A FRENCH REPORT.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 March 1918, Page 5

A FRENCH REPORT.

YIKLDIXG GROUND l-Oi iT I,V FOOT. DESPERATE FTCHTTXT. ROUND [ NESLE. RHUIUS ACATX lIUIIIIKD. Received March 27, J .55 a.m. London, March 21! A French communique slates: The enemy is ceaselessly bringing up reinforcement*. Oar troops arc obeying orders and yielding ground foot by foot, delivering vigorous counterattacks and inflicting heavy losses. A desperate fight occurred round Nesle which changed hands several times. Rhcims received 1375 shells in the past 24 lioure. GERMAX DISASTER-NOT VICTORY. London, March 25. Palm Sunday in Britain was a day of intense anxiety. Special prayers were offered in nil the churches for the success of the Allied arms. A special Litany was read in many churches. By the evening it was evident that the news had the deepest significance, but the public was cheered by the announcement that Sir .Douglas Haig and British General Headquarters were full of confidence. War experts point out that only two British armies have been driven' back by the overwhelming mass. If 150,000 to 200,000 Germans have fallen, as is likely, it is not a German victory, but a disaster, since they have sustained a .loss of 8 to 10 per cent, of their effectives without seriously lowering the Allies' efficiency. President Wilson has cabled to Sir Douglas Haig that America is confident of a British final victory.