COMPLETENESS OF SURPRISE

Taranaki Daily News, 23 November 1917, Page 5

COMPLETENESS OF SURPRISE

GROUND FAVORABLE R)i! TANKS. ALL OBSTACLES OVERCOME. FORMIDABLE GERMAN DEFENCES. 8000 PRISONERS COUNTED. MANY MORE VILLAGES TAKEN. Received Nov. 22, <>.2o p.m. London. Nov. 22. Router's .correspondent at' headquarters Hates that besides the ordinary preparations 10,• en uttn-r-k on .1 large" scale, a fleet of tanks bad been brought (dose to (lie line. Everything, apparently, ;vas carried out without the smallest inf imation reaching tile enemy. 1 lie advantage of the sudden change of scene, apart from the element of surprise, was that the ground was suitable for the tanks, not being cut up into shell lwK, the enemy having evacuated the area last spring without fighting, awl we ii«vr having previously a.ttac/:cd this section. Tile enemy also lnwl nothing like (he concentration of guns he has around Yprcs and PassSheiidaele. 'On the oilier hand we had against us Hie extremely formidable defences of the TTimlonlnirg line, tht> strength of which the Germans bad continuously increased since tliev fell back thereon in the' spring. The a c lines consisted of a triple cordon of three separate trench systems with tunnels, wherein the garrison was safe from the heaviest gunfire, there being intricate wiring and all being coordinated with machine-gun posts and strong redoubts. The main Hindenbitrg trenches bad been made specially wide to frustrate the tanks, but thiy were not wide enough. The monsters rolled through or over every obstacle. Infantry losses were almost iimireecdeiit«<lly lisfht. There are evidences everywhere that the enemy was taken unawares. The British counted POfiO prisoners. Many more villages lmve been captured and strong counter-attacks repulsed. GERMANS' LAST LINE Of DEFENCE Now York, Nov. 21. The Germane have been driven to their last lines of defence. I'T'EXCH ATTAIN ALL OBJECTIVES, Aus. and -V.Z. Cable Assoc. and Router. Received Nov. 22, 11,10 p.m. London, Nov. 22. A French communique reports: West of Limiette we attacked the German salient, south of Juvencourt, on a. kilometre front,, to an average depth of 400 metres, ami attained all objectives, carrying strong defences.