WESTERN FRONT.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 April 1918, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

GERMANS ISOLATED. | ENEMY FORCES DEPLETED. , ■ ! ALLIES CiROWINU STRONGER. London, April 22. The Morning Post correspondent says that Ludendorff's troops in tke Ilazebrouck, Amiens, Xovon triangle were thrown into the battle with a week's provisions, and are now marking time in a country sterile as the surface of the moon and nearly as difficult to revictual. The ground is constantly under iirc from British and French guns. No vital point of the Anglo-French front lias been reached, and the liason between the Allies is complete. The past month lias cost the enemy one-third of his forces, while the AngloFrench forces have grown greater. Accordingly the Allies are content to bide their time. ENEMY ATTACK REPULSED. BRITISH POSITIONS IMPROVED. > - London, April 22. Sir Douglas Haig reports: There was a strong local attack, accompanied by heavy shelling, last night against our positions in the neighborhood of Mesnil, 'northward of Albert. After sharp fighting, during which the enemy captured an advanced post, the attack was repulsed. We improved our positions slightly during the night in the Villers-Breton-lieux, Albert and Robecq sectors. We made various raids southward and northward of Lens. There was considerable mutual artillery activity in different sectors. The enemy's fire was chiefly directed on our positions astride the Somme and Ancre rivers, also in the neighborhood of Festubert and the Nieppe forest. FOCH'S RESERVE. TIMELY FRENCH AID. I .New York, April 22. According to an American array officer who has arrived at an Atlantic port from France, General Foch'a reserve army is one million. The officer adds that the French gallantly prevented the Germans pouring through a temporary gap between the armies of General Gough and Byng.

CONGESTION OF GERMANS.

LUDBNDORFF'S BLUNDER. London, April 22. The Morning Post Paris correspondent says the German masses by their very numbers are now bottled in a narrow stretch of country where they aro unable to go forward or properly proI vision ti -mselves. I Experts opine that Lndendorff's cardinal blunder was not throwing his whole reserves on Montdidier, where he might (have brought about a war of movement. Possibly Petain's aeroplanes spread disorder among the German reserves and prevented this. There are now a million Germans in the triangle bounded by Hazebrouck, Amiens, and Noyon. AMERICAN LOSSES. HEAVIEST YET SUSTAINED. ' Received April SW, 12.45 a.m. ' New York, April 23. A caihle from General Pershing states that casualties at Selscheprey were the heaviest yet sustained, but the German losses were greater, (lumbering 500. RAIDS REPULSED. ADVANCED POST LOST. Received April 23, 10 p.m. London, April 22. Sir Douglas Haig reports: We repulsed raids in the neighborhood of Hamei and south of the La Bassee canal, opposite Carabrin. The enemy captured an advanced post north-west of Festubert, which had already changed hands several times. We advanced our line slightly at Robecq. Our artillery engaged hostile infantry assembling in this neighborhood. GERMAN OFFICIAL. Received April 23, 10.30 p.m. London, April 22. Wireless German official: Enemy attempts to cross the La Bassee canal north-west of Bethune, failed. We captured a number of English troops and 22 mine-throwers northward of Albeit. STILL THEY COME. London, April 22. Mr. Hamilton Pyffe says that German ; reinforcements are still pouring in. consist largely of youths of 19, hefty and go<jd material. The remainder consist mainly of combed-out workers. The 1920 class has been warned, but not yet called up. , FRENCH REPULSE RAIDS. London, April 22. A French communique says: Enemy raids were repulsed in the region of Thuhies, east of Rheims. There was artillery activity at various points.

ENEMY GETTING READY. FOR NEXT TIIRUHT. THREATEN IN (i ALL ALONG THE UNE. Received April 21!. 10.30 p.m. London, April 22. Mr. Philip Gibbs writes: The enemy is doubtless now engaged in putting his available forces into position for immediate action. He is threatening all along the lrne from Ypres to the Somine. After violent bombardment last night north of Avelany wood on the Ancre the enemy advanced. Fierce lighting ensued in the darkness, but we were ready. HEAVY SHELLING. ALONG THE WHOLE NORTHERN LINE. Received April 23, 7.15 p.m. London, April 22. The United Press correspondent stages that the general situation on. the baitlefront is unchanged. There was tremendously heavy gunning southwards of Arras at night time, followed by nasty local fighting in the region of Aveluny. Good fighting recommenced at da,wn. The shelling continues along the whole line, particularly around Ypres, Hebuterne, Colincamps, and the Viller Bretonneux areas, the front lines being consistently belabored. THE GREAT GERMAN PREPARATIONS. ENORMOUS LOSSES EXPECTED. j WHAT AN AUSTRALIAN AVIATOR SAW. Perth, April 15. A well-known Perth professional man has received the following letter from his son, who is an aviation observer in France. The letter is dated January 18: "We are carefully watching Fritz rehearse his huge army on an extended front of many miles, in which 1,000,000 men are engaged. His massed formation in advance will form a human tidal wave, and we will much resemble a post-and-rail fence trying to keep back a flying wheat field. Retire will be our only move. God Knows what will be the loss in material alone and in men, for under such a pressure aa his enormous power will exert many will fall from exhaustion. His system of reinforcement is by retiring wearied jnen in shifts, new divisions marching through the retiring men. "Recognising that he must have tunnelled many miles to smother his reserves, we watched carefully a huge tableland, which for months was covered in snow. At last a man-hole appeared in the face. AVe sent six scants to watch that hole night and day. They flew pastlike swallows. Early one morning that hole was enlarged, and out at the double, ten deep, filed Fritz. Well, we had a big gim on that hole, and fired two shells. I flew over half an hour later, and saw that, it had proved a very cheap grave for Fritz. If lie advances his men in massed formation we will not kill them in hundreds or thousands, but more likely at per acre. Our boys, the best God ever breathed into, are all ready and anxious for a scrap. "But one and all recognise how short of men we really are. This is partly due to the Excessive length of the line, which is being daily stretched, without any excess of arrivals. Further, we cannot bring up reserves at the same pace as Fritz. Where they come from, and how he gets them up, we cannot fathom. All we recognise is he does it. He carries his rails and material on trucks in lengths of 20ft, rails 751b to the yard, and steel sleepers, all spiked and gauged. Each truck tarries about a quarter of a mile. At each end of a sleeper a man with a hook gets hold and off they pull the length, and like lightning link them up on baulks of wood Oin by Cin. He also uses a press which curves the whole Jength of rail at once. He ballasts with tiny material to hand, and over this road he travels at 40 miles an hour, approximately, as I view him from the air, at often 14,000 feet.