The Daily News. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1917. HAIG'S LATEST VICTORY.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 November 1917, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1917. HAIG'S LATEST VICTORY.

The significant cable news which appeared yesterdfiy, intimating that a satisfactory series of operations had been carried out between St. Quentin and the. river Scarpe, lias Vjcen succeeded by a description of brilliant operations, which are certainly far more extensive than the first message indicated. It will be seen by to-days news that a severe blow has been dealt at the Ilindenburg line, which the boastful commander-in-chief of the 'German armies said it was impossible to break through. The New York cable states that ''the Ilindenburg line has been smashed and the British are advancing on a wide front." That is the reply to Hindenburg's boast. There were at least two factors which the Hun generalissimo failed to take into account — the tanks and the element of surprise. It has been .so generally the custom to precede a gi-cat offensive by a heavy bombardment to clear the way and destroy as many of the obstacles as possible, that the absence of artillery preparation gave the enemy no indicatio:: of the British advance, which was made possible by the wonderful work of the tanks, and it is to these formidable armed arawlcrs that the success achieved was mainly due. It is quite possible the German high command considered the

Anglo-French forces were concentrating their main efforts on the Flanders offensive, and that the strength of the Hir.denburg line, with its much-vaunted "impregnable" trench system, was perfectly safe, This illusion was rudely dispelled when in the morning darkness the armored monsters emerged from their starting points and moved ahead, blazing a trail through the Hindenburg mifcc, dealing out death and destruction in their course, and opening out gaps through which the English .Scottish and Irish swept, storming the defensive system of the line along the whole front of more than three miles, and to a depth of over five miles. These gargantuan monsters of steel trampled lino after line of the entanglements, and it was not long before the second system o£ defence, which is over a mile beyond the known Hindenburg support line, was captured. Still rapidly onward wert this irresistible push, working as usual to programme, from point to point, Marcoing being captured, as well as Ciraiidcourt and a number of smaller positions, until the whole German line northward to the Bapaume-Cambrai road was secured, as well' as important sections between Bullecourt, Fontaine and Lea Crcisellcs. Tile battle is described as the strangest in the world's history, as undoubtedly it was. Little did the Prussians, who were quietly and comfortably sleeping in their dugouts, imagine what would happen be ; fore the day ended. It was as if the ! waving of a wand or the stamp of a j foot had brought to light an armed host | that suddenly swept down upon the | enemy, headed by crawling monsters, the British infantry rising from the ground as if by magic. No wonder the Germans crawled from their dugouts dazed and bewildered, and that several thousand prisoners and many guns were taken. All stereotyped methods were abandoned, and the great results achieved completely justified the tactics adopted. It is said that as the weird fleet of, leviathans loomed through the misty dawn the Germans, in several places, bolted, but on ■ recovering from their surprise fought desperately, but the surprise was so complete that resistance was hopeless. The Germans had put their full trust in the triple cordon of trench defences, find that having failed, defeat was in- | evitable. It was the day of the tanlcs and they covered themselves with glory,

I'll' enemy living every vvhre takn unaware*. ' s several months since any military activity occurred on this teeter, and the success achieved is as welcome as it is uselul. I'ritain is demonstrating Jicr power and showing tin: Huns idic tun drive back tiieir forces in Flanders, send reinforcements to Italy, and accomplish a goat coup like that between St, Quentin and Cambrai. Wo have to remember this is practically the start of the winter campaign, and as the ollensivo is still continuing, it should prove a smashing blow against our arrogant enemy. Moreover, the resourcefulness of the British commanders and the enthusiasm of the men are meeting with a reward that should foreshadow serious results for thf enemy. While we can take our reverses calmly, we can also indulge in considerable gratification at such victories as those recorded in Haig's latest push.