WESTERN FRONT.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 August 1918, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

THE AUSTRALIAN ADVANCE. ALL OBSTACLES OVERCOME. London, Aug. 20. Mr. Gilmour, at Australian headquarters, describing the Australian advance, says: Although the Germans in places put up the stilfest light when the attackers, after a series of short sharp rushes, came within striking distance, the gunners showed the greatest readiness to surrender. Whole bodies of Germans at one point ran forward precipitately, : throwing down their arms. Several "were shot down by their own officers from the rear. The prisoners include representatives of five divisions, affording proof of the disorganisation btliind, the front. One former Harvard University man admitted that t-he offensive last March was intended to reach the Channel ports. When they failed in this design the line wits swung southward, but they did not hope to capture Paris. When the Australians reached the final line the officers called for more artillery and pushed further on. This splendid exploitation resulted in the capture of the ruined village of Chuignes, with 12 guns, one a 15in. piece. The extension of these operations caused a hurried withdrawal of the German guns from the threatened valley. Southward of the Somme the attackers pressed forward through zones which the German heavy guns had saturated with gas, and reached a line embracing Chuignes, Garenne Wood and Square Wood before nightfall. A German counter-attack was driven off with the bayonet, the only time the bayonet was used.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Association. SENSATIONAL STORIES. WORK OF DOMINIONS' TROOPS TANKS SCARE ENEMY. London, Aug. 20. Mr. Murdoch, writing from Australian headquarters, says that the machine-guns employed by the Germans against the Australians were so thick that the first waves of attackers passed scores, so that "moppers up" had the bloodießt fighting of the day, stalking the gunners and collecting a hundred quivering Bosches from dug-outs. Some of the Germans attacked the advancing tanks and pelted them with bullets until they had not much of their surface unmarked, and bullets were sticking out of their armor thickly. One tank broke down, and Bosches clambered over it, sticking pistols in the openings, while mad Germans assailed another with bayonets, pricking its sides until they were shot down. Mr. Thomas writes that it is great pursuing weather, though only men of the best physique can bear the strain. The British, Australian, and New Zealand troops are still quite untired and reluctant to be relieved. They may be seen dashing forward and cutting off the retreat of men with transport and guns. It is a wonderful sight to see our soldiers trooping forward without noticing the hundreds of Germans who are eager and anxious to surrender. One of the boldest strokes on Australian front wis the wading and swimming of the Ancrc in the night-time below Grandcourt, and the subsequent unsupported advance eastward. Groups reached Pys and were entirely surrounded by Germans, who were too scared to attack by that time. Mr. Robinson writes: Evidence of considerable enemy demoralisation is seen In his throwing in all sorts of scratch troops with the hope of checking the advance, but the bewildered units are out off and captured before they are aware they are in the battle.

Scraps of battalions and remnants of shattered divisions have been captured, mixed up with otjier troops in endless confusion. Captured German officers did not attempt to minimise the gravity of the catastrophe. The enemy was forewarned of the Australian advance below the Somme, and massed machine-guns averaging one every two yards.. The preliminary advance of the tanks largely neutralised them. The Germans are now thoroughly afraid of the tanks and fairly have them on the brain, as captured documents reveal, reporting their presence in all sorts of places which the tanks have never reached. German officers rebuke us as unffentlemanly for using tanks to which they are unable to surender. They bitterly complain that they were compelled to chase the tanks like buses, hailing them to stop and take them on board; but the tanks refused to stop and went on crushing machine-gun nests. All the prisoners practically agree that Germany's ultimate victory is impossible, but if the Allies mean to crush her utterly Germany will continue to fight on for one or two years.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. THE GERMAN REPORT. THE USUAL FICTIONS. London, Aug. 20. A wireless German official message states: Strong English forces, led by tanks, advancing between Neuville and St. Leger, collapsed. Our posts at St. Leger withdrew to eastward of the village. Strong attacks, initiated by numerous tanks,i against Bapaume collapsed. We threw back the enemy beyond Pozieres. The enemy sis times stormed against the middle of the front eastward of Albert to the Somme. We threw them back to La Boiselle and over the Albert-Bray road. Our projecting lines here were withdrawn during- the night. Our night flyers on Saturday dropped 75 tons of bombs on camps and railway stations. A German evening official message states: Heavy attacks on both sides of Bapaume failed.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc.

ENEMY DEFENCES BROKEN. t CHAOS BEHIND BAPACJME. GALLANT BRITISH ACTION. NEW ZEALANDERS PRESS FORWARD. London, Aug. 26. Mr. Poreival Phillips writes: It must not be forgotten that our well-won triumphs often mean haril fightnig with severe losses at one or two points, but the losses on the whole are light. Sometimes there was grim close-quar-ter work with the bayonet in dee l ) eraters by moonlight, when handfuls'of the enemy found themselves trapped, for example at Bihucoiirt and Sapignies and near Bapaume. These included some of the fittest and most skilled men in the German army, but they only fought in desperation. The British tide could not be stayed, and the German infantry hourly became more confused and more helpless. The enemy defences were cleared and broken. He tried repeatedly to reorganise a coherent, line of resistance, but it was as often shattered into fragmentary rearguards.

The chaos behind Bapaume could scarcely be greater. Perhaps the commanders are partly blameworthy, but the men have lost heart and the prisoners are utterly discouraged. Movement is everywhere on the Peronne road. It was threatened with delay when it crossed the wilderness of the Somme battlefield, but this lias been passed and good roads and fairly good ground regained. A gallant incident was recorded at Miraumont. The British encircled the garrison, and the enemy tried hard to relieve it. They sent up a stronsr force, which occupied a ravine. A small British force, pushing ahead of the town, found themselves at nightfall on the edge of the ravine full of Germans, and themselves encircled, but they hung on all day. Other British troops on Friday night waded across the flooded river Ancre and did a forced march in the darkness. Aeroplanes at dawn on Saturday bore a message: <r Hold on; help is coming." The enemy in the ravine did not dare attack, and had summoned reinforcements, but the British reinforcements won the race, cleared the ravine, and turned to assist in the assault on Miraumont, which was captured. The German reinforcements arrived, one battalion of which was captured en bloc. As soon as the British had cleared Miraumont, the New Zealanders, with the assistanco» of tanks, attacked Loupart Wood, en route to Bapaume. They found little opposition within, but the trenches beyond were full of Bavarians. The New Zealanders passed over these within two hours. They did not wait to gather prisoners, but pushed ahead and attacked Grevilers, an old acquaintance, which gave little trouble, and, by the middle of the afternoon, began lighting for Bapaume's inner defences. There were good trenches around the suburbs and well-wired slopes. Meanwhile other troops climbed the slopes before Pozieres with quickened pulse in order to gaze on the promised land behind. They found PozieTcs no longer the same. The old ruins are gone, and there are new ruins now of the British hutments and tumbled cemeteries. The German artillery beyond Bapaume on Sunday was energetically trying' to counteract the instability of the enemy infantry, but the barrage nowhere delayed our advance. Airmen report seeing patrols inside Bapaume, but these are probably reconnaissances.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. ,

CASUALTIES AND CAPTURES. BRITISH NEARING LONGUEVAL. London, Aug. 20. The Australian Press Association learns tliat the attack is proceeding very favorably, bringing the fighting within a mile of the Hindenburg line. The enemy's resistance north of Bapaume is stiffening. The British 3rd Army captured the high ground between Fampoux and Neuville-Vitassc. The fighting is proceeding on the Henin Hill line, and then continues to the western outskirts of Croisilles. After taking Mory -we made progress in a southeasterly direction, capturing Favreuil, Avesnes-le-Bapaume, and Butte-de-War-lincourt. The line then runs south and east to Martinpuich. There is little alteration south of the Somme.—Aus. N.Z, Cable Assoc. New York, Aug. 25. The Australians have captured 1200 Germans since August 8,.a larger number than the Australian casualties. A German counter-attack at Soissons utterly failed. The British casualties in the 3rd and 4th Armies from August 21 to 25 are estimated at 23,000. The German prisoners exceed 20,000. The British on Sunday captured 1500 prisoners. The British are nearing Longucval.— Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. THE ALLIES' HARVEST. FIRST SHEAVES OF VICTORY. Paris, Aug. 28. M. Clemenceau, thanking the President, Generate, and Councils for their congratulations, said that only feeble souls could be surprised by the recent victories. "We are gathering the first sheaves of the harvest, and others will follow, the greatest of which will be the deliverance of the world from oppression and implacable brutality."—Aus. N.Z. Cable Association. FRESNOY-LE ROYE CAPTURED. New York, Aug. 2G. The French captured Fresnoy-le-Roye. —Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. REPORTED BRITISH CAPTURES. New York, Aug. 26. The British captured Suzanne and Cappy and readied the outskirts ofThilloy.