A Stirring Review.

Taihape Daily Times, 30 August 1918, Page 5

A Stirring Review.

BAPAUME AND PERONNE. THE ENEMY’S GREATEST CONCERN. GERMAN HIGH COMMAND ORDERS THE IMPOSSIBLE. Received 9 a.m. Mr. PercoVal Phillips writes: — Though the German High Command must be anxious over the fall of Roye, the Australian advance on Peronne and the peril of the Bapaume position, before Arras, must claim attention before all else, because the bulge above and behind the Hindenburg line grows hourly deeper. The horns of the army have pushed through the greater pan of that defence which the enemy believed practically impregnable, ana our infantry and guns now occupy territory untouched by the British since the enemy invaded France, at, comparatively speaking, the cost of a few men. The Germans yielded with great readiness and their counter attacks were soon broken. The fate of Bapaume and Peronne matters little by comparison. Meanwhile our extreme right is passive, and if Australians can be passive, in any circumstances, the outstanding feature is the First Army’s advance was the symptoms of the enemy’s demoralisation. Undoubtedly compulsion exists; prisoners are suffering badly from nerves; infantry accuse their gunners of criminal inaccuracy and officers blame the higher command for ordering the impossible in counter attacks. Cases are recorded of the enemy bolting, for example, at Vis en Artois, from the Canadians; at Bullecourt from the Londoners; but enemy machine gunners are fighting wall. Philip Gibbs, in giving an instance of confusion amongst German troops, says: Odd battalions and companies were mixed chaotically, but they were goaded forward and told they must fight.... Ik one stretch of three miles, near .Montaubah, there were sixteen battalions helplessly mixed. Drawn from five shattered divisions, two storm divisions at Mory and Cherisy were, reduced to twenty-five per company; t 'one battalion at St. Leger found itself abandoned by its neighbours and was surrounded and captured en masse. The commander cursed the Higher Command which sent a decimated regiment into battle. The Higher Command, in order to encourage them, previously issued an order declaring we defeated four British divisions and they know that the Higher Command sent four divisions against Moyenneville and Ablainzville. Despite the encouraging order, many were non-starters, and those who started were caught by artillery and slaughtered. It was a terrible few who came to close quarters. Two new divisons counter attacked the Canadians at Mpnchy; again there were many non-starters, and only a few resolute troops persevered, but they onlycovered 400 yards before they ~were wiped out. Another division was ordered forward and a number of, brave men did their best, but the disorganised division drifted back. Apart from their gallant machine gunneds, German infantry, for a time at any rate, have lost the spirit they had. Through rearguard fighting rot set in which will lead to disaster unless the German Army can be rallied and refreshed. Our men will not give them rest. We, ourselves, were not'in a good state in March, but we had reserves, while the Germans at present have no such reserves, but we can e;-:-pect a check at the Drocourt—Queant ■line which is strong and will be defended by every available man.

FOCH’S PINCERS AGAIN. NOYON HAS BEEN CAPTURED. HINDENBURG LINE PENETRATED Received 8.45 a.m. NEW YORK, August 29. Noyon has been captured. General March states that the French advance near Nesle indicates a further opening of Foch’s pincers. British gains to the, northward are endangering the Hindenburg line, which is now penetrated one mile on a front of three miles. General March has cofirmed the retreat of the Italians in Albania; the Austrians have reconquered Berat. It is reported that Ginchy has been captured. NEARING PERONNE. ADVANCE ON THE SOMME. LONDON, August 28. Sir Douglas Haig reports thatsouih of the Somme the Australians, attacking vigorously, reached the line of Prise-—Herbecourt. North of the Somme wo captured Curlue and Hardecourt, advancing.in the direction of Maurepas. We also captured Croisilles, Boiry Notre Dame and Pelves.

RAPID FRENCH ADVANCE. HUNS DRIVEN BACK, BIGHT MLLES ON 25 MILE FRONT. Received 10.10 a.xn. LONDON, August 29. A French communique states: We continued to pursue the enemy, who, under our pressure, precipitately retreated on a front of thirty kilometres. We reached the heights on the lert bank of the Somme, from i as far as east of Nesle. Further south we reached the western bank of the, canal, running due . north, along the greater part of its course, between Nesle and Noyon. North of the CTie we captured Pontleveque, Vauchelies, and PorqueicourL ,Our advance today exceeds ten kilometres at some points. Forty villages have been recaptured. Vast quantities of materia* abandoned by the Germans includes three heavily laden trains. Five hundred prisoners were captured in lively fighting between the Oise and the Aisne in the region of Juvigny. Am- ( ericans repulsed several counter attacks, they also frustrated a big German attempt to cross the Vcsle south of Bazoches and Fismette.

AMERICANS LOSE FISMETTE ADVANCING OR JUVIGNY. Received 9.15 a.m. WASHINGTON,' Aug 28 United States troops gained ground at B'azocbes. The Germans captured Fismette after all night fighting, and many hand to hand encounters. Americans are now counter-attacking around Fismette. Received 9.15 a.m. WASHINGTON, August 29 General Pershing reports, Americans were forced to retire from Basoches and Fismette, but are advancing with the French north-west of Juvigny BAPAUME CAPTURED. Received; 9.15 am. ■ • : nnro.v • NEW YORK, .'August-29 Bapaume has. now- been' captured., MARCHING TOWARDS; HAM. i SUCCESS OF CANADIANS. Received 11.35 /a.m. LONDON, August 29, The United Press correspondent reports, the Australians have taken Fenillercss and Belloy, dnd are now within three miles of Brie "bridge, advancing the upper bank of the Somme towards Ham. General Byng has taken Ginchy. The Canadians, by bombing, cleared out the famous concrete tunnel, running westward of Bullecourt to the Sensee River. Many Germans were killed and more taken prisoner. HINDENBURG LINE PIVOT. MENACED BY THE BRITISH. Received 11.35 a.m; ;; NEW YORK, August 29.' ", The British are within a thousand yards of the Drocourt —Qucant line. HUNS IN RAPID RETREAT. . BETWEEN OISE AND SOMME.

Received 11.35 a.m. LONDON, August 29. French headquarters correspondent, writing on Wednesday evening, says the Germans , were strongly holding the outskirts of Noyon, particularly with machine gun? concealed in houses, Humbert’s army has crossed the Roye—Noycn Road, near Serrnaize and Catigny. Gormans are energetically defending hills ea'st of CStigny. Debeney has reached the neighbourhood of Cachy and Rainecourt, and has reached the Somme between Rouy le Petit and Cizancourt. german official story. Received 11.20 a.m. LONDON, August 29. A wireless German official message states:— We held up the enemy’s thrust after bitter fighting east of Pelves, near Vis en Artois and Frotselles. Our counter attacks recaptured Flers and Longueval. Between the Somme and Oise we withdrew our lines, giving up Chaulnes and Roye. We stormed Fismette, and frustrates an attack on Bazouches . VON BOEHM HONOURED. Received 11.20 a.ra. LONDON, August 29. The Kaiser has bestowed the Order of the Black Eagle; which is the highest German distinction, on General von Boehm, commander of the Seventh Army, in commemoration of his successes on the Western front.

LATEST BRITISH OFFICIAL REPORT, 26,000 PRISONERS LAST WEEK. Received 11.20 a.m, LONDON, August 29, Sir Douglas Haig reports: South of the Somme we maintained our pressure upon the enemy, and at nighttime advanced eastward and nortnward of' the Somme as far as the neighbourhood of Fontaine and Lez CrpisUJ.es.., The night was compara,tiv,ely quiet in the sector astride the Scarp,q, 1 | The enemy’s strong counter attack','Eastward and south-eastward of Vis 'eh Artois, eastward of Borland in the vicinity of Gavrelle, was repulsed with loss to the enemy, after heavy fighting. Our advanced posts westward of Oppy were withdrawn slightly as a result of repeated hostile attacks. We have prisonered since the morning of August 21 upwards of 26,000 men and over a hundred guns. Tanks actively participated in the fighting southward and northward of the Somme on all possible occasions, and rendered very gallant and valuable service in co-operation with the infantry and other arms.