GERMAN ACCOUNTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 March 1918, Page 5

GERMAN ACCOUNTS.

A GIGANTIC STRUGGLE. DESPERATE FIGHTING ADMITTED. Received March 25, 5.5 p.m. London, Mareli 24. Wireless German official: In our victory near Monchy, Cambrai, St. Quentin and La Fere, the English Third and Fourth Armies and portions of the Franco -American reserves were beaten, and between Peronne and Ham and at Chauny we repulsed their attacks with the heaviest losses. General von Bulow stormed Monchy height, and advanced beyond Wancourt and Pcnin, and is now engaged in a fight north-westward oC Bnpaume for the third enemy position. Strong English counter-attacks were repulsed. General von der Marwitz, following on the heels of the vanquished enemy, advanced on Friday night as far as the third enemy position • on the Equancourt-Nurlu-Templeux-Fossebernes line, and renewed the attack on the enemy yesterday morning, defeating them, despite the desperate defence and continual counter-attacks, and junctioned with General von Bulow's left wing. We crossed the Torhill sector, and are now fighting around Bmiehavesnes. General von Hutier, having pierced the third enemy position on Friday, some divisions traversed Peronne and advanced southward to the Somme. Ham fell after a desperate fight. The .English reserves thrown in against us sustained sanguinary losses. We crossed the Crozat Canal. Anglo-French and American regiments were brought up to counter-attack, but were thrown • back on Chauny and south-westward. A later wireless German official states: A gigantic struggle is proceeding for Bapaume, and the battle is progressing on the Transloy-Combles-Maurepas line. We crossed the Somme at many points between Peronne and Ham. We are progressing between the Somme and the Oise, and have captured Chauny. The booty is enonnoua, tho English, in retiring, burning the towns and villages. We bombarded Paris with long-dis-tance guns..

THE SUPER GUNS. RANGE OVER 75 MILES. PARIS BOMBARDMENT RESUMED. Received March 25, 10 p.m. Paris, March 24, The long-range quarter-hourly bombardment recommenced at seven o'clock on the morning of the twenty-fourth, the range being over 120 kilometres (approximately 75 miles). There were few casualties. Reuter Service. Paris, March 24. The long-range German gun bombarding the city is situated t./olve kilometres beyond the Preach lines and 120 from Paris.

The Government has decided that public life, including the administrative services, trains ana trams, shall proceed as usual. Gatherings are forbidden. To-day the bombardment is proceeding with eight-minute intervals.

SUCCESSFUL AIR WORK. London, March 24. Sir Douglas Haig's report on aviation ivork says:—We brought down 27 and drove down 2U enemy machines. Eight of ours are missing. Uur night Jliers dropped fourteen tons of bombs on billets, dumps and areas whore the enemy's attacking troops are concentrated. All our machines returned. SUPER GUN LOCATED. London, March 24. The Germans' super-gun has been located in the Gobam Forest. The Canadians launched a gas attack ia the neighborhood of Lens.

Among the many victims of the torpedoing of the s.s. Aparhua in the English Channel some months ago was Mr. J. J. Mackay, chief steward on the vessel, who had a wide circle of friends in Auckland. Word lias been received by the latest mail from England that about eight weeks ago Mr- Mackay's body was washed up at Weymouth, his identity being disclosed by his watch and papers, and an appropriate internment at Weymouth was carried out by the British and Foreign Seamen's Mission. For many years (says a winter in the Evening SLtadard) Major Oswald Ames, of the 2nd Life I'luards, held the distinction of being the tallest man in the army. I believe his exact height was Oft €in, and, as everybody knows, he rode at the head of the Diamond Jubilee procession. Later he was easily surpassed by a private in tho Grenadiers, who stood Oft Bin. Now all records have again gone by tho board, as I understand that the sou of the lato lamented General Sir Stanley Maude ' He to &.HA