A SMASHING VICTORY.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 April 1917, Page 5

A SMASHING VICTORY.

HINDENBURG LINE TURNED,

ENEMY RETIRES TO HIS RESERVE LINE.

A UNIQUE SPECTACLE,

Received April 12, 1 a,m

United Service,

London, April 10.

Mr Beach Thomas sr.ys that the great battle continues without cessation. Describing the advance of the British, lie says: No shell pitched among them, so clean was the heavens swept by the aerial observers, and so muddled were the German 'gunners. We saw our field guns* galloping into enemy villages and a little later spare horses coming from the opposite direction with German guns. We saw Germans literally' hoist by their own petard, our liquid tire descending like gilded ram. on the heads of the terrified enemy.

As the prisoners came down the goodnatured Tommies, filling their waterbottles, jokingly enquired after "Kaiser Bill" and "Hindenberggar."

All records of curtain fire were exwiled a.t Vimy. The airmen reported trains and lorries hurrying forward with strong supports for a counter-attack, and quickly every available heavy gun was directed to view the target. A unique spectacle followed.'The advancing Germans, cut off by the fire curtain, were no more seen or heard of.

The present position is that we are up against Hindcnburg's line south of Arras to St. Quentin. have turned his line east of Arras, and broken the whole of his defensive system north-east of Arras, above Scarpe, the enemy retirin" to a reserve line before Douai,

A STAGGERING BLOW.

ENERGETIC OPERATIONS.

RHEIMS BOMBARDED,

OUR GUNS SMASHING THE HUNS

ALL ALONG.

THE CANADIANS' ATTACK.

Received pril 11, 11.50 p.m.

London, April 10.

Mr Philip Gibbs, telegraphing on the 10th, says the battle of Arras was the greatest victory the British Have yet gained, and a staggering blow at the enemy. As the Germans are retreating our guns are smashing them along all the roads.

The Canadians, during the night won Hill 143. the last point on the Vimy ridgn, where the Germans held out in a pocket with machine guns. By the morning the whple ridge was in. our hands.

The Canadian attack on Monday was astoundingly successful, and was carried out in high spirits. The men, with joyous confidence of vutn-v, marched out at dawn cheering ami laughing. Through mud and rain they followed close upon the artillery barage, and by 6.30 had taken the first goals, including the front line system above Neuville, St. Vaast, and Lai'ocdie farm to Thelus, where the resistance was fiercest.

Hundreds of Germans were hiding in deep tunnels pierced through the hill. As the Canadians surged up with fixed bayonets, the Germans screamed, Tunning forward on the landslip, their chief desire being to escape the barrage of their awn gunn, which was falling fiercely into the trenches, though too late to damage our men, who were already beyond. The German prisoners were glad to pay for the gift of life by carrying back the Canadian wounded. The Canadian escorts had to guard such enormous numbers of men that the prisoners themselves directed the later comers to the barbed wire enclosures.

The offices wee bad tempeed because the men bolted and left them in front of the trenches. The officers admitted the horrors of the bom'bardment. Some'of them were foodless for four days, because of being boxed up in our barrage.

DESPITE HEAVY SNOWSTORM.

IMPORTANT CAPTURES.

Received April 11, 7.30 p.m.

London b April 10,

Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig reports:—Operations are being energetically continued, despite a heavy snowstorm. We reached the outskirts of Monchy-le-Preux, five miles eastward of Arras, and cleared Farbus Wood. There was hard fighting in the afternoon at the northern end of the Vimy ridge, where we gained further prisoners and important positions. We advanced our line northward of Louveral. Enemy counter-attacks at different points were unsuccessful.

The number of prisoners since yesterday morning exceeded 11,000, including 233 officers. We captured over a hundred guns (including a number of heavies, up to eight-ineners). CO trench mortars, and IBS machine guns. Valuable aeroplane work lias been done in many cases. We machine-gun-ned hostile reinforcements, bombing expeditions, and a large railway station,, hitting three trains. j A wireless Herman official message states that the British attacks, after strong artillerying on the south bank of the Scarpe, failed.

PROBABLE EVACUATION

Received April 11, ,v 5 p.m. Paris, April 10. The Germans fired SOW) shells into Rheinu on Sunday canning 25 lives. The' hnmlmrduu'iit continue*, and civilian* have been warned to "l'epure for