ATTACKS SLACKENING.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 March 1918, Page 5

ATTACKS SLACKENING.

ALLIES PREPARING COUNTERSTROKE. London, March 20. The fighting on the British front has died down. The new British positions have been established east of Rove and Albert. The German attacks are slackening and the Allies are preparing a counterblow. I Washington, March 20. ; British officials State that Sir Douglas riaig is using only 27 divisions against the Germans' 07. Sir Douglas Ha ; g is ■■ holding a large force for a counter-oil'en-i SiVe- | •- - j HARDSHIP ON CIVILIANS. THE BRITISH LIXE. REPIXGTON'S VIEWS. London, March 20. A sad feature of the battle is that j civilians are again forced to abandon their homos in the I'eronne region, wliere many villages had been repaired and farms re-cultivated. The refugees arc full of praise assistance the British army rendered in moving effects- Not ' an animal, a drop of wine, or a shred of linen was left for the Germans, .it is a tji-ira iroin of fate that the Germans are j now forced to occupy land they wantonjly devastated a year ago. which will I make their battle p'ans for the immedi- | ate future much more difficult. it is believed that Amiens is General lilndenburg's immediate objective, but General Petain's report concerning the French fighting foot by foot before Xcyon is significant. Ti.i.-; is only fiftysix miles from Paris. The Daily Telegraph's war expert is of npLion that the enemy will soon conlentrate an intense effort to attempt to open a road towards Paris from St. Quentiu, and by attacks upon the British will then seek to protect the principal attack against Paris. I Colonel Repington points out that the I French help greatly light' ns the task sif th-3 British Fifth Army, which has bad a hard time. Seeing that 73 out of flf! Genran divisions on our front have already been identified, it is clear that we aw thuej far greatly outnumbered. The enemy's preponderance was often four to one. The lo>s of guns is growing heavy, but there are large reserves in England siiri France, and the losses can be replaced. The War Cabinet, ought immediately to announce the measures they propose in order to make good the losses All the newspapers insist that the Government must he supported, and that every sacrifice necessary to enable us to keep the sorely-tried units up to fighting strength must be made. The new British line runs through Hove, Albert, Beaumont-Haroel, Puisieux, Ayette, Boiry, Henm, Wancourt.'Wonchy to the old line-Ninety-three enemy aeroplanes have tt-en destroyed during the fighting. THE WITHDRAWAL WELCOMED CONTINUITY OF BRITISH LTNE. London, March 2fi. , ■ Throughout the afternoon and evening public anxiety for the latest news continued- Newspapers were bought despite the high prices and small sheets. Members crowded round tape machines in the clubs, exchanges, and hotels. Stirring scenes continued at Charing Cross throughout the evening. As each ambulance car passed, women tried to touch the outstretched hands of the wounded. Sir Douglas Haig's insistence on the fact that the present effort is the enemy's last hope of success encourages the nation to view the battle in the proper perspective. There is no sign of the public losing heart owing to the necessity of continued withdrawal; oa 1 ; the contrary, the people of England and ! France welcome Sir Douglas Haig's withdrawal from difficult positions instead of subjecting the original front to dangerous tension. They recall the success of similar tactics at Verdun, where the Germans had a big preliminary success, but the position was eventually righted after tremendous German losses. The latest telegrams show that the British line still maintains its continuity. Bapaume, Xesle, and Guiscard are all in a general line, and only signify the orderly retreat of our various army corps, which are keeping touch with each other. Bapaume and Peronno have only fallen four days after the schedule time. No large body of men has been cut off, but the Allied reserves aro not yet fully in action- It is evident that powerful blows are in preparation. Meanwhile the Germans have not even captured the ground they evacuated in the spring of 1917