WESTERN ATTACK.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 April 1917, Page 5

WESTERN ATTACK.

FRENCH OFFENSIVE. DETAILS OF FIGHTING, ■BRILLIANT FRENCH CHARGE. IMPORTANT RESULTS EXPECTED. Received April 22, 5.5 p.m. Paris, April 20. The Germans reeeiv«l| 'heavy reinforcements to affect their bombardment and crowded the trenches with a. terrific* army between Soissons and Craonne. We had brilliant success in two attacks against Mart'mil and Braye.. The Germans managed to hold a position between the two villages, ibut the second assault had excellent results. Our troops ascended the slopes of the plateau in the north valletf, which the Germans were using as the northern pivot for their withdrawal from the Soinmo.

The French capthred Aille, at the foot of the northern slope of the plateau, quite as striking an achievement as the capture of Vimy Ridge. It was cleared at one run, except the summit at Craonne. Most important results are expected from the capture of Hurtebish farm, and the army operating at Craonno to the north of Rheims. The fiercest fighting tooik place in the neighborhood of Lavilleau Bois. where the forest has very strongly organised and packed mitrailleauses. A clever French manoeuvre ended in surrounding an important body of the enemy, which surrendered en massq, with many machineguns, and prisoners exceeding 1700 were taken. jThc snowelad ground east of Rheims curiously assisted the attackers. The Germans were half frozen, dazed by the bombardment, and so blinded with the reflection of the aim on the glistening inow that they were unable to use their macliino guns before the French were upon them, the enemy making a desperate resistance before the French advance.

At St. Quentin the French carried the fortified village of Dufayet at the point of the bayonet, making prisoners of 400, besides the enormous losses of German killed and wounded. The prisoners an mostly thin and pale, and show evidence of great- fatigue. The majority arc of puny build, very different from those captured in 1914, or the crack i troops used at Monnchy and Lagnicourt. Two German divisions attacked the French at Juvicourt, but were cut to pieces by the French artillery. Another lost its way, and like the Germans at Lagnicourt blundered into their own barbed wire. They were extricated at the cost of a large proportion of effectives. ARTILLERY ACTIVE. GROUND GAINED. London, April 20. A French communique says:—The enemy artillery was ' active at night south of St Quentin, and our's vigorously replied. We made appreciable progress in the Laffaux region, and repulsed several counter-attacks in thiß sector. We carried several trenches on the Vuachel Plateau and south-east of Loivrc. Our barrage and machine-gun fire nullified three stray counter-attacks in the Moronvillers region, with very heavy, enemy losses.. Ten enemy aeroplanes have been brought down since April 16,

BRILLIANT DEVELOPMENT. ARTILLERY THE IMPORTANT FACTOR. Paris, April 20. The. offensive has developed brilliantly. Since the battle commenced uuo, ,u() new Germans have been recognised between Soissons and Auberite. The ability to keep up a limitless bombardment Is the most important factor. Every wood and ravine on the banks i c Aisne is filled with infantry, cav.lry, munition trains, automobiles, and cuinon waiting to dash to the T le capture of Moronvillers was a glorio..s page in the history of the war. A French general spent weeks planning tha attack. lie went to a hilltop at dawn on Tuesday and watched the plan o».rried out. There was a terrific bombardment, then the French ch%rg«d up live iills and ccrrie'l one after another in t"vc hour". Hevntv-fives wre poon tearing to piece: the. (*<>rman reserves mi*B„ ed for a M>unte>--*t'a"k. Th* slaughter was teiv'ble. Prisxisrc taken betwe*n Siisscus ami PJte'ic- state that thry wtre ordered 10 hoW the fiiot line at any i.out. BRITISH PRISONERS. EUTHLESS SLAUGHTER. Received April 22, 5.5 p.m. London, April 21. The Daily Chronicle's Amsterdam correspondent baa obtained from a reliable source an educated German deserter's statement as to the shooting of British prisoners. Ho says that in June, 1915, he saw ten British made prisoners. A German sergeant-major of cavalry, named Nieme was ordered to take the prisoners. He went a short distance, and then said: "I -do not want to bte bothered, with these fellows." The ten British soldiers were placed in a line and shot. On another occasion over two hundred British prisoners at Loos wero sent to Frankfurt, but only eighty arrived, the remainder being shot. The deserter said he heard of worse cases than these two within his own knowledge, and added that responsible officers did not order the shooting of prisoners. In one instance a lieutenant was sentenced for doing so, receiving Ave days imprisonment, but guard sergeants often ordered the shooting.