.

Taihape Daily Times, 23 August 1918, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

ENEMY'S RETIREMENT OPPOSITE NEW ZEALAND FRONT. CONTACT MAINTAIED WITH REARGUARD PATROLS. HEADQUARTERS, August 19.

For some days now, apparently in conformation with what may mean a more general scheme of retirement to a shorter and more easily-defended line, the enemy has been gradually falling back • opposite our sector. The first indications of this retirement was noted on the morning of August 14, when everything was extraordinarily quiet. Patrols were pushed out at five o'clock; the enemy artillery was below normal, smoke was rising from certain localities in enemy territory, while German aircraft were inactive and showed no disposition to cross our lines during the previous day. A few of the 'enemy were seen going and coming in unusual places, and some stretcher cases were carried away from a'dugout, but there were no signs 6f reitfement. On the 14th, our patrols were soon pushout' towards the Puisieux-Serre Ridge. Occasionally an enemy machine gun opposed our advance on the right flank, but invariably after a few minutes' firing«t was withdrawn, and our patrols pushed oh at the heels of the enemy. By nightfall Canterbury' and Otago troops had advanced, fighting to a line along the Serre-Puisieux road. They had killed and wounded several of the enemy, and were able to send back forty prisoners. On'the. left the Wellington troops found the enemy resisting more strongly, and progress was more difficult. Six prisoners were captured early in the morning. We had occupied a system of trenches a thousand yards to the south of Prusieux.

At dawn on the loth two companies of the enemy had reoccupied a sunken roaa to, the north of the village, but were engaged by Otago troops, who inflicted casualties, captured four prisoners, and advanced the line another 800 yards during the day. The enemy moving back were fired on, and machine-guns were silenced by our artillery. During the night harassing fire was directed on the enemy communications, while trench mortars

moving forward wjjth our infantry maintained a covering fire. Aircraft gave timely assistance with special patrols, and brought back early reports *f the location of the enemy. Progress on our left was slower owing to the high ground not being in our possession. The enemy guns were evidently shooting at extreme ranges. They shelled the ruins of Serre Village and put down barrages with the evident intention of hindering our advance. Machine guns in pockets gave considerable trouble to our advancing patrols, and in most cases held on till the last mom'ent to delay the advance. The enemy was holding his front line with out posts, in which were eight men with one machine gun, well in ffont of the main line of resistance whicfr contained the remainder of his forward battalion, the support battalion of each regiment being a long way further back. Enemy patrols had orders to beat off our patrols, but to fall back fighting if strongly attacked. In nearly every case his patrols gave way at once on a show of determined pressure. At dawn on the 16th the enemy attacked to re-occupy some trenches south of Puissieux, but the attackers were wiped out by the New Zealanders, ten prisoners, including an officer, were capt|fcfld, the remainder tag killed. guns were The enemy shelled spasmodically our whole >area, but with extraordinary little Effect, except at one Jilace. In cleaning up a pocket that

had been delaying the advance on the left 18 prisoners and two machine guns were captured. At five o'clock on the morning of the 18th the enemy attacked the Otagos' front with four sections of a storm battalion and a party of the 418th Infantry Regiment, about a hundred men in all, the objective being a sunken road south of Puisieu, and their object the straightening of their : line there. The enemy began with an intense bombardment on the front line area. An infantry attack followed on the right centre of the front. An Otago company pushed forward its Lewis guns to bring a flanking fire on the enemy, and heavy rifle and Lewis gun fire was poured into the advancing Germans. This broke up the attack. A lieutenant then led his men to mop up what remained of the enemy, and captured eleven prisoners and three machine "guns. A small patrol then pushed through the village and killed six Germans. Later another patrol pushing down a shallow valley counted two German officers and 25 other ranks .dead. The enemy orders for this attack appear' to have been very indefinite, which fact doubtless contributed largely to its failure. GERMANS RETIRING~TOWARDS ARMENTIERES. LONDON. August 21. Mr: Percival Phillips writes: Covered by .temporary belts of wire, the German Sixth Army is still retiring across-the Lys Plain towards Armentiercs. We have now advanced a maximum of four miles since the withdrawal began. The German general most concerned in this operation is ! our old friend B'ernhardi, the war j writer and hater of the British. He commands the Forty-fifth Corps, which ! was badly dented in the Merville salient. The British continue to bite his I flanks and disturb his retireiment. It { must be a bitter blow to him to strip j the ground of depots, railheads, bridges and other works which he constructed at great cost and sacrifice 1 preparatory to another drive on Hazebrouck and Calais. j OFFENSIVE LAUNCHED UNDER COVER OF MIST. I ■ LONDON, August 21. j The United Press Association's cor- ; respondent at the British front says that General Byng's offensive opened I through a camouflage of mist, which lay thickly over the ragged, worn battlefield, adhering to the ground, while the tanks cavalry and infantry advenced over and around the old trenches and new wires. By nine the sun, bursting through, revealed that the Germans had been cleared out of most points this side of the high embankment of the Arras-Albert railroad The artillery crash preceding the advance agitated the fog along the six northernmost miles of the front for fifty minutes. Later big guns concealed in readiness for several days were unloosed' on the lower part of. the lino and other troops swung into action. THE BRITISH VICTORY. ANOTHER STORY OF THE BATTLE LONDON, August 22. Von Buelow's 17th Army, with probably 50 battalions opposed to-day the British advance. The enemy front line, was thin, but deep. It wjas arranged not in font.inuou.:? tirenohes, but in isolated outposts, with machine-gun positions one behind the other for a considerable distance, the railway beween Albert and Arras, consisting largely of cutting and embankments, both equally serviceable in checking the attack, formed fhe real line of defence. Accordingly, along this railway, the heaviest fighting was expected ..So it turned out. Achiet-le-Grande, upon the railway, Achiet-le-

Petit, just westward of it, and towards Miramouth on the Ancre, were regarded as the central points, of the first day's attack and likely to be the strongest points of resistance. The attack was divided into two sections —the northern on a 10,000 yards' front, and the southern on a 5000 yards' front, latter coming into action an hour after the former, proI bably because nearer the railway. The I command did not expect a strategic surprise, ho hoped for a tactical sur-

prise. So it proved. Suddenly the

j still night air was shaken by an outI burst of guns, and ' orange-tongues ! flamed and flickered in the thick' mist. . The torrent of smoke/ fire■•• and death continued for three hours,, like the incessant throbbing of a gigantic mill. The men advanced in waves under the barrage not leaping out of the trenches nor Pushing on wildly, but walking quickly across No Man's Land. Soon the woundeds began to trickle back. It is stated that, the tanks led the first line of assault by about a hundred yards. It is always impossible to learn details of an engagement immediately but the inevitable perplexity was increased this morning by the dense mist and smoke of the barrage. On the high groun'd outside Bucqnoy one could not see more than fifty yards in any direction luntil 11 o 'clock, when the mist dissolved, leaving a hot, cloudless autumn day. The mist was at first to our advantage, but it led to some confusion among the infantry and tanks Happily, the Germans were already withdrawing their guns, and

only now and then shells came splashing over the lines. Unfortunately, one splashed into a very thick advanced

dressing-station. The Germans, except the machine-gun. ners, did not stay long in their positions. Some of our infantry walked straight forward over a mile without seeing the enemy. Certainly the resistance was slight until the railway was reached feere the opposition became a very different matter. The wounded increased directly bur lines approached it. During the afternoon, tanks and some infantry got across the railwav—wdiich means success for the whole ! movement. It is reported that there are about a thousand unwounded prisoners. Two hundred were taken in one clutch outside Courcelles. Everyone is pleased with the results so far. If wo hold the railway, we may possibly see Bapaume again before long. A GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION. GERMANS DRIVEN FROM THEIR LINE. LONDON, August 21. The United Press correspondent states: . General Byng's offensive opened through a camouflage of mist, which lay thickly over the ragged and worn battlefield, adhering to tne ground, while the tanks, cavalry, and infantry advanced over and around the old trenches and new wires. By 9 o'clock the sun, bursting through, revealed that the Germans had cleared out of most, points this side of the high embankment on the Arras Albert railroad. The artillery crash preceding the advance agitated the fog along the six northernmost miles of the front. Fifty minutes later, big guns which had been concealed Tn readiness for several days, loosed on the lower part of the line, and other troops swung into action. Before the end df fifty minutes, parts of the old line were passed, and the Germans lightly holding the northern end were identified as a section of the Guards' reserve division, a-fj the Fourth Bavarian division. The latter was recently hard hit, and~mcapable of resisting. The resistance at Moyenneville was weak. Two hundred prisoners were taken there. Some state that the British attack had been expected for a week past. The British casualties were few. Ten minutes later Courcelles was capture!! with equal ease. A German ccmipariy s strength was revealed at only fifty men. Altogether, the conditions for the attack were ideal, no smoke barrage ever equalling the effectiveness of the fog. So far as the tanks were concerned, the latter's crews were able to see as far as Necimary, while the tanks were hidden from the Germans until too late

The Germans fought desperately before permitting the crossing of the Ancre and the railway near Beaucourt. The combination cf the railway and and river made this gain more costly than the town itself, where the casualties are said to be only three, though we prisonered ninety. Some of the hardest nuts were cracked by the afternoon. Logeast Wood has apparently yielded, but Miraumont 'still holds out. The defences thereabout are forming a marked salient in the British line. The immediate "rear ot the fighting line affords odd contrasts. Soldiers are harvesting in the wheat fields, while the zone of women farmers ends a couple of kilometres further back. Meanwhile, fresh troops, headed by cheerful bands, .swing past towards the front.

FRENCH ADVANCE .UNCHECKED LONDON, August 21. A French communique states: Between the Oise and the Aisne the enemy made no attempt at reaction. Our troops this morning continued their progress on the whole front. We have taken Carlpont and Cuts. We gained ground after lively fighting west of Lassigny, and repelled several raids in Champagne. HINDENBURG RETURNS TO THE THE FRONT. -,-.:, : /./LONDON, August 21.' 'O.A-Betne states that Hindenburg has returned 'to the front, replaring Ludendorff, at the Kaiser's request An unconfirmed report states that the Kaiser, in order to placate popular opinion, has given the Crown Prince six months leave of absence. FRENCH THRUST CONTINUES. BEARING'MAGNIFICENT RESULTS MORE PRISONERS & MATERIAL TAKEN. Received 9 a.m. PARIS, August 22. General Mangin's thrust continues to yield magnificent resutls. There ar e some thousand more prisoners and considerable material. The pressure on the left, winch is forcing the Germans out of Carlepont Wood, is compelling his retirement towards Sempigny, and along the Oise Valley. This has created a new, small and dangerous pocket, while it outflanks Noyon from across the river. The retirement from a narrow salient along the north bank of the Oise will be a difficult operation. Meanwhile General Humbert has seized Lassigny, further lightening the hold on Noyon from the west. BRITISH MINOR OPERATION. a i PROGRESSING WELL. Received 9.5 a.m. LONDON, August 22. A British new minor enterprise has been launched in the shape of an attack on the high ground, between Albert and Bray, and is ' progressing well. The first batch of 150 prisoners has come in. SIX GERMAN ARMIES DAMAGED. THE SEVENTH FOLLOWING SUIT. Received 9.5 a.m. , LONDON, August 22. The Allies have damaged six German armies since the 15th of July. The British are now attacking the seventh. BRITISH FURTHER ADVANCING. 3000 PRISONERS ON WEDNESDAY. FRENCH FORCE GERMANS BACK. Received 9.5 a.m. - LONDON, 'August 22. A message reports that'the British have captured Achiet le Grand after encountering fierce resistance. British posts have been established east of Arras-Albert railroad. The British have freshly attacked between the Somme and the Ancre. The French have forced The Germans back to the bank of the Ailette. The British on Wednesday took 3000 prisoners. ALBERT REPORTED CAPTURED. Received 11.25 a.m. NEW YORK, August 22. It is unofficially reported that Albert has been captured. FOCH'S DRIVES A WEDGE. BETWEEN TWO GERMAN ARMIES Received 10.5 a.m. NEW YORK, August 22 The capture of the line of the Ailette means that Foch has successfully driven a wedge between von Boehm's and the Crown Prince's armies. The French have now crossed the Ailette River. CONTINUED FRENCH SUCCESSES, IMPORTANT FRENCH DRIVE EAST OF NOYON. A SCORE OF VILLAGES RECAPTURED. Received 11.25 a.m. LONDON, August 22. A French communique states: Between the Matz and the Oise the enemy, despite his resistance, was bent •under our vigorous pressure. Lassigny has fallen, and further south we secured a footing at iLeplemont, captured Orval Wood, and reached the outkirts of Chery Ourscamps. We continued to be successful east of the Oise and captured Carlepont Woods. We are on the Oise, east of Noyon, between Sempigny and Pqintoise. Father east we passed the Noyon-Courey-le-Chateau road, and capt'ured Camclin, Lefrcsne, and . Blcrancourt, and reached the outskirts of St. Aubiu

Since yesterday we liberated a score of villages and advanced 8 kilometres at certain points. Forty-one tons of projectiles were dropped during the daytime on troop concentrations, convoys, and passages of the Ailette, in addition to tens of thousands of cartridges fired by ma-chine-guns. We continued to attack and bomb and machine-gun the Ailette passages during the night time, besides dropping twenty three tons on several stations. '/.',' ' 1000 'CAPTURED ROUND ■ ' '• Ji • ; '. $ m ',. ;. ■■ ■ ■ ;; io "' Received a.m. iV •' NEW YORK, August 22 The British have captured 1000 prisoners round Albert. HAIG'S LATEST REPORT. Receved 11.25 a.m. LONDON ,August 22. Sir Douglas Haig's reoprts: At 4.15* a.m., we attacked the enemy's positions between the Somme and the Ancre. By nightfall on Wednesday our patrols had progressed on the left Dank of the Ancre, south and soutnwest of Thiacourt. We maintaineo. the positions gained yesterday north of the Ancre against strong counterattacks in the afternoon on Miraucourt and Achiet le Grand. Fresh counter attacks developed in the morning opposite Mirauniont. We captured two to three thousand pn?:oners and a few guns on Wednesday. We made further progress eastward and north-east of Merville, and reached the outskirts of Neuf Berquin, ana captured a strong point north of Ba»leul. We repulsed after sharp fighting a strong local counter attack agalns* Locrehof Farm, north of Dranoutre. Fighting occurred in the night in this sector