THE SOMME CLEARED

Taihape Daily Times, 31 August 1918, Page 5

THE SOMME CLEARED

WESTERN FRONT.

SEMSAf lONAL BRITISH ADVANCE Enemy. Suffer Terrihie Losses Victorious French Advance «WV 111 i ■mi » »'A Numerous Villages Captured by French and British 0 " ■ ROLLING UP PICASM AMIES

ians to retain this position. The Turits made no further attack on Baku. The arrival of British troops had a most encouraging effect on the population. A published estimate, which the German authorities admit that the total German killed is 1,400,000, is greatly under the mark. The r,eal figures are well over two million, and.may be much greater.

MOST MEMORABLE BATTLE OF THE WAR. •'""*" "",' LONDON, August 29. General Monasli, in an order of the day to the Australian troops on the eve of the battle, said: "To-morrow all Australian divisions engage in the largest and most important battle ever undertaken by an Australian force. "What you so brilliantly executed in the past four months is but a prelude to this greatest culminating effort. Owing to completeness of our plans and the dispositions and magnitude of the operations/the depth to which we intend overrunning the enemy's position, this battle will be one of the most memorable of the whole war. There is no doubt the capture of our objectives will inflict blows that will make the enemy stagger and bring the end appreciably nearer." • The Germans secured a copy of this order from the body of a dead Australian, and published it > widely after changing and corrupting the text/ 5 and claiming it was proof of the unparalleled efforts made to break the whole German ?army and finish the war, thus baS&g their claim to victory on a perverted statement.

THE SOMME REGAINED LONDON. August 30. Sir Douglas Haig reports: Successful attacks since August Bth delivered by the Fourth, First and Third British armies have rendered the enemy's position on the old Somme battlefield untenable. The enemy has been forced . on the whole front from Bapaume southwards, to abandon with great loss of prisoners, guns and material, as well as killed and wounded, the ground, which he gained, at such heavy ..cost, during March and April of this year,Sis Douglas Haig reports: We have reached the west bank of the-Somme,. opposite Brie j and Peronne, and have captured Hem. .Northwards of .Hem we "are: advancing on the general line 'Combles -, Morval . B'aulicourt - Flemicourt. Sharp fighting occurred on this front, where we inflicted many casualties on the enemy, who attempted to delay our progress. ■■ The British have reached Maurepas and Lesboeufs, and have nearly reached Le Transloy. It is reported that the French have captured Juvigny, 1 north of. Soissons. FRANCO-AMEBIC AN SUCCESS. WASHINGTON, August 29. The Franeo-Amerieaii attack" on JUt ; vigny resulted in gaining a thousand yards. The approaches to 1 the railway have been seized.-. •;-: /;.: ;3l~'' s TO SHORTEN LINE AND CONSERVE TROOPS.

GERMAN LOSSES. TWO MILLION KILLED. ' 120,000 TAKEN PRISONERS. ' / \,i '. ■ ' : ■■■" ■'■ .- ■■■' ••'■ -:>• - LONDON, 'August 29. Since August 8 the British have taken 52,000 prisoners and captured 550 guns. The Allies since July IS have taken 120,000 prisoners and captured 2000 guns. -It is expected that the Germans will attempt to hold the line on the * Ailette —Oise-Somme — Tortoille until the campaigning season is finished, when they hope to retire to the Hindenburg line unmolested. It is definitely known that the German dead considerably exceed two million. j A GENERAL REVIEW. PROSPECTS OP THE GERMAN PLAN. LONDON, August 25. It remains to be seen whether Germany will be allowed to carry out her retirement according to plan, in gradual stages. The British advance on ftoth sides of the Scarpe ,is a serious 'threat tb this line, as we lire already almost in contact with Hindenburg-o Drocourt—Queant switch. It is clear the enemy cannot allow us to advance much further in this quarter without endangering his whole plkn. Hence his determined resistance there. The German resistance has varied greatly in different parts of the battlefield. Although some divisions have fought "with their old determination, others are surrendering very freely. A review of the situation elsewhere shows that the peasant risings In Ukraine continues serious. There have heen conflicts with the German and Austrian troops, who are finding Increasing difficulty in exploiting the country. The Czechs in Siberia continue to progress eastward. They have captured Verkhnewdinsk, sixty miles east of Lake Baikal. Semenoff has advanced Into Siberia. The Japanese have appeared on this front. The Austrians in the Balkans ocinmenced an offensive on the 22nd and succeeded in capturing Berat. The Italians have withdrawn to the Malakastra—Cafaglava—Cafaglunka line, and the French left wing has withdrawn in conformity; The Italians' line now rnns five miles south of Berat. The 3mla%astra ridge is important, because ft. commands the harbour of Va- ' lona, and it is essential to the Ital-

LONDON, August. 29. Latest developments make it sufficiently clear that the Germans intend to retire to a shorter line, where they can obtain a better defensive position and economise troops, the necessity. for which the man-power situation makes urgent. It is not improbable that he'will retire to the Hindenburg Line, but there is reason to think lie will try to postpone this as long as possible, and may hope to defer it until the weather makes active operations impracticable. The moral effect of such a retirement, both in Germany and oh the German army, would, be very great. The enemy's present intention, therefore, is to make a stand on some line west of the Hindenburg (Line. There is a very favourable line along the Ailette, Oise, Somme and Tortille rivers. ■

••SWEEPING ON. LONDON, August 29. Keuter's correspondent at French headquarters, writing at 8 p.m., says: Three French armies are sweeping on in close co-odination. General Humbert's army at 10 this morning captured Noyon. General Mangin's army crossed the Oise for *he fflrst time, 'and occupied Morlincourt on the. left bank. General Debeney's army captured Quesnoy Wood. FURTHER FRENCH ADVANCES. WELL OVER THE AILETTE. MOVING EAST OF NOYON. Received 9.40 a.m. LONDON, August 30. A French communique reports that during the day we made progress in the region of the Canal du Nord, which we skirt on its whole length except towards Catigny and Hermoise. We captured Quesnoy Wood,, north-

east of Ecuyilly and Beaurins to the southwards where the battle became bitterly violent. We carried Noyon by sheer fighting and Teached the southern slopes of Mont Simon; took Noyon. We gained a footing on the suthern slpes of Mont St. Simon; took Laudrimant. Mollincourt and several hundreds of prisoners.

We crossed the Ailette between the Oise and the Aisne at several points north and south of Champs, despite resistance. We captured Cuny and Font St Mard.

keep up drafts? If we rely on the annaul contingent of nineteen year olds, and recovered sick and wounded we cannot maintain our forces at full strength, and the war will in consequence be prolonged. Every able-bodied man possible must be sent to the front. While Ireland is out of the war Ave are not doing our best and our overvital necessities. We must appeal to the th e Dominion to look up their vital necessities. We must appeal to the Dominions to look up their manpower. If Australia could see, at work here, the glorious troops who saved Amiens, and who are now, with reduced ranks, (driving the enemy along the Somme, the Australian ranks would not long remain unfilled.

SENSATIONAL BRITISH ADVANCE NEW ZEALANDERS CAPTURED BAPAUME. Received 9. a.m. NEW YORK, August 30. The British have captured Combles, and penetrated several miles beyond. The British, east of Arras, gained i 200 u yards and captured Riencourt, ! Hendecourt, Les Cagnicourt and Clery sur Somme. The British captured Le f ransloy, and the New Zealanders captured Bapaume. A MILITARY SUMMARY. ■BY 'A NOTED FRENCHMAN. Received 9 a.m. NEW YORK, August" 30. The "New York Times" Washington correspondent, B. Tardieu, has cabled from Paris a summary of the military events of the past five months, as bearing on the present situation. He says: "Paris is no longer threatened." There is direct rail communication between Paris and Calais, and rail communication between Paris and Nancy has been re-established. The Allies have wrested the initiative from the Germans, forcing the German High Command to fight a defensive campaign ,and they admit the seriousness of'the situation, judging from reliable documents. Apparently only 2$ -fresh divisions now compose the German reserves;! 2'3 others are being reformed., acordfng' to prisoners' statements. Se cret. documents and letters reveal great discouragement among German troops; they no longer believe victory possible. Germany now realises that French and British reserves were not used up, and are forced to admit the value of the American army.

A GERMAN REPORT. SWEEPING ADMISSIONS OF LOSS. Received 10.40 a.m. LONDON, August 30. A wireless German official states, we repulsed five English attacks between the Scarpe and Senee. We thrice recaptured Boiry Notre Dame, but the enemy's evening attack retook it. We repulsed seven attacks southward of Crosilles. Southward of Mory the enemy advanced beyond Dompierre, Bjelloy, Noyon and now lies in front of our battlefront.

REPORT FROM HAIG. BULLECOURT IS CAPTURED. LONDON, 'August 30. Sir Douglas Haig reports that Clery sur Somme and Combles have been taken; also Bullecourt, Hendecourt, and Le Cagnicourt . We are holding the enemy in other districts and are pushing forward. OLD SOMME BATTLEFIELD. CLEARED OF THE' HUNS. ENEMY SUFFER ! ■ ■ : LOSSES. | Received 11.30 a.m. LONDON, August 30.' Sit Douglas Haig reports that in successful attacks since August Bth, the Fourth and First Armies have rendered the enemy's positions on the eld Somme battlefield untenable. On the whole front from Bapaume southwards the enemy has been forced to abandon his positions with great loss in prisoners, guns and material; also in killed and" wounded, the ground gained by him with such heavy cost in March and April of this year. Wo have reached the bank of the Sonne?, opposite Bris and Peronne, and have ' taken them. This morning the New Zealanders captured Bapaume.

A Frehch .official report states that Noyon has been captured, and, eastwards, a footing has been gained on the slopes of Mont St. Simon, capturing Landremont and Morlincourt. Progres was made on the Oise and Aisne fronts.

HINDENBURG LINE SMASHED. ROLLING UP PICARDY ARMIES. Received 10.40 a.m. NEW YORK, August 30. The British armies have smashed the Hindenburg line south-east of Arras, and are now beginning to roll up the German armies on the Picardy front. GENERAL MAURICH'S REVIEW. IS THE END NEAR? MORE MAN POWER WANTED. AN APPEAL TO AUSTRALIA. Received 10.40 a.m. LONDON, August 30. General Maurice writes that the present offensive is great, though it promises to lack the weight to carry us to complete victory. American armies will give the neccsary weight but the war will be prolonged unless British armies are kept up. The question anxiously asked in France Is," will they