WESTERN FRONT.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 August 1918, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

ENEMY LINE BROKEN. OFFENSIVE CHANGES INTO A PURSUIT. THIRTY VILLAGES TAKEN. ' London, Aug. 28. General Mangin has captured Cbavigny, northward of Soissons.—-Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. Croisilles, Ablaincourt, and luiv have been captured.—United Service. Paris, Aug. 28. French cavalry are in Nesle.—Reuttr. New York, Aug. 2S. The French have occupied Chaulnes. The British have reached the outskirts of Haucourt, and 011 a four-mile front have advanced in Flanders astride the Xeuf Berquin-Estaires road. The British have completed the capture of Trones Wood, and are reported to be driving east of Oppy and Gavrellcs. General March announces that the Allied prisoners to date exceed 112,000, and 1300 cannon have been captured.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. London, Aug. 2S. Reuters correspondent at French iieadquarters reported last evening: Fresh news of the new advance is coming in every minute. lloye is completely in our hands, also Carrepuis, north-east of the town, and Grimy. Southward we hold Roiglise and Vcrpillieres. To-day's advance at certain points reached a depth of four miles. A feature of this new retreat was the swiftness with which the German line broke up following our counter-attack at St. Mard, on both sides of which, when the troops got the order to advance, they found the enemy retreating, and the offensive changed into a pursuit.—Reuter. London, Aug. 28. A French communique reports: Maintaining contact with the enemy rearguards, we continued to advance during the night north of the Avre. We occupied Chaulnes, Omiecourt, Balatre, Roiglise. and Verpillieres. Further south we penetrated Crapeau Mesnil Wood and captured Dive?. This morning we continued to progress to the Somme, and reached, north of the Avre, a general line from Havencourt-le-Petit to Mesnil-le-Petit and Nesle. Since yesterday wc have retaken about thirty villages and advanced 12 kilometres (7$ miles) at certain points.— Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. London, Aug. 28. A French communique states: Yielding to our continued pressure the enemy today was compelled to increase his withdrawal on both sidos of the Avre front to 20 kilometres: Onr troops, overcoming all opposition, realised an advance exceeding 4 kilometres (21 miles) at certain points. Wc hold a general line immediately west of Chaulnes, Punchy, Liancourt, ar.d Herpillieres. Wc occupy Hallu, Fransart, Cremery, Cruny, Caropuis, Rove, T.aucourt, and Crapeau-Mesnil. We took prisoners. The artillery duel is lively in the region of Lassigny and between the Oise and the Aisne. —Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. THE ATTACK RENEWED. FIGHTING DESCRIBED. London, Aug. 28. Mr. Percival Phillips says: The attack was renewed on Tuesday morning along the entire front. The Canadians near Henin rested at night and began mopping lip the Hindenburg line, working towards Fontaine-les-Croisilles and behind Croisilles. The Guards pushed round the other side of Croisilles from St. Leger. Thus the whole German line of resistance is being pounded hard, and is steadily sagging into the Hindenburg defences. It may be expected the enemy will fight his hardest in this northern sector. A good fresh Prussian division is already engaged against the Canadians. The Australian advance on both banks of the Somme may be described, as peaceful penetration. By noon to-day the patrols on the south side were within a mile of Dompierre, clearing machineguns out of the neighborhood and wood. The Australians had penetrated Vaux Wood, north of the river, and continuing towards Curlu there was no serious attempt to hold them. The German rearguard was listless, and apparently ordered not to reist if pressed hard. Tho Australians are again traversing a wholly devastated country, and their progress, naturally slow, is on the whole deliberate, almost leisurely. The journey towards Peronne is in marked contrast to the sharp, jerky attacks south of Bapaume. The Canadians, in penetrating Green Wood (Bois du Vert), east of Moncliy, are in country untrodden l>v Entente troops since tiie beginning of the war. They are not yet firmly established, but are fighting hard and slowly forging ahead. The New Zealanders are pushing north of Bapaume. and actually reached the Cambrai road, nearly encircling the town, hut machine-guns forced thein to retire. Thcv are now resting on the railway to the north-east. Thouah small detachments have reached the outskirts, this does not mean that we are attempting to storm the place, which will fall unaided. The sector which gives the enemy th" greatest anxiety is the ten-mile strip between Bapaume and the Searpe. The Taniulirjis went over at 3.20 _on Monday, and found only an inferior division opposed to them. Thev had to go over noon yards, and the first stage was ilnnc in the darkness, relieved by bursts of brilliant moonlight. Thev covered thr> distance in splendid time, thnnch tho German batteries made good their escape. Meanwhile the Scottish attack from Neuvillc-Yitiisse was pquallv sucmssnil. The object was to turn Henin Hill. but. there was no opposition on the lull It was quite a spectacular aflair. the Scots going forward steadily, while the enemy retreated in disorder. Thus the Scots were enabled to establish contact with the Canadians.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc.