STARTLING REPORTS

Taihape Daily Times, 17 October 1918, Page 5

STARTLING REPORTS

GERMANY CAPITULATES. KAISER ABDICATES. BRITISH ENTER LILLE. 12,000 Prisoners and 100 Guns Taken limn mi 1 f ilium ~~ / German lines of Communication Cut.

WESTERN FRONT. \ m2 menin captured. LONDON, Oot 15. The British have captured Menin, an important road and railway junction 11 miles south-east of Ypres. The* United Press correspondent states that the prisoners captured in Belgium exceed 10,000, and the guns 100. The enemy resistance is stiffening. AMERICAN DRIVE WEST OF THE MEUSE. ■ LONDON, Oct 15. ■ An American communique reports: We resumed otir advance northward of Verdun against very strong and strategically most Valuable positions. We passed beyond . Cunel and Romagne. Our patrols are in the Bois de Bantheville, 8 miles north-east of Grand Pre, and our attacking line has penetrated St. George’s and Lan dres, a mile further east. We have taken 750 prisoners. PROGRESS AT VARIOUS POINTS. ’ LONDON, October 15. A French "'communique at 4.10 p.m. says: At nigfit-time land early in the morning we 'progressed at different points from 'south of the Sefre. We captured Eemies, Barentan Cel, and Moneeau le Yaast, West of Grand Pre we progressed beyond the Aisne. We hold Clizy. We prisonefed over 800 here. , GOOD PROGRESS REPORTED. LONDON, October 25. Reuter learns that President Wilson’s reply practically reflects the view of the entire Entente Powers. Reuter’s correspondent at American headquarters says the Germans yesterday moved their line to St. GeorgesLandres, after a bitter struggle. Eastward of the Meuse we reached Sivry, Magnenta Farm, and Romagre. The Germans fought gallantly to hold back the Americans, bringing up new Guards divisions. The Germans flooded the wooded ravines with mustard and lethal gases. Chatellon Woods, covering a high hill south of Romagnes, as stubbornly defended, the AmeI xicans gaining the summit in the evening after being repeatedly thrown back. A thousand prisoners were sent to the rear. A SUBTLE SUGGESTION. LONDON, October 15. Berlin official. —The German command has requested the Swiss to inform the French that owing to fears of bombardment, a severe panic is probable amongst the civilians in the region of Lille and Valenciennes, and intimates that the Dutch Government has been asked, and agreed to shelter fuigitives as far as possible. A further Berlin message announced the plight of 30,000 civilians, and proposes that the Allies should agree to refrain from bombarding the towns of Northern France, adding that Germany is prepared to come to an agreement for part of the population to cross the enemy lines. Failing compliance, Germany will not be responsible for civilians in occupied territory. AUSTRALIANS’ GREAT WORK. A WONDERFUL RECORD. LONDON, October 15. There is a feeling amongst Australian troops in London that #e English and public do not fully the part the Australians have taken in the recent fighting. It is claimed on their behalf that credit can be taken for the successful offensive policy commencing on August Bth, which changed the Allied defensive'

policy into an offensive paying the way for the big advance which is still progressing. They made the first serious breach in the Hindenburg (Line, ' and during six months ’ fighting from March to October, captured 251 square miles of territory and recaptured 116 towns and villages, and many other strong points. They took 28,655 prisoners and 332 guns. They met and defeated equivalent to seventy-three German divisions, including those reappearing a second time. The Australians ’ losses were much less than the prisoners captured. TWO MILES FROM COURTRAI LONDON, October 15. At noon the Allies were two miles from Courtrai. Allied artillery is raking the enemy’s communications between Lille, Oourtrai and Thourout. Tbis means that we dominate the link connecting the Germans in the Lille: and Ostend sectors; . ALLIES’ SWEEPING ON. ~ . LONDON, October 15. Mr Robinson writes: The AngloBelgian. advance has everywhere swept oyer its objectives. The advance takes us beyond the quagmire region and we are now on fairly firm going. Many prisoners' declare that armistice talk induced them to surrender. One officer explained his spic land span attire by saying: “I have my peace clothes on. ” Sir Douglas, reports at 10.4£ a.m., The British attacked towards Courtrai this morning, and captured import: ant villages. The total number prisonered exceeds 8000. Six complete bat- r teries with teams were captured. The Belgians and .French also captured many important villages. Allied airmen bombed hostile concentrations and trains, and machinegunned infantry. British monitors assisted. Numerous fires are reported behind the German lines.

Sir Douglas Haig reports; We crossed the Hautedeule canal on both sides of Pont-a-Vendin, and captured Estevelles, Meurchin and Bauvin. Further north, we progressed in the neighbourhood of Haubourdux. LONDON, October 15. Wireless German official: The enemy in Flanders-renewed lattacks on a wide front and captured Borders, Handzeame and Cortemarck. AMERICANS' HARD TASK. Received Noon. NEW YORK, Oct 16. Mr. Edwin James writes: The advance north of Verdun was made against the greatest concentration of machine guns the Germans have yet utilised on the American front. The slippery sides of Hill 299 and the crest of Bartheville were scaled by Pershing’s men and held against the bitterest counter attacks. The battle for positions at Bois Echatillon lasted all day, during which the Germans sustained heavy losses. An 'American observer flew at a height of 300 yards over the enemys’ lines . BRITISH ENTER LILLE. BELGIANS WITHIN A MILE OF THIELT. FRENCH REACH OUTSKIRTS OF RETHEL. Received 9.10 a.m. NEW YORK, Oct. 16 The British have entered Lille suburbs. The Belgian cavalry are within a mile of Thielt. The French have reached the outskirts of Rethel. on the Upper Aisne. (Lille is a fortified town in French Flanders, with a population of 250,000 is the chief centre of the French linen and cotton manufacture. It has been in the occupation of the Hun since. Sep-

tember, 1914. Thielt is an important railway centre in Belgium, nine miles north-east of Roulers, and fifteen miles west of Ghent. Bethel is thirtyfive miles north of Bheims and forty miles east of Laon.) IST FLANDERS- .. SPLENDID PROGRESS MADE. 12,000 PRISONERS AND 100 GUNS TAKEN. 0 Received 10 a.m. LONDON, October 16. At four this morning, Sir Douglas Haig reported: The Allied forces, under the King of the Belgians, continued the attack, Belgians reached the approaches to Wynendael Wood and Tourout. The French reached the Outskirts of Lichtervelde, further south ■Despite, lively resistance they pushed beyond Roulers to Lichtervelde railway, southward of the Carnal. The Belgians captured Lendelede, The Second British army reached Ledenghem, and captured Gulleghem and Houle. They reached the outskirts of Courtrai and occupied Menin and Ervineq, where we gained a footing on the right bank of the Lys. Since the 14th the Allies have prisonered twelve thousand and captured over one hundred guns. A Belgian communique states: The Franco-Belgians continued to advance on the whole front of attack. On the left the Belgians advanced several kilometres northwards of HandzaemeCortemarck railway. In the centre the French carried the whole Hooglede plateau, and captured Gits and Gieberg French cavalry crossed the RoulersThorout road and advanced towards Lichtervelde. On the right the Belgians, eo-operating with, the British operating further south, captured Worckerlhoeck and Lendebze, and reached the railw:ay from Courtrai to Innelmunster. Over seven thousand prisoners have been counted and eighty guns. The Belgians captured a complete regimental staff)

FURTHER RETIREMENT IN OSTEND REGION. . Received 10.SL0 a.m. A. ' AMSTERDAM, Oct 16. There are further signs of the evacuation .of the Ostend regions. FRANGO-AMERICAN REPORTS. AUSTROJGERMAM 'ADMISSIONS. Received 10.10 a.m. LONDON, Oct 16. A. French communique says: On :the Aisne we advanced in the region of Aisonville. We now skirt the bans of the Serve as far as Pouilly-sur-Serre, which is in our hands. We progressed north-west of Warchals, pnsonering four hundred. Further easr we captured Laselve and Nizy le Comte. Westward of Grandpre we hold the Vouziers-Grandpre road, in this region we prisonered an additional four hundred. . 'An American communique states: We continued our attacks on botn sides of.theTMeuse and were stubbornly resisted by a reinforced enem;-. Eastward of the Meuse the FranceAmericans gained ground; westwarc fighting violently increased and we gained substantially, including Hill 298. which thrice changed hands. We broke the Kriemhill-Stellung lines at new points, where hand-to-hand fighting occurred. A Wireless German officfal message reports: The enemy continued thenattacks on tKe~fighting front at Flanders, and attained some limited ten-: torial advantages. Wireless Austrian official messagesays: We evacuated Durazzo. ALLIES' STRIKING ADVANCE. GERMAN LINES OP COMMUNICATION CUT. Received 12.45 a.m. LONDON, Oct 16. The Allies have advanced a mile on the whole Flanders front, capturing most important ground. The Germans south-west of Lille are retiring upon Hautebeele Canal. We have reached the proximity of the enemy’s chief lateral railway at Thourout via Thielt to Ghent, and the j Germans are thrown hack upon the j railway from Ostend to Bruges-Ghent-Brussels for lateral communications, which is awkward owing to the nearness of the Dutch frontier. The enemy’s Lys line north-east of Lille Is becoming very critical, and an early withdrawal therefrom is anticipated. > A British headquarters correspondent, writing on Tuesday- evening, ! says that since Monday night German divisions have been flung back broken, whilst .probably all or most of the reserve divisions behind them have had a heavy gruelling. This has not been a battle of limited objectives, rather it has been a drive. The light French tanks have done extraordinary service.

The Germans anticipated the employment of tanks, cavalry, and armoured cars in the event of the Allies breaking through, for all the roadside trees were felled and laid athwart the paths and every canal crossing was destroyed.