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Taranaki Daily News, 25 March 1918, Page 4

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WEST OF ST. QUENTIN. RETREAT IN GOOD ORDER TO NEW LINES. LINES HOLDING EVERYWHERE. PARIS BOMBARDED. BY GUNS WITH 60-MILE RANGE.

(Extraordinary Cable.) Received March 24, 5.5 pm ' London, March 23. The Germans have broken the British defences west of St. Quentin. The British are retreating in good order. The British have occupied new positions west of St. Quentin. The new British line holds everywhere. The Germans are "firing upon Paris with long-range guns, the Germans using 240 millimetre guns (practically 9£ inches). They killed many in Paris, the shells travelling a distance of

sixty miles. Paris has been under bombardment for nine hours continuously. THE FRENCH ENGAGED.

BRITISH DRIVE BACK THE ENEMY. A SCENE OF FURIOUS FIGHTS" Received March 24, 5.5 p.m. London, March 23. The Frencli army is now engaged along a wide front. The British liave given up tlie villages of Morchies, Vaux, and Vraucourt. The British new positions are three miles east of Bapaumc. There was a scene of furious fighting when the Germans were driven out of the village of Mory, many heing captured.

The Taranaki County Council advises that the Devon Road at the foot of Mangaone Hill, near Mr. Newton King's Waiwakaiho saleyards, will be closed tomorrow (Tuesday) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., owing to the removal of the temporary bridge *

THE BRITISH PRESSED. TOWNSHIPS GIVEN UP. FIERCE FIGHTINQ. x Keceivcd Marph 24. ; 0.25 y.m, London, MaJvh 23. The Germans are pressing tins British in tlie neighborhood of Ham, and there is fierce fighting. The British have given hp Ribecourt, and Demiconrt. Between Omignon and the Somme the British were forced across the Crozai canal.

LONG-RANGE GUNS. AMERICAN EXPERTS SUGGEST ERROR MADE. , Received March 24', 5,50 p.m. t New York, March BS. * American experts suggest bom# emit, as to the long-range Though it is officially given out that . the Paris bombarding guns have a lirtjm mile range, such a range has ben tun known hitherto. * DETAILS OF THE FIGHTING. GERMAN OFFENSIVE ON COLOSSAB SCALE. TREMENDOUS FORCES ENGAGED, i ■ I OUT DOWN' IN TENS OF THOUSANDS, BRITISH SOLDIERS* SUPERB HEROISM.

Received March 24, 5 5 p.m, London, Mwdh SL Mr Gibba states that the enemy ma\ 110 infantry attack last night, but heavy lighting was resumed after the fog lifted this morning. Our troops were neaviljj engaged near St. Quentin. , . . Thursday's offensive was on a colossal scale. The Germans flung on the British the full weight of their great army, closely crowded with supporting troops, ■ advancing mass after mass. At lewt) fifty divisions (over half a million men, counting the German divisions at 10,000), were engaged, whereof forty were identk fied. t A WONDERFUL FEAT OP OOUEAGBj Wc wore much outnumbered, so thi troops had extremely hard fighting. The obstinacy of their resistance was a won- | derful feat of courage. Their discipline I was splendid under the fiercest ordeal I the British soldiers have yet facedj Nine German divisions were hurled, j against three British in one sector, wtilo J elsewhere eight German divisions attacked two British. All the Germans were storm troops, including the Guards, who had been , trained for many months for the great assault. They wore brand new uniforms, and did not falter until they were shattered by our machine-gun lire, It was a return to the old methods ol / Mons and Le Cateau. The more Germans we shot down the more seemed to couio on. If our wire hart not been cut the German snipers would have got to workThough continually mown down by our fire, the supporting waves advanced over the bodies of the dead and wound" ed, the German commanders ruthlessly I sacrificing life in the hope of overwhelm 1 ing the British defence.

GREAT GERMAN GUN POWER.

They had an exceeding power in guni, usually one gun to even twelve or fifteen yards, and they had a thousand opposite three British divisions. Each ' German battalion was provided with many trench mortars for wire cutting. During "the feur hours' bombardment they also brought up a number of longtange guns from the Grand Fleet and (helled to 28 miles behind the lines. * BRITISH DRENCHED WITH GAS. In the final hour of the bombardment the Germans poured in gas shells, and they also concentrated gas on our batteries, reserves and trenches all day long. The defenders had many weeks' training with gas masks, which were a priceless help. Mifcy of the men wore them for hours and fought in them. One battalion on the left wing wore them for eight hours. The new respirators proved quite efficacious, there being only six cases of gaSsing at one of the large clearing stations. The main object of the enemv's attack On the left was probably to bite ofT the Bullecourt salient and pierce the three main, lines of defence below Croi-olles and fit Leger, thu<! turning the line to enable him to capture Hennesle and the Old Hindeftbnrg tunnel trench. A little to the right lav the Bullecourt 0 talient, which was smothered in flame, Unofce, and earth No one could withstand sach a storm and no men could hold on, but eventually, as Tttw long foreseen, the outposts merely .had to fall back. It wag a battle for positions, where the stronger defensive positions were alined at in order to rally for a counterattack.' BRITISH WITHDRAW IN GOOD ORDER. The withdrawal was carried out in good order and with magnificent courage, in view of the intense enemy barrage. When tile enemy followed up, bringing forward' his light artillery, our guns smashed his ranks and left masses of dead on- the field. The airmen say that large numbers •of German dead were heaped in the debris of our wire, but others came on with fanat|eal cotirage, filling the gaps. OOUIiD NOT KILL FAST ENOUGH.

Our guns and machine-guns could not kill fast enough. After hard fighting ,at Bullecourt, Ecobst, and Noreuil, 3000 of the ; cnejny were seen in a sunken road between Noreuil and Lngnicourt. Ap; jiarently this would mean that tiio defenders of Noreuil had been pushed back, and that the survivors, after a strong heroic defence, had been obliged to retire to the line Beamnetz-Morcthes-Vaux. Another enemy attack was made in the afternoon, in massed formation, •down ihe slopes of the Sensee valley, from the wood. Our guns firtd with rijtcn sights, cutting down swathes and checking the assault. , FIERCE FIGHTING. '* rhere was fierce fighting at St. Leger, rfliere We took prisoners and machineguns. The fighting was equally intense from Noreuil to llljrnicOurt, on the bend of the Cambrai salient- The outposts were withdrawn in good order. OUR DEfecß SYSTEM PENETRATED. The enemy, by great sacrifices, penetrated our defensive system near .Uignicourt, Bourief, and Hardcourt, whereafter they were held bv the tanks. We • brilliantly counter-attacked on Thursday evening, recapturing some of the ground at Doigniers. •Owing to our withdrawal behind the tatial between St. Quentin and tl:e Oise, the enemy is now confronted by a watery, marshy waste in that sec-tor The spirit of our troops is magnificent, despite the hard fighting, and they are proud that they have broken the backbone of the Biassed attacks, whereon the Gorman hopes were fastened. POSITION BETTER THAN ANTICIPATED.

Mr. Peroral PhiHipe states there is good reason to believe that the position is tetter than was anticipated. In the north we arc holding the line for some hundreds of yards eastward of the villages of Vaux, Vraucourt, Morcihes, and Beaumetz, the enemy's indention varying from 2200 yards at the greatest point in the neighborhood of Croiselles to between 600 and 600 yards eastward of Doignics. We are occupying what was " generally our front line before the No■WMnber advance, except that we still ; hold' Hivricourt.

ENEMY GAINS SOME VILLAGES. The enemy's gains eastward of the Scheldt canal, between Goitzeaucourt and St. Quentin, include some villages behind our former front line. .Getmsm staff experts will 'be surprised to know how much we knew of their , preparations, their mimic battles, their intensive training, their tankmen, their mobile artillery, and long night marches, . their promise? to the soldiere that the . , _ success would justify the heavy sacri--fices, the incalculable amount of work done in building bridges, light railways, timgiUineg, aerodromes, and field hospitals. OUK HEAVY GUNS SAFELY WITH- •/. ' DRAWN. J Our heavy guns before Bulleeourt were safely withdrawn, the Germans only capturing there, possibly, a few field batteries. A British division southward of St. Quentin withstood six German divisions, the attacks lasting all day, filially withdrawing behind the St. Quentin-Oise canal. According to prisoners, some German divisions lost fifty per cent, of their •trength yesterdayBRITISH HOLDING GERMANS EVERYWHERE The United Press correspondent states that the British are holding the Germans everywhere, and driving them back in •cane places. The enemy has not reached a single objective. \ A captured map ' shows- that the objectives included Sermies and Achiet-le-Petit. A British counter-attack with tanks ywterday evening expelled the Germans from Doignies, which the British occupy this morning. The Germans have not used tanks on this front. ENEMY'S TREMENDOUS ATTACK. V -'-lThß' enemv'3 attack was carried out . ;• tremendous strength, and with at heretofore

artillery opened at 5 in the morning. The infantry, in three waves, attacked at 8.30. Then came tlie specially trained divisional storiu troops. The enemy before 10.30 had made a strong series of attacks astride the Canal dn Xord and on the whole front north-westward, as far as Bullecourt, inclusive He succeeded at noon in penetrating the first and second systems and a short frontage in the northern frontTile attack iVoin Boursies, inclusive, to the Canal du Xord was repulsed. Eastward of the canal he obtained a footing on a narrow front in the British line trench. The Germans at 5 in the afternoon attacked heavily north-eastward from Fontaine Croisilles, hut machine-guns mowed them down, holding up the at-' i tack. The weather was foggy. A FINE TARGET. A later message states that lighting continues on the entire front. When the fog Jifted in the afternoon the advancing Germans made the finest target, j Aeroplanes on both sides swarmed out, fighting caeli other and engaging troops on the grounds. Priuce Ruppreelit is hurling unprecedented masses forward. Six divisions have already been identified on a seven mile front northward of the Oise, while above this, along a twelve mile front, eight more have been identified. ENEMY PRESSING HARDEST ON BRITISH RIGHT. The enemy is now pressing the hardest on the British right. He succeeded in gaining some ground, though the general situation is hazy. It is reported we have taken some German guns, but it is too early to state the number. Their storm troops crossed No Man's Land in thick waves, the officers behind forcing them to keep a straight lineThev became cannon fodder when they readied our wire. ' The French at St. Quentin are now engaged.

GREAT SACRIFICES. ENTAILED BY GERMAN ADVANCE. GENERAL HAIG'S REPORTS. Received March 24, 5.5 p.m. London, March 23. Sir Douglas Haig reports: The enemy n the morning renewed his attacks in great strength practically on the whole front. Fieiee fighting is still continuing. The enemy progressed at certain points. Elsewhere our counter-attacks threw him back. Our losses were inevitably considerable, but not out of proportion to the battle's magnitude. Reports from all parts show the enemy losses continue to be very heavy. His advance everywhere was made at a great sacrifice.

Our troops are fighting with the greatest gallantry. Exceptional gallantry was shown by the Twenty-Fourth Division, which experienced a protracted defence at Leverquier. Also the Third Division, who maintained their positions near Croiselles and northward against repeated attacks. The Fifty-first Division made k most gallant fight near the Bapaume-C'ambrai Road against repeated attacks Identifications obtained show that the opening attack was delivered by forty German divisions, supported by a great number of German artillery and Austrian batteries. Many other German divisions have since participated in the fighting. Others are arriving. Further severe fighting, is anticipated. Sir Douglas Haig's later report states: Heavy fighting continued along the whole front until late last night. Powerful ati tacks with a great weight of infantry and artillery in the afternoon broke our defensive system westw'ard of St. Quentin, we falling back in good order to prepared positions further to the west. Our troops are holding their positions. In the northern portion of the battlefront there was very heavy fighting, fresh hostile forces progressing. There was much air fighting. We downed twenty-three enemy machines, and three of ours are missing. Our night fliers dropped three and a half tons of bombs on the Bruges dockyards and three and a half tons on billets at Tournai. All returned.

TERRIFIC BATTLE CONTINUES THE ENEMY'S GAINS. I NOT OF REAL STRATEGIC ANCEj ENEMY DIVISIONS MELT; AWAY. Received March 24, 11.40 p.m. , London, March 23. A terrific battle continues along the uew British positions. The Germans were repulsed around Jussy. Reuter Service, Received March 24, 11.55 p in. London, March 23. British headquarters states that the' offensive is proceeding. The weather is glorious. Definite details are still unobtainable. Despite our giving ground under the unprecedented weight of men and guns, the enemy gains are nowhere of real strategic importance. The withdrawal was everywhere carried out in an orderly manner after exacting a fearful price. Airmen report that the ground in the enemy's rear is strewn with grey corpses. It has been noted that all the attacking troops are clad in new uniforms, and it will be remembered liereanent that Ilindenburg boasted he would be in Paris on the Ist of April. Anyway, he is certainly essaying to break through in record time, and as bis divisions melt away under the torrents of shells and bullets, fresh ones are thrown in. Forty enemy divisions, including four of Guards, have been identified in the front line of attack. By yesternight, already some of the troops had been relkjved. „ OUR MEN NOT FAILING OR FALTERING.

Responsible quarters are gratified at the magnificent manner in which our troops are withstanding the ordeal. Not | a single division has failed or faltered. 'Against one sector of 10,000 yards it |has been estimated that the Germans errolored one gun to svexyfilteea yarfii