WESTERN ATTACK.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 May 1917, Page 5

WESTERN ATTACK.

THE BRITISH ATTACK. SOME BRILLIANT WORK. HUNS FIGHT TO THE DEATH. Received May 15, 8.60 p.m. London, May 14. Latest telegrams from tha British front state: We continue to increase our captui'o of prisoners by clearing out nests of German snipers and machinegunners at Bullecourt. The weather has broken. The Germans used a thunderstorm to caver ineffectual attacks at night upon a mass of brick and wood which was once Bullecourt. The Australians have not only held all their gains, but have repulsed violent attacks intended to assist the remnants of the garrison of the village, who were then holding isolated houses eastward of Bullecourt, The British attack was brilliantly devised and launched at dawn on Sunday, Instead of a frontal attack, the British commander ordered a double flanking njovement, including an advance, oh the south-east from the section of the Hindenburg line which the Australians had captured on May 3, and the other attack was on the Hindenburg line in the direction of Fontaines-Croißilles.

The British advance was so quick, and the dash of the men was so great, that the defenders of the village were encircled before they knew 'what was happening. They obeyed the order to fight to tho death to the letter. Not a single unwoimded prisoner was taken' in the village. The attackers from the southeast surprised a body of German troops waiting to reinforce the defenders of the village.. These surrendered without fighting, the prisoners including men from three Guards divisions. ■

LIVELY ARTILLERYING. ON THE FRENCH FRONT. Received May 15, 11 p.m. London, May 14. A French communique states: The Germans bombarded Brayeu, Laonnais and Cerny, and violently answered ours. There was lively artillerying east of Berry au Bao and Mont Haut. Seven enemy aeroplanes were downed. Bombarding squadrons dropped three and ahalf tons of explosives behind the German lines. / """"' CAPTURE OF ROEUX. SCENE OF MUCH DESPERATE FIGHTING. Received May 16, 10 p.m; London, May 16. Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig reports: Wo continued our progress to-day northward of the Scarpe, and completed the capture of Roeux, which had been defended with great determination. It has been the scene of much desperate lighting during the past month. ; We slightly advanced our line northward of Gavrelle. Eight German aeroplanes were downed and three of ours are missing. (Roeux is on the line to Vitry, and situated on the River Scarpe.) :

NEARLY 50,000 PRISONERS. ALLIES' HAUL FOR MOXTH. Received May 15, 8 p.m. London, May 14. : A correspondent of the United Press at headquarters states that the English and French, between April 9 and May 12, took prisoner >1»,679 Germans, including 976 officers; they also captured 444 heavy field gunSj 943 machine-guns, and 380 trench mortars.

GERMAN LOSSES. 300,000 SINCE NEW YEAR. Received May 15, 8 p.m. Berne, May 14. Tho German losses in the west since the new year have been heavier than anything before experienced. .It is estimated that 150,000 were killed and taken in four months, and at least 150,000 were seriously wounded. The losses of the officers had been especially heavy. Including machine-guns the Germans lost three thousand pieces of artillery, which they are only able to replace by taking guns from the Russian and Roumanian fronts. The German gun factories are unable to keep pace with the ordinary army demands. A factory at Erbing i 9 constructing tankSj which, the Germans claim, are much more formidable than the British or French.

ENEMY PAYS FOR RASHNESS. London, May 14. A French communique reports: A strong German reconnaissance attempting to reach our lines at various points l'rf+ n down under our Are with important losses, GERMAN TRADE WITH HOLLAND. Rotterdam, May 14. The Austrian and German ships arriving here from German ports arc steadily increasing. Last week ten arrived at the Hook of Holland and six left. A GERMAN WIRELESS BASE. Copenhagen, May 15. There is evidence that Germany possesses a wireless base on the coast of Norway, or thereabouts, which is utilised for the benefit of submarines.

RELENTLESS ADVANCE, BITTER .ISGEfINU IN FRANCE. ENEMY HASTENING TO DEFEAT. London, April 29. The terrible losses that are boing suffered by the Germans in their desperate efforts to check the British advance are emphasised by correspondents at British headquarters, t Clearly .the Germans intend to make every sacrifice.. They are fighting a great delaying battle in the Scnrpo loy, and as they are lacking well-prepar-ed defences their only hope of cheeking masses of troops. They aro still hurrying up reserves and throwing them into the line. The extreme bitterness of the fighting is due to the fact that some of their best divisions are employed. This must result in greatly accelerating this exhaustion of the Germans, and if it is continued the situation will resolve itself into a simple problem of which side can longer maintain the deadly pace. Since the answer to that is unquestionable, the only other question is how long? "' Renter's correspondent writes: Doubtless: the German communiques will continue to make what capital they can out of the f aot that we nave not broken through, although rlo one knows uettet than the German High Command how misleading the phrase really is. 'What wV are doing is pressing back" the German legions lupon a. front which hitherto reached a length of 50 miles, wearing them down as they go until the stage /must inevitably be reached when their powers of further resistf.nccwill be broken. The complete defeat of the German army can only be accomplished by this process of destruction, and the enemy'* present tactics of massed resistance are all hastening our approach to the only end which can glorify our'great (.sacrifice."

"These are terrible days, for which we have been nearly three preparing,", the correspondent says. He adds: Hero is grim satisfaction in,the knowledge that we are forcing a devastating battle upon the enemy. Hindenburg has now no choice. He cannot withdraw his shaken masses faster than we can press them. ■We have now called the tune, and the Germans must dance to it.

Mr. Pirrie Robinson, correspondent of the London Times, says:—All the phenomena of the Somme battle are repeating themselves. The Germans are throwing in new divisions with great rapidity. They are contesting stubbornly every advance, imposing all possib'e delay so that they may complete their- defensive positions in the rear. The new troops often fight with extreme stubbornness, hut the losses have been terrific. Whatever troops come against us are broken. We continue to gain ground. No praise is too high for the behaviour of the British armies in the Arras fighting. Never were officers more enthusiastic than they were yesterday concerning a thin line north of the Scr.rpe which beat off continuous counter-attacks. The steadiness of the men is beyond praise. Tho British casualties were small compared with the German, the dizzy rapidity with which the German reserves were used sufficiently demonstrating the hammering they received. Heavy German gun losses were responsible for the withdrawal of numerous guns to the uttermost limit of range.