WESTERN FRONT.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 June 1918, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

FRENCH CAIN MORE GROUND. Positions Maintained Everywhere. London, June 3. The French continue to gain "round bctv.c. 11 the Oureq and the Marne, and have captured hundreds of prisoners. The French press believes that an Allied counter offensive is pending. A French communique says: We continued the counter-attack last night on the whole front between the Ourcq and the Marne and advanced at various points. A violent enemy attack on both sides of the Chateau Thierry-Paris road was shattered by our fire south-east of Bourcschof. We maintained our positions everywhere r'fc. The enemy loss in these vr ■■ heavy.—Aus. N.Z. Cable As 80C. and Router. TURN OF THE TIDE. Enemy Latsral Move Expected. London.. June 3.

French resistance is hourly increasing along (he Oise, Onrcq, and Mump valleys, ".vhile German progress is decreas ing. German thrusts in the direction of the Audigneourt-Fontenov line and the C'riso •. i'!ev further south have the double ohji•-.-' of attaining the Oise valley and '•]>.■;!■' ling the forest of'VillersCntterets, wl-'i-h latter is now the enemy's immediate objective. The Matin's military critic states tbat masse* of Germans are coHcotng towards Ferte Milon in the Oureq vallc-. hoping to debouch on the historic plateau whereon the 6th Armv foueht its battle in 1914 The present battle is momentarily one of parili'ds. but p. German lateral movement is expected. It is pointed out thai ""> Germans are moving so fast that ■■!! opportunity will probably be given for one of those sudden manoeuvres capable of the entire combination.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. THE INITIAL OPERATION. Aisne Sector Lightly Held. ■ Details of Enemy Rush. London, June 3. Renter's correspondent at French headquarters, writing on June 2. says: The following details of the first day's fighting north of the Aisne are important, because of the light they throw on the swift Anglo-French retreat in the early hours of May 27. It has been explained that the British held the front from Craonne to Bermerieourt, crossing the Aisne at Berry-au-Bac. On the left our lino was formed by the 50th Territorial Division, which held the Cnliforpia plateau, immediately above Craonne. Our left front was carried on by a French division, which already had a very extended front along the' Chemin-des-Dames. The probability of a German at lack in this sector was fully recognised, but the enemy gave no sign of his intention until the bombardment began on the 27th.

Bad weather had hindered aeroplane observation work along the Aisne since March. The truth is that it was unnecessary for the Germans to make noticeable preparations. They knew this front wrs lightly held, and estimated accurately the number of troops they would require to ensure the indispensable initial success. Then they poured in streams of fresh divisions to pursue the advantage. But Von Hutier's method of attack makes it superfluous for the troops required to exploit victory to appear on the baMefleld until quite sure that the opening attack has succeeded, and, on a front such as the Germans held, constructed to shelter a far lareer number of troops than actually occupied it, it was not difficult for the enemy to put in the number of divisions necessary to attack, without fresh digging close to the front.

To understand what followed it must be remembered that the French front under the Chemin-des-Dames in the Ailette valley was in full view of the German artillery observers on the opposite lines of the heights. The position of the French trenches was well known to the Germans. The French front was attacked in greater density than ours. The enemy infantry suffered heavily from our ma-chine-gun fire in crossing the valley, but were in great strength to be held thereby. They were on the crest practically in a stride. They seem to have crossed the crest by the narrow neck uniting the California and Vauclerc plateaus. At any rate the first intimation of their presence the British Division had was the sudden appearance of a German column in their rear making their way down the steep slope to Craonne. RETREAT INEVITABLE. Retreat was inevitable, and the AngloFrench line fell back to the river bank, fighting all the way in order to save lie unity of the line. The British 50th and Bth Divisions were swamped by the weight of the German numbers and lost heavily. On the right, south of the river, the 25th Division and the neighboring French dhision held firm. The British 25th Division, which was in reserve, sent up supports early in the day, so all the British troops on the Aisne front participated in the battle. As the retreat continued under the attacks of a fresh stream of German divisions, our line became alarmingly thin. Reinforcements arrived in the evening and the line was reconstituted. Since then they have practically given no ground, although constantly engaged. The weight of the German attack has shifted to the other wing of the battle between Soissons and Chateau Thierry. The same French division which began the battle on our right is still holding with us after weeks of in-

A HOPEFUL REPORT. Germans at Last Held Up. A Series of Battles. Terribly Bitter Fighting.

Received June 4, 10.45 p.m. London, June 3. Renter's correspondent at French headquarters, writing on the 2nd, states the evening reports are more hopeful than any since the beginning of the battle. For the first time since May 27 the enemy has gained no ground during the day on- the West front facinsr the direction of Paris, where attack and counter-attack followed in quick succession. The gains of the Germans were at least counter-balanced by those of the French in the centre. The enemy extended his front on the north bank of the Marne, which is still bounded by Chateau Thierry, evacuated some days ago, and Verneuil. Between Verneuil. north of the Marne, and Rheims, the line runs practically straight north-east. There are no changes of importance in this direction, except around Rheims. where the Germans have drawn the line closer.

To-day, as yesterday the fighting wa» hardest on the western front. The Germans advanced along the eastern border of the Villers Cotterets forest and fo'i(hward net-ween the valley of the Pfvn and Marne. The thick forest, vV-li favors the Herman tactics of infiltration, is traversed east to west by two well-defined vallevs, along which runs the railway from Soissons and Fismes. entering the forest at Longpont. The Troesnes, a small tributary of the Ourcq. joins these two points. Along this «tream a hotly contested battlp raged all day. whilst another raged around T.oncpont. Courey, Faverolles. and Troesnes. Th« fighting was terriblv bitter at Troesnes and Tourcv. The Germans attacked again and again, but were held up in spite of all their efforts. Our counter-attacks enabled the line of villages fronts, ™ the forest to be maintained - Press Assoc.

A POLISH LEGION. FOR THE WEST FRONT. Received -Tune 4, 5.5 p,m. Washington, June 3. The New V'ork Times' Washington correspondent sayr the Polish leaders have been advised that the Polish army, comprising 19,000, will enter the West front battle line early in June. The Poles are mostly recruited from the United States, where Paderewski controlled the arrangements. British Line Advanced. London. June 3. Sir Douglas Haig reports: We carried out successful operations in the neighborhood of Vieux Ecrquin and Merris, and advanced our line slightly at these points. W<; took- prisoner 103 men and captured a number of machine-guns and trench mortars. Our casualties were light. We made successful raids southward of Arras, northward of Lens, and westward of Merville, and repulsed raiders southward of Villers Bretonneux.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc.

Stubborn French Resistance. Amsterdam, June 3. German war correspondents emphasise particularly the stubborn resistance the French are offering near Soissons, where there are large concentrations of artillery.—Aus. KZ. Cable Assoc. Position at Rheims. New York, June 3. The Germans have drawn their lino closer round Rheims, and now hold three-quarters of the armed circle.— Reuter. Further Bombing of Hospitals.

London, June 3. Mr. Robinson reports that the Germans, on Saturday, bombed further hospitals, including one containing 1600 patients.—Times. Position Established. London, June 3. The Pall Mall Gazette states that the high commands regard the position as established. The fiercest fighting continues towards 'Paris, which is considered secure.

The long-range bombardment of the city has been resumed.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc.

RESERVES FOR THE MARNE. Received .lime 4, 5.5 p.m, Washington, June 3. Correspondents with the French armies state that British, French, and Americans are now rushine their reserves to the Marne front. —Press Assoc.

FRENCH REGAIN LOSSES. Profitless Day for Enemy. Rheims Almost Surrounded. Received June 4, 11.55 p.m. London, June 3. Renter's correspondent at French headquarters adds.: Troesnes was retaken by counter-attack. A new German division was ideiftifie.il in this fighting, relieving the Guards division, which suffered heavily during the opening days of the battle. South of the Ourcq the fighting was almost equally obstinate. The village of Passy-en-Valois and Hill 183, taken by the Germans early in the morning, was recaptured later in the day. On the whole the enemy has nothing to show for tho day's work on the western front. The German iino round Rheims, beginning at St. Leonard, on the AisneMarno canal three miles south-east of the city, passes through Berthenv, to the north of Trois-Pontaines, then to tho north-west, thence south-west between the suburbs of St. Briee and the main town of La Haubette. None of these places, except St. Leonards, are more than a mile from the city of Rheims. which is surrounded east, north, and west. Eully three-qrartcrs of the armed circle round the city is held by the Germans. Nothing worth is left in Rheims but the cathedral.

WHAT THE BATTLE LOOKS LIKE. EFFECT OF HE MACHINE-GUN AND OTHER INVENTIONS. London, April 0. After a fortnight oi open warfare, one can sum up and consider bow this kind oi light.ng lias been affected by the machine-gun and other of the more recent mechanical slaughtering inventions. What would, I think, chiefly strike those who saw a battlo for the first time would be the distance that usually separates the combatants. When you read of the enemy being "driven back' or oi our troops "giving "way before superior numbers," you must not suppose that there is necessarily a mix-up of the two forces or even that they get very close to one another. What happens, as a rule, is something like this: Tlu> opposing troops aro in improvised positions in woods, groups <A ruined cottages, old trenches hastily deepened and parapeted, sunken roads, which in t'lie north of Franco aro so plentiful, river or canal banks, quarries, or brickworks, or perhaps out in the open, each nun scraping a little hole in the soil for himself. Almost incessant is the chatter of the ma-chine-gun. There is much manoeuvring to get thcs° into the best positions for playing upon the -enemy. Our men all give the Hermans crecUt ior quickness and cunning in this respect. Their NCO.'s have '< been well trained for this duty ever Bince it was shown by the development of the machine-gun during the Russo-Japanese War that this would be one of the principal factors in future infantry actions. The German private is not much of a rifle shot, so our men say. There are a numger of enemy snipers who 'are dangerously brilliant marksmen but the ordinary soldier is not much to be feared. This does not greatly matter, however, seeing the .extent to which the ma-chine-gun has taken the place of rifle fire. It has also become a more effective killing engine than artillery. In all the accounts of German losses the samp refrain occurs—"mostly by machine-gun fire." This means that a large proportion of the wounds are soon cured. If a man is hit by a fragment of shell, it makes a jagged wound and generally • keeps him in hospital a long time. A bullet wound either kills or makes a clean hole which quickly heals up. What generally happens in a battle,, which really is a number of small lights engaged in by groups of men in the front lines, is that aiter a while one side falls back, either because the enemy has pushed in between it and the next group and is enfilading it—tihat is to say, firing upon it from the side.

The greater number of bursting shelLs do no harm. Seldom in open warfare of the regular kind do troops get near enough to each other to throw bombs. Not often are positions held long enough for bayonet charges to be possible.

Over a large part of the present battlefield open warfare is not of the ordinary kind. It is not really open." As I have mentioned, we are fighting in a big area in an old system o ftrenches. Both we and the enemy move up and down these, coming fairly often to close quarters. As there is no definite front line, it is easy for men of one side to stray over to the other by accident. On Wednesday a German soldier rode into a party ■of our men on a bicycle. He had no idea he had got beyond his own outposts. Another German, a gunner carrying a telephone box from his battery to an observation post, took the wrong turning and found himself in our lines instead of his own.

Pretty often small detachments of troops discover that they are in hostile country and cither slip off unnoticed or have to fight their way out during our retirement. A battery of Royal Horse Artillery was "lost!' fur three days and turned up at the end of them hungry but otherwise none the worse.

The German troops now, when they are put into a battle which seems like J ly to be prolonged or when they are expectad to make a rapid advance, carry with them at least three days' rations in tins (known as iron rations). They have two waterbottles (generally filled with coffee), and extra pair of hoots, and an extra cap. Tihia in addition, of course, to their ordinary packs.

Every soldier must carry about with him all that he possesses, but the German marching order is exceptionally heavy just now. The reason is that an army- planning an advance does not rely upon getting its transport arrangements into working perfection for some little while after the push has' been made.

The enemy has been quick in laying down light railways and his back area services are working on the whole well. He is still having difficulty with heavy guns, for the reason that the roads are in some places destroyed by us and everywhere deep in mud due to the heavy rain that has fallen during tha last tires days.