WESTERN FRONT.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 August 1918, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

THE LASSIGNY MASSIF.

OUTFLANKING TACTICS. . London, August 14. General Rawlinson's army (the 4th British Army) is meeting with a desperate resistance east of Chaulnes. The Pall Mall Gazette understands that Lassigny has been captured. A correspondent writes: "With the resumption of the French advance on"the Lassigny Massif interest attaches to General Humbert's methods of attack.

The French infantry have a particularly difficult task in reducing tiie enemy resistance, which the formation of the land strongly assists. The surface of the massif consists of a jumble of ravines affording excellent shelter for machineguns. Artillery is practically useless, but the capture of tiie massif is so important, and may lead to so far-reaching results, that the difficult task is well worth the attempt. General Humbert decided against frontal attacks against machine-guns, therefore each obstacle is being outflanked methodically on two sides, forcing a withdrawal. Hitherto the plan has worked well. It demands great courage, as well as perseverance, but the French are displaying both qualities.—Aus.N.Z. Cable" Assoc.

AN ALL-DAY BATTLE. FRENCH BATTLLNC4 FORWARD. London, August H ( Reuters correspondent at French headquarters state that General Humbert's front, as the result of progress, now faces east instead of north. He attacked Lassigny and the Thiescourt massif positions to-day. His left was h?aviiy counter-attacked and remained on the defensive, but his right pushed forward all round the western and southern edges of the Little Switzerland and reached Plessis-de-Roye Park and the village of Belval, where Humbert'* same army stopped von Hutier's rush last March after one of the Woodiest fights of tile year To-day's battle raged till evening, when the French held St. Claude farnt and Ecouvillon, two of the most important posts on the massif. The fighting is difficult as the enemy is holding the front thinly with almost as many machine-guns as men. Their ■whereabouts is difficult to locate. The enemy is filling the valleys, passes and woods with mustard gas. The French are fighting their way with rifles and grenades, advancing over broken country by infiltration. The enemy tactics indicate that he is retiring to a not distant defensive line.— fleuter.

OFFICIAL REPORTS. BRITISH' LINE ADVANCED. I _ London, August 14. Sir Douglas Haig reports: Hostile artillery was active during the night along the battle front. There was no infantry action. We repulsed local attacks in the Dfckebuseh sectoj at mid-day on day- There was considerable hostile artillery fire in thi3 neighbourhood at night, also north-west of Kemmel.

We made a successful raid in the neighbourhood of Ayette. Our patrols made .progress in the Yieux-'Berqura sector and established our line eastward of the village, taking a number of prisoners. Our. line was advanced slightly eastward of Meteren. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assoc and Rcuter.

London, August 14.

The British have gained ground east and south of Meteren—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assoc.

ESCAPED PRISONERS' STORIES. INECMAN TREATMENT. ?few York, August 14. The correspondent of the New York Herald on'the West front interviewed two British escaped prisoners. They 1 said that 4000 British prisoners and 1000 Russian prisoners had been forced by the Germans to taild ft railway system south of the Aisne, below the Vesle. The Germans had changed their signs from 'iGott strafe England" to "Gott strafe America."

The men told the correspondent that the Germans were using paper bandages in the hospitals. English and French bombers had created panic and' caused tihe greatest havoc in the Rhine country.

American wounded prisoners were inhumanly treated. The prisoners' daily rations were: ,Brea.kfast, a pint of coffea made of hawthorn berries; luncheon, vegetate soup of dried vegetables; supper, a pint, of coffee and %lb of black ibread, on which they were forced to work from daylight to dark- —Aus.-N.Z Cable Assoc

The hunger-stritiken British escaped and arrived m the American lines after passing through the German barrage* Captured in the Marne fighting, they spent seven days and night after escaping from the German prison camp. They declared that British prisoners were beaten and starved, and that German soldiers were living on horse meat

AUSTRALIAN SUCCESS AT BRAY. }fow York, August 14." The Australians have captured all the enemy positions in the western outskirts of Bray and now hold Oatoaux Wood.— Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assoc. CANADIANS OAPTOKE TRENCH. Ottawa, August-14. A'Canttdian official Tepoirt states that< -five Cknaidlans captured 100 Germans and an entire French during the recent' OftUkkAssac.

LOCAL FIGHTING,

CONTINUOUS AERIAL BOMBING. HOLDS UP THE ENEMY. Received August 15, 7.55 p.m. London, August 14, midnight. Sir Douglas Haig reports: —There has been local fighting in the neighborhood of Parvillers. Wo progressed, following the enemy's recent withdrawals, In the Hebuterne sector, the enemy evacuated forward positions at Beaumont Hamel, Serre, Pnisieux, and Aumont and Bucquoy. Our patrols advancing, gained ground around these Tillages.

Our continuous bombing day and night of the Somme bridges aim railway lines and railway junctions since the beginning of the offensive has held up the enemy reinforcements and also forced him to employ large formations of scouts, in an effort to protect his vital communications, but our concentrations of machines have effectively dealt with all opposition. We dropped 21 tons of bombs during the daytime and 37 tons at night-time on the above objectives. The Anglo-Americans raided &u aerodrome at a low height and destroyed six' machines and fired the- hangars. We brought down 21 machines and drove down ten uncontrollable. jSix machines are missing.—Aus.-N.Z. Cahle Assoc, and Reuter.

FRENCH SUCCESS,

LIVELY ARTILLERY FIGHTING. Received August la, 8 p.m. London, August 15. A French communique states: —During the day we continued to progress between Matz and the Oise, and captured Ribercourt. East of Belval the infantry learned that a counter-attack was preparing, and succeeded in talcing prisoner seven officers and a number of men. In the region of Roye and Lassigny the liveliest artillery fighting lias co'-'inued. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable soot, and Rtuter.

Received August 15, 7.55 p.m. . London, August 14.

French communique:—ln the afternoon, -between the Avre and the Oise, there was active mutual artillei7ing, notably on the Roye-sur-Matz and Conchy les Pots sectors. On the Vesle front the enemy raids were resultless. The French raided the region of Messilles and St. Wilus.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assoc, and Renter.

| THE GERMAN LINE. NORTH OF THE SOMME. Received August 16, 1.20 a.m. London, August 15. A further retirement north of the Somme takes tho German line behind the Somme battle-line of 191 C—Times Service.

THE AMERICANS' PART. SA DIVISIONS OPERATINGWashington, August i 4. General March states that the.Picardy salient has now ibeen reduced to a depth of 15 miles upon a. 53-mYle front.

One United States regiment is engaged in the fighting around Chipilly.

The United States has now 31 divisions in France.—Aus.-N.Z. Oalble Assoc. New York, August 14.

The New York Times learns that the formation of the American Fieli Army in France is understood in military circles to mean that a portion of the front will he completely under the control of the American Army, with American supply lines, railway bases and embarkation ports.— Cable Assoc.

TOTAL OF (PRISONERS. London, August ,14. Paris newspapers draw attention to ■the fact that the 25,000 prisoners and 600 guns mentioned by Sir Douglas Haig include only the captures by the armies of Generals Kawlinson and Dabeny. There should be added General Humbert's 10,000 prisoners and 400 guns—Router.

DASHING CAVALRY FEAT. Paris, August 14. The first detailed the cavalry's participation in the early stage of the battle state that the capture of Harbonnieres was a notaibly dashing feat. The village was strongly defended by machine-guns and a direct attack was useless, so the cavalry was ordered to make a wide detour with the view of reaching VauviUers, behind Harbonnieres. The plan succeeded almost without casualties, and Vauvillers was seized with 700 prisoners. fCanbonniores was thus easily captured—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assoc.

THE- ARMY CONGRATULATED. Received August 15, 7.55 p.m. London, August 14. Mr. Lloyd George has telegraphed to Sir Douglas Esßg:—The Imperial War -GaMoet sends its •wannest congratulations on the great triumph achieved by ttre Allied aims in the third battle of Hie Somme and the Empire's heartfelt thanks to yon and your most gallant i troops.—■Ans.-Nf.'Z. CaMe Assoc, and fßeuter.