THE WAR. WESTERN FRONT;

Taranaki Daily News, 13 May 1918, Page 6

THE WAR.

WESTERN FRONT;

! RE-OPEMING OF OFFENSIVE. ENEMY SEEKING NEW DEVICES. Loudon, May 10. Tlio Daily Telegraph's Rotterdam correspondent states that the Austro-Ger-man offensives are being reopened and fresh artillery is bein',' massed for a resumption of the battle at least at three points. These are Flanders, the Amiens salient, and the Italian front. There are indications of at least two attacks simultaneously. Although there are few Germans in Italy, General i.udendorff is master of the Austrian armies and imposes his will upon the War Secretary and politicians regarding the part Austrians must play. The German Staff's energies are now devoted to the problem of developing greater speed in following up any initial success. The generals responsible for the St. Quentin attack attribute the final failure to incomplete co-operation between the artillery and infantry. Contrary to expectations the further the infantry advanced the more essential artillery co-operation became, as the retreaters were always drawing nearer to their own fixed batteries.

The Germans arc seeking fresh devices, including the application of the tank principle in shifting batteries. Fresh troops are being subjected to extraordinary intensive training, with special attention to open order work. All the soldiers are using fire bombs. There are some casualties, but they are justified by accustoming the men to handle fire missiles.—Press Association. ' LOCAL ATTACKS DEFEATED. POSITIONS RE-ESTABLISHED. London, May 10. Sir Douglas Haig reports: At the conclusion of the fighting on the morning of the 9th, in the La Clytte-Voormezeele sector, the Franco-British positions were completely re-established. The enemy, after artillery preparation, launched two early local attacks in the neighborhood of Albert and Gouzincourt. Our rifle and machine-gun fire broke up the latter attack, the enemy not reaching our trenches. The enemy, after suffering heavy casualties from our fire at Albert, effected a lodgment in our advanced positions on a front of 150 yards. Our counterattack recaptured a small portion of the front trench. Hostile artillery was active in the Somme and Ancre valleys and at different points on the Lys battle-front.— Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc! and Reuter^ AVIATION ACTIVITY. London, May 10. Sir Douglas Haig's aviation report states: We have dropped ten tons of bombs on Le Cateau, Cambrai, Bapaume and Zeebruggc docks and mole. Strenuous air fighting occurred in the northern area, We dropped a ton of bombs during the night on railway stations at Douai and Marcoing. A French communique states that there was only marked reciprocal artillery activity on the Hailles-Montdidier front.—Aub. N.Z. Cable Assoc, and Reuter. GERMAN CLAIMS. London, May 10. Wireless German official: Our local: attacks southward of Dickebusch Lake were completely successful. We stormed strongly fortified positions on the east bank of the Vyvcrbrook on a width of i two kilometres and ran into a Franco-' British attack, which was dissipated. The enemy's attack fully developed astride the Reninghelst-Kemmel road and was repulsed, together with counterattacks against our new positions. We took 657 prisoners belonging to six French and two English divisions, which suffered heavily. We repulsed English advances on the south bank of the Lys and near B'ucquoy. In the air fighting of the past few days we brought down 37 enemy aeroplanes.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc, and Reuter. AMBITIOUS ATTACK FRUSTRATED. London, May 10. Mr. Percival Phillips states that yesterday's German attack was planned on an ambitious scale between Locre and the Upres canal on a five or six miles front. It was completely frustrated. "I believe," he says, "the divisions assembled for the attack hoped to separate the Allied forces, but our fire prevented many leaving the trenches. "The bombardment of the Ridge Wood defences completely destroyed our outpost lines, so we fell back behind the wood, wherein the Germans attempted to establish themselves. We barraged the eastern edge of the wood at dusk, and the Seaforths with the bayonet cleared the wood before dark., 'The Australians further improved their line between the Somme and the Ancre. Everywhere from Albert to Amiens the men are wiring and strengthening the defences.—Press Association. EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS. Paris, May 10. The Franco-German agreement for exchange of war prisoners has been ratified. The number of war prisoners affected is 140,000.—Press Association.