WESTERN ATTACK.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 April 1917, Page 5

WESTERN ATTACK.

ALLIES' ONWARD PUSH

BRITISH SECURE MORE VILLAGES,

ACTIVE ARTILLERYING. Received April, 2, 8 p.m. London, April 2. Field-Marshal Sir Douglas Haig reports: We took prisoners in March 1239 Germans, making a total from January to March, inclusive, of 4600. We occupied this morning, the village of Savy, and occupied, in the afternoon, Savy Wood, a mile eastward of the village. We have captured Vendelles, Ephy, and Peiziere, and progressed north-east of Croixelles. We raided northward of Rocklincourt, north-east of Neuville St. Vaast, and south-west of Givenchy. A French communique states: There is intermittent artillerying between the Ailette and Laon road. We captured several systems of trenches and strong points east of Neville-sur-Marjeval. 'Hie enemy was driven back to the outskirts of Mauxillon and Taffaux, suffering heavily.

There is actual mutual artillerying west of, Maison de .Champagne. A Belgian communique says: There is continuous artillerying along the whole front, especially in the region of Dixmude.

ST. QUENTIN THREATENED,

BY BRITISH AND FRENCH, THE ENEMY SURPRISED, Received April 2, 9 p.m. London, April 1. Mr. Philip Gibbs says the enemy was badly caught at Savy. Six hundred Prussians held the village, tut our guns approached before they expected them. There was no regular bombardment, but the registration of shots inflicted heavy casualties.

St. Quentin is now threatened toy the British on the west and the French on the south, From Savy the spires of St* Quentin cathedral are visible. ' The town itself is hidden in a hollow. Dirty work has been done, spoiling the beauty of the medieval city. The' Germans have already laid a portion of the city in ruins, whilst houses and picture galleries have been looted. Hitherto the fighting has been on a small scale, but we are approaching the zone of the enemy's long range gunfire.

CONSIDERABLE FIGHTING.

ENEMY LOSSES HEAVY.

Wellington, Last Night,

The High Commissioner in London reports at 9.30 p.m., April ItBritish official. —This morning we captured Savy, four miles west of St. Quentin!, after considerable fighting. The enemy's casualties were heavy. This afternoon we captured the Savy wood, a mile, north-east of the village, also Vendelles, Epehy, and Pelzere. We progressed north-east of Crolscllea road,

French official. —Southwards of the Ailette, during the course of a vigorous offensive action, we vaptured between Ailette and Loone road several systems of trenches with organised support posts. Eastwards of Neuville and Sur Margival the enemy was, despite energetic defence, ejected, with considerable losses to the boundaries of .Vauxaillon and Laffaux.

GERMAN ABUSE OF RED CROSS

A CHATEAU RESPECTED BY ALLIES

'PROVES TO BE A MILITARY STATION.

Times Service. Received April 3, 1.45 a.in. London, April 2.

The headquarters correspondent at the village of Liaeourtfosse states that an old chateau had been respected by the Allies' airmen and artillesy because it had huge red crosses, but an examination disclosed that it was (surrounded by dug-outs, and was full of telephone and telegraph wires, and has a notice board that points out the commandant's room. The village church has been devastated and sacrilege committed, the symbols and vestments being befouled.

THE PEACE QUESTION. SUPPRESSION OF KAISERISM SHOULD BE A CONDITION OF PEACE.

Paris, 'April'l. 1 Several newspapers urge the Allies to declare that they will make no peace with the Hohenzollerns. The declaration that the suppression of Ksiscrism is a condition of peace would cause Germany to examine the situation in a new spirit. ' i ~

% - A GERMAN REPORT.

London, April I. A wireless German official message says: Strong English attacks between Lens and Arras failed. The English advanced their lines two or three kilometres (two miles) between Pevonne and Gouzeacourt and the Omignon brook, but lost heavily.

FRENCH MAKE PROGRESS,

London, April 1. A French communique says: There was an artillery duel of considerable violence on the Somme and Oise. We made sensible progress during the night north and south of the Ailette, particularly north-east of Margival.

THE GERMAN RETREAT. New York, April 1. Ihe Providence Journal states that it has received information that the actual views of British and French commanders are that the Germans iatend retreating to the- Rhine. '