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Taihape Daily Times, 2 September 1918, Page 5

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Important Captures by Ik Allies ' t. MONT KEMMEL CAPTURED THE FALL OF PERONNE IMMINENT Germans Refuse to Go to the Western Graveyard ? • s O— — Feverishly Fortifying the Rhine

the river between themselves and the Australians, whom they dislike so heartily.''

GERMAN COUNTER ATTACKS. FRENCH ARMY'S PROGRESS. LONDON, August 30. Writing on Thursday evening from French headquarters, Reuter's correspondent says: "To-day the Germans are counter attacking along the whole line. They are stoutly holding many places, with a view to further retirement at a more favourable moment. General Debeney's army southward of Nesle is progressing in the region of Moyencourt and Breuil, also towards and along the unfinished NesleNoyon Canal. General Humbert's army captured Beaurains and Hermoise. General Mangin's army is faced by a long rampart of hills from Hont St. Simon to Chaumy. This arrriy Is firmly established on the Laffaux, Plateau. ;It captured' Tartieres, ;and is close to Juvigny. The next step in the development of the battle depends on the advance of the araiies north of the Somme. -

After carrying Noyon the French infantry reached the southern slopes of Mont. St. Simon. ■ Some units crossed the Ailette, and, in conjunction with the Americans continue to press the enemy on the plateau Juvigny. The enemy knowing the vital value of these positions, is evidently prepared to defend'them at all costs, throwing in the best troops available, including the Guards. ■ ■■"* •<

NEARING THE LINE. COMBLES CAPTURED. • • LONDON, August 31. The British this morning, advanced 200 yards on a front of seven miles from Bullecourt to the Scarpe. bringing them almost within a mile of tho Droeourt-Queant switch line. ; ' • •• " We have taken Reincourt (a mile S.W. of Bapaume) and Combles, and are holding the Somme line from Buscourt, west of Peronne, to the junction with the French lines. "VVe have also placed advanced posts across the Somme, north of Biaches and EterPigny.

Sir Douglas Haig reported on the 31st at 12.20 a.m.

Operations are proceeding satisfac torily eastward and northward of Ba paume, despite inceased resistance.

Hard fighting has taken place on the greater part of this front, and the enemy made a number of heavy counterattacks.

We entered Reincourt les Bapaume and Bancourt, where we actively engaged the enemy all day long. We captured Fremicourt, Vaulx .and Rancourt, and reached the western outskirts of B'eugny.

The enemy is still obstinately defending Ecoust Smein, though closely pressed.

Determined counter-attacks by strong forces at Bullecourt and Hendecourt compelled us to fall back to the western outskirits thereof, and to the German trench system between these villages, where our fire stopped the enemy's attack.

The Canadians successfully attacked astride the Arras-Cambrai road and captured the defences between Hendicourt and Haucourt, capturing Haueourt and prisonering hundreds.

We maintained vigorous pressure southward of Bapaume and gained ground. We also progressed eastward north-eastward of Clery. prisonering. 300. We are closely following the withdrawing enemy's sector. —We took possession of Bailleul. Sir Douglas Haig reported at 1.45 p.m. in the evening on August 31: During th© jnSght the. Australians drove the enemy from positions eastward of-Clery, capturing many prisoners and" a number of machine-guns. Our advance in this locality continues.

Yesterday afternoon English troops were engaged in a successful operation northward of the Ai-ras-Cambrai road, capturing an important strong point known as St. Servius' Farm, also Eterpigny on the east bank of the Sensee river.

NOYON IS DESTROYED. NUMBER OF GERMAN DESERTERS FLEE TO FRENCH LINE. Received 8.55 a.m. AMSTERDAM, August 30 Le Matin states that French troops traversed Noyon at the double. There are no soldiers in the town at present, as we were unable to stay owing to dense clouds of smoke overhanging after shelling and destroying the greater part of the town.. The Germans are now sprinkling 'it with incendiary shells. Two French prisoners and 39 Germa.i deserters fom Toul sought safety in the French lines. The Frenchmen stated they were kept in bombarded positions with many English, who were even worse treated, having to handle shells and dig. DUTCH FRONTIER RUSHED. BELGIANS BREAK THROUGH. Received 8.55 a.m. AMSTERDAM, Aug. 30 Belgians, armed with rifles and revolvers, rushed an electrified wire as a barrier on the Dutch frontier, in the night time, tliey cut the wire while others replied to the fire of the German sentries—all escaped.

ARMING HUNS WITH PISTOLS. Received 8.55 a.m. Mr. Pirie Robinson says:—The Germans are forming pistol sections in every infantry company, armed with automatic pistols, having an eighteeninch barrel. A CAPTURED GERMAN NOTE. THfi HUN OPINION OP AUSTRALIANS. ;-. \: , ; =. ...•■ i ■ HUGE BRITISH CAPTURES. ' Received 8.55 a.m. LONDON, Sept. 1. The British Headquarters lately captured a note, issued by a German battalion headquarters, which coutains the following: "The Australians are a powerful type of men; exceedingly clever, versatile, and enterprising. They know how to creep through high crops and capture our outposts; they also understand exceedingly wen how to carry out large patrol operations. Their chief characteristic is that they take very few prisoners; they bayonet or shoot everybody." A correspondent states that che British Third Army .since the 25th, captured'lOO guns and 18,000 prisoners. The- First Army, sine's the 26th, captured 26 guns and 4000 prisoners. The New.Zealanders. took, inter alia, some; nve-point-niiie howitzers at Bapaume. ... , , , MONT ST. QUENTIN CAPTURED. BRITISH NOW DOMINATE PERONNE.

AUSTRALIANS' BEILLIANT WORK ADVANCE EAST OF BAPAUME. Received 8.55 a.m. LONDON, Sept. 1. Sir Douglas Haig reports that th? Australians arc showing great dash, enterprise, daring and brilliancy.. The? executed night operations, seizing the hill and village of Mont St. Quentin. northward of Peronne, thereby gaining possession of the important tactical feature commanding Peronne, and the angle of the Somme river. The captured Fueilancourt and over fifteen hundred prisoners. Our casualties were light. The English on the Australians' left attacked in the morning with complete success and captured Mauricres Wood, and the high ground eastward and northward thereof, also prisoners in considerable numbers. We successfully repulsed daylong counter-attacks, driving them off with heavy enemy losses; also strong hostile attacks the Bapaume-Cambrai Road, and completed the capture of Rein Les Bapaume. Wo slightly improved our position at certain points between Vaux, B'eaucourt and Bullecourt. Received 9.55 a.m. LONDON, Sept. 1. Strong hostile counter attacks In the Bullecourt sector led to hand to hand fighting. The situation has not changed materially. Further northward the Canadians are engaged in successful operations. Immediately south of the A'rras—Cambrai road they inflicted many casualties and captured fifteen machine guns. Between the Sensee anS the Scarpe we advanced our line 1500 yards towards Triquis river. There is an. increasing demand upon the enemy's reserves, due, firstly, to enor-

mous casualties incurred in his massed attacks during tke earlier part of the year, and, secondly, to heavy casualties —killed, wounded and prisoner* —inflicted on his armies since 18th July by the Allies. A series of successful attacks has compelled the enemy to withdraw from the 'Lys salient, and yield, without a blow, positions of high tactical importance, which he won at a great cost. \te took possession of Kemmel Hill and reached a general line Voormezeele— Lindenhoek - Lacreche —Boulieu, and are approaching Estaires. We are closely pressing the enemy in his retirement, taking a number of prison-, ers. ,'...-.

A later message says the enemy, in the evening, repeatedly counter-at-tacked at Mont St. Quentin; he was repulsed on each occasion. After severe fighting we progressed towards Le Transloy and cleared out the enemy. At night time we attacked Ecourt and St. Mein, and prisonered fifty northward Of the Arras-Cambrai line. We were* successful in minor operations, eastward .of Laucourt. In the Lys sector our advance continues; we crossed the Lawe river, nearlng the La Bassee —Estaires road. An American communique states that northward of the Aisne we too* Juvigny by assault. In Alsace we raided successfully, penetrating enemy trenches.

A French, communique, states the battle continues with extreme violence in the region of the Canal du Nord, and north of Spissons. We made progress foot by foot, successfully carrying stubbornly defended centres of resistance. We carried the campaign to the east bank of the canal; the enemy's resistance is particularly violent in the village of Chevilly, which the Germans twice recaptured, it finally remaining in our hands. We enlarged our gains north of Hamlincourt and Morlancourt, and carried byassault Juvigny and Grouy, and reached the western outskirts of Leury. 'A German evening official report says the English are following up our retirement via Remniel, Bialleul, and Neuf Berquin, and across the Lawe.

The French attacked in the afternoon'on both sides of Noyon and between the Oise andthe'Aisne..

ANOTHER FRENCH'SUCCESS.' '""' Received 10.5 a.m. NEW YORK, Sept. 1. The French stormed iLoury and captured 1000 prisoners They also captured Louy-le-Petit. ALLIED TRANSPORT. A MARVEL OF ORGANISATION. Received 11.5 a.m." LONDON, Sept. 1. A British Headquarters' correspondent says the unanimous spirit of the troops at the front is calm confidence. Everything goes excellently. The great machinery of our initiative continues to work perfectly.and smoothly, in the way of transport facilities, ~ which creep forward in the wake of the advancing line, and is a marveln or organisation. To-day broad gauge trains are carrying troops and -'stores into" places which-a ; week ago were in enemy occupation. Considering the ex tent and importance of the operations the nett casualties are very lig::j, moreover the great proportion arc clean bullet wounds, caused mainly by machine guns.

WESTERN FRONT.

INCREASED RESISTANCE. LONDON, August 30. General Sir Douglas Haig announces the capture of Clery sur Sonime, Combles, Bullecourt, and Hendecourt-lez-Cagniouret. A Canadian attack between Hendicourt and the Arras-Cambrai road is progressing favourably. A French communique reports: — On the Somme and in the region of the Canal Du Nord no change occurred during the night. Between the Somme and the Ailette we repulsed several enemy counter-attacks east of Pasly, and maintained our gains. On the Vesle and in the Chmapagne enemy raids were resultless. Elsewhere things Temain calm.

The French headquarters'correspondent, writing on Thursday night, says: The Gerriiari counter-attacks were supported by heavily reinforced artillery. A German' attack eh Morchai'n, on the -west bank of the Somme, was driven back after a furious struggle. The enemy resistance was particularly still in the region of Eouy le Grand, Eouy le Petit, arid Quigery; two kilometres from Our artillery pulverised a enemy strong points. Q'uigerjk felT by the evening, likewise Baifeul arid'Mbyericourt. Further south after fierce grenade fighting, the French entered Quesnoy Wood. '■ :: r— PERONNE THREATENED i WASHINGTON, August 30 Official War Department dispatches from France say Peronne is serious'.y threatcried as the result of the Allies'

advance. • ENEMY RETREATING BEHIND REARGUARDS LONDON, August 30. Mr Philip Gibbs says:—From the Mils north of the Scarpe to the south of the Somme the enemy is retreating, trying to get away behind its rearguards before being caught or killed. Machine-gunners in places are fiercely resisting in order to gain time for a more orderly Tetreat. This defence is the strongest On the northern half of the Australian front, perhaps in order to delay tho fall of Peronne until enormous stores there are removed, but our men are trudging after them in great elation. They eagerly press on until they aro unable to go further "because they have the enemy on the run. Every hour brings news of more villages" and' woods recaptured. The -United Press correspondent states: —The Australians who faced Peronne are across the Somme, and nave reached to almost striking distance. They crossed to the north bank by a bridge reaching Clery. Combles "was taken together with a battery of field guns."

Mr Percival Phillips says: —"The German High Command is making a ■desperate effort to check our advance at the northern end of the line. They threw in every available man last night. Two attacks were made by four divisions, chiefly against the Canadians between the Cambrai road and the Scarpe. The attackers were beaten back after hard fighting. Much of yesterday's fighting in the direction of Hendeeourt and Bulecourt was again of the rare old-fashioned sort, our gunners, despite poor visibility, shelling the enemy's fleeing transport by direct observation. The Australians in the south are performing a difficult task. The enemy's withdrawal hinges on the northern end, and ho is obliged to swing hack with the greatest speed, between Bapaume and the Somme, but the Australians have the necessary speed to keep in touch with them. The German resistance at Biaches is stiftoing'/r'as the Germans are anxious to stroy the bridges before {frey put