VICTORIOUS ADVANCE

Taihape Daily Times, 6 November 1918, Page 5

VICTORIOUS ADVANCE

BY BRITISH B TOE WEST. THOUSANDS OF PRISONERS TAKEN THE FRENCH ALSO TAKE A HAND ———— ii iif I jr VILLAGES AND PRISONERS CAPTURED GERMANY REFERRED TO f@CH

LE QUESNOY CAPTURED, Received 9 a.m, LONDON, Nov 5. The town of Le Quesnoy has been captured by the British troops. Sir Douglas Haig reports:. The New Zealanders and 37th and 62nd Divisions have advanced four miles, capturing Golintz, Le Roy, Fresnoy-le-Petit, and Mardisa. / AMERICANS CONTINUE TO ADVANCE. Received 9.55 a.m. NEW YORK, Nov 5. The 'Americans continue to advance northward of Verdun. They are extending the area of attack on the east bank of the Meuse. All the towns on the west bank of the river have been captured. FRENCH LAUNCH A NEW OFFENSIVE. Received 9 a.m. , NEW YORK, Nov 5. - The United Press Paris correspondent says the French have launched an offensive on a forty-mile front from Peron to the Aisne. FRENCH AND AMERICANS ADVANCING. -'/ . : / Received 11.5 a.m. LONDON, Nov 5. A French communique says: The First Army, during the morning, attacked in conjunction with the British on the Sambre-Oise Canal, between the Oise and Nadencourt, despite difficulties in crossing the canal and the stiffest enemy resistance. We everywhere forced the crossings and gained a footing on the heights of the eastern bank. We reached the outskirts of the villages of Boue, Lacauteete, Laneuille, Lesdorengt, and Tron, and passed Lesque, Milles, and Lellising. The maximum advance' is three kilometres. We captured over three thousand prisoners and fifteen guns. We completed the occupation of the south bank of the Ardennes Canal, between Semeuy and Lechesne, the enemy resisting vigorously on the northern bank. Since the Ist 53 guns have been captured in this region. An American communique says: The First Army continued to advance on the entire front between the Meuse and Bar, on the extreme right, and drove the enemy out of Inyo, in the Valley of the Meuse. We fought through the forst of Dieult, and bccupied Laneuville opposite. An important crossing of the House near Stenay wasseizecl, as -well as Zeaumont, Stenay Road, and heights overlooking Beaumont. Our left reached GrandesArmoises, despite vigorous opposition The enemy has abandoned much material. One hundred and forty-five aeroplanes bombed crowded enemy traffic at Montmedy. We 'destroyed thirty enemy aeroplanes; seyeral American machines are missing';

LATEST STATEMENT OF POSITION. Received 12.45 p.m. LONDON, Nov 5. Practically the whole front between Guise and the Scheldt has advanced from a mile to two miles. Fighting is proceeding at Quesnoy, where the position is obscure. The enemy is heavily counter attacking from Mormal Forest .the southern portion of which we penetrated for a mile. The French line now runs along fh e southern Ardennes Canal. The FrancoAmericans arc within a mile of Longuyon, Mezieres and Hirson railway. FRENCH PRISONERS. LONDON ? November 4. A French communique states: North of the bene a French reconnaissance penetrated Fargny le Bois, and brought

back aThunured priiouersT The enemy maintained artillery and machine-gun fire last night along the whole Aisnc front, between Bethel and Scmuy. During October, in the incessant fighting in which our First Army was engaged on the Oise front, it took 10,387 prisoners, including 204 officers and 113 guns and over 1,500 machine-guns and also considerable material.

WESTERN FRONT.

Great British Advance. DOZENS OF VILLAGES CAPTURED THOUSANDS OP PRISONERS TAKEN. NEW ZEALANDERS IN THE THICK OF IT. Received 10.45 a.m. LONDON, Nov 5. At 1.20 this morning, Sir D. Haig reports: The Fourth, Third, and Fifth British armies attacked between the

Sambre Canab Oise, and the Scheldt, northward of on ■ ! the whole of this thirty-mile front. The British and New Zealanders broke deeply into the enemy’s positions. We prisonered over ten thousand, and took two hundred guns. On the right attack the First and Thirty-second divisions attacked in conjunction with the French southwards. Then these divisions, with great dash and gallantry, stormed the formidable line of Sambre Canal, overcame resistance and reached Duuth, three miles eastward of the Canal. The First Division, under General Strickland, after capturing Catillion, forced the passages of the Canal opposite CatilliOn and near the lock, two miles southwards. At the latter point, assisted by the engineers, the Camerons crossed the Canal in six minutes. The First Division captured Fesmy, Hautreve, and Lagrcise, and prisonered fifteen hum dred. To the leftwards the Thirtysecond Division crossed the Oise Canal, and after severe fighting captured Ruedenhaut and cleared the line of the Canal southwards and northwards through the forest of Dieult, and occuMezieres, Lafolie, and Sambre. In the centre, we attacked the western face of Forte Denormal with infantry and tanks, and drove the enemy from the western 'outskirts. We have captured Soyers, Preuauxhois, Hecq, Futoy, and Louvignes. The Twenty-first Division forced the crossing of the Sambre Canal opposite Landrecies, which was captured. Further north, the 18th and 50th Divisions penetrated the forest, and are still advancing The 28th Division reached Les Grand Espatures. The 17th captured Loequignol, in the centre of the forest. There is severe fighting a/ Le Quesnoy, where the New Zealanders repulsed a strong counter attack, inflicting heavy losses. We passed south and north of this fortified town, and are now several miles eastward of it. We drove the enemy out of his new positions on the Audelle River. The Guards c'aptured Preuxausart, and the 24th Division captured Wargnies, Le Petit and Wargines le Grand. The Canadians made progress on the right bank of the Scheldt, and passed beyond Estrcux and Onnaing. Our advance continues on the whole battle front.

A message dated sth, at T. 20 p.m., states: Yesterday afternoon we surrounded and captured the walled town of Le Quesnoy, prisonering over a thousand. The Thirty-seventh and Sixty-second Divisions had hard fighting southward and northward of Le Quesnoy and prisonered many. These divisions, after overcoming a strong division at the outset about Louvignies and Orainval pushed forward rapidly on the flanks of the New Zealanders eastward of Le Quesnoy, advancing with them to a depth of between three and four miles, capturing the villages of Jolimetz, Leuond, Quesne, Fresnoy le Petit, and Marais. We progressed farther in the evening in the Mormal Forest and eastward of Valenciennes, capturing the village of Eth.