WESTERN FRONT.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 August 1918, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

FRENCH ADVANCE ON AISNE,

FOUR JULES GAINED. New York, Aug. 20. The French advance endangers Ihe German positions near Soissons and on the Aisne.

The Herald's correspondent on the American front quotes incidents where German machine-gunners have thrown up their hands, crying ''Kamerad," and, when the Americans came close, tlie tiermans opened fire with a device for firing with their feet.

The French, advancing on a, 15-mile front, have gained four miles. —Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc.

London, Aug. 20.

General Jfangin attacked between the Oiae and the Aisne on a 10-kilometre front at 7 o'clock in the morning and retched a depth of two miles- Five -hundred prisoners were taken in the first two hours —Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc.

PROGRESS ON THE OISE

ENEMY MENACED ON SOUTHERN FLANK.

London, August 20.

Reuter's eorre&ponednt at French headquarters, writing on the 19th in the evening, states that simultaneously -with Keneral Mangin's attack east of the Oise General Humbert attacked from Le Riunel, on the right of the Oise north of Ri'bccourt, to the tßois-de-Loges, midway between Rove and Lasaigny. Thus the enemy, who had hitherto been fronting west to the armies of General Humbert, Debeny, and Eawlinson, is now menaced on the southern flank. General Nfaitprin's two attacks on August 17 and !S brought his troops at one point barely two miles from General Humbert's men, and the conjoined attacks of the two armies secured a line which is ad-

«incing on both banks of the river and on the left is causing the enemy serious anxic-fv for his positions between the Bois-dc-Loges and Lassigny. The German resistance is desperately hard We have reached a stage corrcvponding with the Germans at the end of March and the beginning of June, when our reserves began to arrive and restored the advantage of the initiative bv sucre=sful flank attacks. The enemy is now using bis reserves, however he may enidsre the neeessitv of having to waste them in a defensive battle in .which the end is only a prelude to retreat. He still possesses some 30 fresh reserve divisions in addition to 400.000 youngsters of the 1920 class.—Reuter.

ADVANCE ON THE LYS FRONT,

ENEMY ATTACKS REPULSED. lxmdbn, Aug. 20. Douglas Haig reports: We advanced our line to the neighborhood of t'ie Yieitx lierquin-Outersteen road. We repulsed four attacks on our posts north-eastward of Chilly (south of Chaulnes i. We made a successful raid on a post westward of Bray. . Our patrols made further progress between the I.awe and Lys rivers, being row eastward of the Paradis-llerville road - (The British are now a little west of a line from Bailleul to Bethune.) New York, Aug 20. Sir Douglas Haig has advanced four miles in the Lys salient. The French have captured 2SOO prisoners.— Aus. X.Z Cable Assoc.

SIXTH GERMAN ARMY RETREATS.

BERNHARDT TAKES PART. Received Aug. 21, 5.5 p.m. Ottawa, Aug. 20. The latest telegrams state that the Sixth German army, which is retreating from the 'Lys, includes an army corps commanded by the celebrated General von Bernhardi.—<Press Assoc.

THE FRENCH ARMIES,

VALUABLE ADVANCES 3UAOE.

HEAVY RESISTANCE ENCOUNTERED

Received Aug. 21, 5.5 p.m. London, Aug. 20. General Mangin attacked on practically t!ie same front as on the previous attack. Despite stubborn resistance the offensive is going well on the whole front. A maximum depth of two miles was reached at a point north-east of the Vassins line, which now runs aibout five miles from Noyon. The advance is valuable, as the French are now moving along both sides of the stream of Dukiens, and running into the line of the Aisne and endangering the German positions in the neighborhood of Soissons, with a good chance of turning them and possibly forcing the enemy to fali back to the Chemin des Dame?.

General Mangin captured Nampoel, and took the Bois de Vassins, after severe fighting. Teh Third Army, under General Humbert, yesterday afternoon attacked on a 12-mile front from Fresnieres to the Oise, and at 0 in the evening, in the face of heavy resistance, had advanced a mile further down the slopes of the Lassigny massif into the densely wooded valley of the Oise. This line is now between five and six miles from •Js'oyon. The First Army, under General Debeney, advanced slightly yesterday after lively fighting north of Rove, and tool; the Boia de Bracquemont, the Bois Monou, and the greater part of Eeauvraignes. This army also made progress South-east o£ Beauvraignes.

THE GERMAN RETREAT,

AN ABSURD EXCUSE. Received Aug. 21, 55 p.m. Berne, Aug. 20. The Frankfurter Gazette explains the retreat by saying that the General Staff proposes to resume the offensive in the autumn. German strategy has not stopped, hut has merely been interrupted. —Press Assoc.

VASSINS CAPTURED.

GERMANS m.\m 'NANCY. Received Aug. 21, -5.5 p.m. London, Aug. 20. A -French communique, issued at four o'clock this evening, states: There have been reciprocal bombardments in the regions of Lassigny and Drestincourt, between the Oise and the Aisne, Wo occupied last evening the village of Vassins, north-west-ward of Morsain. The enemy made an abortive raid westward of Maison de Champagne. German aeroplanes bombed Nlancy last evening, about twenty civilians heir,' killed or wounded. —Aus. NZ. Cable Assoc.

RAWLINSON CONGRATULATED

ox resi.lt of operations.

Received Aug. 21, 5.5 p.m. London, Aug. 20. The Press (Bureau reports:—Sir Douglas Haig ha? telegraphed to General Rawlineon: "Congratulations and thanks to yourself, your staff, and all ranks on the magnificent success recently gained by the Fourth Army. The brilliant manner in which the operations were prepared and carried >ut, with comparatively small losses, by the third Australian and Canadian corps, in conjunction with the cavalry corps, air force, and lank corps, is a striking tribute to the skill of the leaders and the bravery of the individxial soldiers, as well as to the high state of efficiency of the staffs and' departmental services concerned. The gallant and skilful co-opera-tion of armored cars and motor machinegun -batteries is worthy of the highest praise.—Aus. X-.Z. Cable Assoc, and Rcuter.

BRITISH SUCCESS

SEVERAL POINTS GAINED Received August 22, 1.20 a.m. London, August 20. Sir Douglas Haig reports:—There has been local fighting on both banks of the Scarpe. We repulsed attacks south of the river against posts we established eastward of the enemy's former line. We advanced a short distance easi of Ampoux, after sharp fighting, wherein we took prisoners. We gained further ground astride of the Lys. M\\ took Le Pinette ana Ure, eastward of Merville. We also took Vierhook and Lacouronne, northward of Merville. We repulsed a raid north-east of the Locre.

AN AWKWARD SITUATION,

CONFRONTING THE ENEMY. Received August 22, 1.20 a.m. London, August 20. Reuter's correspondent at .British Headquarters, writing on the evening of the 20th, states that if the German retirement is according to plan, the Germans are now confronted with a situation which must complicate their calculations. The hasty abandonment of Merville on the 18th was doubtless due to otu' unexpectedly obtaining possession of the dominating contour east of Merris.— Press Assoc.