WESTERN FRONT.
OFFICIAL REPORT. PRESSURE MAINTAINED. London, Aug. 29. Sir Douglas Haig reports: South of the Somme we maintained our pressure upon the enemy, and at night-time advanced eastward, north of the Soinme, as far as the neighborhood of Fontainc-les-Croisilles. The night was comparatively quiet in the sector astride the Scarpe. The enemy's strong counter-attacks eastward and south-eastward of Vis-cn-Artois, eastward of Boiry, and in the vicinity of Gavrelle were repulsed with loss to the enemy. After heavy fighting our advanced posts westward of Oppy were withdrawn slightly as the result of repeated hostile attacks. Since the morning of August 21 wo have taken '20,000 prisoners and over 100 gun?. The tanks have actively participated in the lighting southward and northward of the Somme on all possible occasions, anl rendered very gallant and valuable service in eo-operation with the infantry and other arms.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Router. The Kaiser has bestowed the Order of the Black Eagle, which is the highest German distinction, on General von Boehm, commander of the 7th Army, in commemoration of his successes in the west.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. FRENCH ADVANCE SIX MILES. AMERICANS DO GOOD WORK. London, Aug. 20. A French communique states: We continued to pursue the enemy, who, under our pressure, precipitately retreated on a front of 30 kilometres (20 miles), we readied the heights on the left bank of the Somme from Cizancourt as far as east of Neele. Further south we reached the western bank of the Canal-du-Nord along the greater part of its course between Nesle ard Noyon. North of the Oise wc captured Pont l'Eveque, Vauchelles, and Porquericourt. Our advance to-day exceeded ton kilometres (0 miles) at some points. Forty villages have been recaptured. The vast quantities of material abandoned by the Germans include three heavily lanen trains. Five hundred prisoners were captured. In lively fighting between the Oise and the Aisne, in the region of Jtivigny, the Americans repulsed several counterattacks. They also frustrated a big German attemtp to cross the Vesln south of Bazoches and Fismette.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Reuter.
ENEMY GOADED FQR W ARD, TROOPS HOPELESSLY MIXED. London, Aug. 29. Mr. Giblis, giving an instance of the confusion of German troops, says: Odd' battalions and companies are mixed chaotically, but goaded forward and told they must fight. In one stretch of three miles, near Montauban, there were lb battalions, hopelessly mixed, drawn from five shattered divisions. Two storm divisions at Mory and Cherisy were reduced to 25 per company. One battalion, at St. I-eger, found itself abandoned by its neighbors, and was surrounded and captured en masse. The commander cursed the higher command which had sent a decimated regiment into battle. The higher command, in order to encourage them, previously issued an order declaring: "We have defeated four British divisions, and they know it."
The higher command sent tour divisions against Moyenneville and Ablainzeville. Despite the encouraging order many were non-starters. Those who started were caught by the artillery, and the slaughter was terrible. Few came to close quarters. Two new diyisions counter-attacked the Canadians at Monchy. Again there were many non-starters, and only a few resolute groups persevered. They only covered 400 yards before they were wiped out. Another division was ordered forward, and a number of brave men did their best, but the disorganised division drifted back. Apart from the gallant machinegunners, the German infantry, for the time, at any rate, have lost the spirit they had. Through the rearguard fighting a rot has set in, which may lead to disasters unless the German army can be rallied and refreshed. Our men will not give them any rest. We ourselves were not in a good state in March, but we liad reserves. The Germans at present have no such reserves, but we can expect a check at the Dro-court-Queant line, which is strong, and will be defended by every available man. —Aus. N& Cable Assoc. FRANCO-BRITISH SUCCESSES. PERONNE OUTFLANKED. New York, August 20. The British have reached Morvtil and Lea Boeufs (south of Bapaumc) and outflanked Peronne. The French have captured Breuil and crossed the Canal du Nord. The French have approached Ham and aTe threatening to outflank the Germans between the Somme and Chauny. The British are nearing Le Transloy.— Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. London, Aug. 2!*. A French communique reports: were violent bombardments during the night along the Somme. Enemy raids in Lorraine achieved no result. We made two raids in Champagne. Calm prevails elsewhere.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Reuter.
FRANCO-AMERICAN ADVANCE.
REPORTED CAPTURE OF JUVIGNY AND HAM. Received August 30, 11.20 p.m. Washington, August 29. The Franco-American attack 011 Juvigny resulted in gaining a thousand yards. The approaches to the railway have been seized.—Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assoc. Received August 31, 12.45 a.m. The British have reached Maurepasf and Les Boeufs, and have nearly rocahed Ll>. Transloy. It is reported that the French have captured Juvigny, north of Soissons.— Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Reuter. London, August 30. The Australians have captured Ham.— United Service. BRINGING THE END NEARER. THE CULMINATING EFFORT. London, Aug. 29. General Monasli, in an order of the day to the Australian troops on the eve of battle, said: "Tomorrow all the Australian divisions will engage in the largest and most important battle ever undertaken by the Australian force. What you have so brilliantly executed in the past four months is but a prelude to this greatest culminating effort. Owing to the completeness of the plans and dispositions, the magnitude of the operation, and the depth to which we intend overrunning the enemy's position, this battle will be one of the most memorable of the whole war. There is no doubt tha-t the capture of our objectives will inflict blows that will make the enemy stagger and bring the end appreciably nearer." The Germans secured a copy of the order from the body of a dead Australian and published it widely, changing and corrupting the text, and claiming that it was a proof of the unparalleled efforts made to break the whole German army and finish the war; thus basing their claim to victory on a perverted statement. —United Service.
HINDENBURG LINE ENDANGERED. BAPAUME, NOYON, AND GINCHY TAKEN. New York, Aug. 29." Noyon and Ginchy (near Combles) have been captured. General March states that the French advance near Nesle indicates a further opening of General Foch's pincers. The British gains to the northward are endangering the HjndenTiurg line, which has now been penetrated one mile on a front of three miles. Bapaume has been captured. The British are within 1000 yards of the Drocourt-Queant line. —Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. London, Aug. 29. Render's correspondent at Frcncn headquarters, writing on Wednesday evening, says: The Germans arc strongly holding the outskirts of Noyon. particularly with machine-guns concealed in the houses. General Humbert's army crossed the Roye-Novon road near Sermaize and Catignv. The Germans are energetically defending the hills east of Catigny. General Debeny reached the neighborhood of Cachy and Ramscourt, and reached the Somme between Rouy-le-Petit and Cizancourt. —Reuter. New York, Aug. 28. The United States troops gained ground at Bazoches. The Germans captured Fismette after all-night fighting and many hand-to-hand encounters. The Americans are now counterattacking around Fismette. Washington, Aug. 29. General Pershing reports that the Americans were forced to retire from Bazoches and Fismette, but are advancing with the French north-west of Juvigny.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc.
ADVANCE ON PERONNE. ENEMY DEMORALISATION. London, Aug. 29. Mr. Percival Phillips writes: Though the German High Command must be anxious over the fall of Roye. the Australian advance on Peronne and the peril of Bapaume, the position before Arras must claim attention before all these, because the bulge above and behind the Hindenburg Line grows hourly deeper. Sir Henry Home's army lias pushed through the greater part of the defence which the enemy believed practically impregnable. Our infantry and guns occupy territory untouched by the British since the enemy invaded France, at, comparatively speaking, the cost of few men. The Germans yielded with great readiness and their counter-attacks were soon broken. The fate of Bapaume and Peronne matters little by comparison. Meanwhile our extreme right is passive, if.the Australians can be passive in any circumstances. The outstanding feature in the First Army's advance was the symptoms of the enemy's demoralisation. Undoubtedly confusion exists and prisoners are suffering badly from nerves. The infantry accuse their gunners of criminal inaccuracy, and the officers blame the higher command for ordering impossible counter-attacks. Cases are recorded of the enemy bolting, for example, at Vis-en-Artois, from the Canadians, und at Bullecourt from the Londoners, but the enemy machine-gunners are fighting well.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc.
SUCCESSFUL AUSTRALIAN OPERATIONS. London, Aug. 29. The United Press correspondent reports: The Australians hive taken Feuillers, Herbecourt, Assevillers, and Beilov, and are now within three miles of Brie bridge. They are advancing on the upper bank of the Somme towards Hem. Sir Julian Byng has taken Gincliy. The Canadians, by bombing, cleared out the concrete tunnel running westward of Bullecourt to the Sensee river. Many Germans were killed and more taken prisoner.—-Aus. N.Z. C&M® AsiS!
SWEEPING ON.
GOOD WORK OF THREE FRENCH ARMIES. Received Aug. 30, 9.25 p.m. London, Aug. 20, S p.m. Renter's correspondent at Frenen headquarters states that three French armies are sweeping on in close co-ordination. General Humbert, at 10 this morning, captured Noyon. General Mangin's army crossed the Oise for the first time and occupied Morlincourt, 011 the left bank. General Debeney's army captured Quesnoy Wood. —Reuter. ENEMY'S RETIREMENT. TO A SHORTER LINE. Received Aug. 30, 8,15 p.m. London, Aug. 29. The latest developments make it sufficiently clear that the Germans intend to retire to a shorter line where they can obtain a better defensive position and economise troops, the necessity for which his man-power situation makes urgent. It is not improbable that they will retire to the Hindenburg line, but there is reason to think that they will try to postpone this as long as possible, and may hope to defer it until the weather makes active operations impracticable. The moral effect of such a retirement, both in Germany and on the German army, will be very great. The enemy's present intention, therefore, is to make a stand on some line west of the Hindenburg line. There is a very favorable line along the Ailette, Oise, Somme, and Tortille rivers,—Press Assoc. GERMAN KNAVERY. PAINTING RED CROSSES ON MILITARY TRAIN. Received Aug. 30, 8.15 p.m. London, Aug. 29. A neutral' eye-witness gives the following instance of German knavery. British airmen bombed and partly destroyed a German military train, killing and wounding many soldiers, but before any attempt was made to succor the Wounded, a number of men began painting red crosses on the carriages, the idea being to pretend it was a hospital train. Doubtless photographs will be circulated in Germany and neutral countries.— Reuter.
THE ALLIES' CAPTURES. GERMAN MORALE AT LOWEST. THETR DEAD EXCEED TWO MILLION Received Aug. 30, 5.5 p.m. London, Aug. 29. Since the Bth inst. the British have prisonered 52,000 and captured 550 guns. The Allies have since July 18 prisonered 120,000 and captured 2000 guns. It is expected the Germans will attempt to hold the line of the Ailette* Oise-Somme-Tortoille until the campaigning season is finished, when they hope to retire to the Hindenburg line unmolested. Though the enemy is displaying considerable determination, his morale and discipline are decreasing. Disobedience of orders, and the laxity of officers in punishing offences, are increasing. Captured orders show refusals of new draits to enter the line, but it is unwise to form expectations of a German collapse, though the morale is at the lowest and many divisions are disposed to surrender freely. It is definitely known that the German dead exceed two million.—Times Service. REPORTED CAPTURE OF GINCHY.
ENEMY'S RAPID RETREAT TO SETTLED LINE. Received Aug. 30, 5.5 p.m. London, Aug. 29. Reuter's correspondent, writing on Thursday morning from British headquarters, says it is reported that we have captured Ginchy, an important high point northward of the Somme. The enemy is fighting spirited rearguard actions in places, but it seems clear that his great desire is to get back to a settled 'line of retreat as rapidly as possible. The Germans are burning and blowing up such supplies as are too heavy to be hastily removed. We are still within two thousand yards of the Drocourt-Queant line, but we have cleared the tortuous intermedi ate zone of machine-gun nests and have established an excellent defensive flank. Northward of the Scarpe a feature of the battle is the exceptionally large number of enemy scouting aeroplanes, which are fighting in big formations. Twenty-two fokkers were counted in one flight, and several others between 15 and 20.—Reuter. AMERICAN SATISFACTION. Received Aug. 30, 5.5 p.m. New York, Aug. 29. The New York Times' Washington cor respondent says there is the greatest satisfaction in military circles at the Allied progress on the West front. Experts express confidence that General Foch will be able to drive the Germans behind the line they occupied last spring. —Press Assoc.
EFFECT OF BRITISH ATTACKS,
ON THE OLD SOMME LINE. HEAVY CASUALTIES INFLICTED. Received. August 31, 1.45 a.m. London, August 30. Sir Douglas Haig reports: The successful attacks which since August 8 have been delivered by the Fourth, First and Third British Armies, have rendered the enemy's position on the old Somme battlefield untenable, and the enemy has been forced on the whole front, from Bapaume southwards, to abandon, with great loss of prisoners, guns and material, as well as in killed and wounded, ground which he gained at such heavy cort in March and April of this year. We reached the west bank of the Somm/', opposite Brie and Peronne, and captured Hem. Northwards of Hem we are advancing on the general line Combles—Morval • Baulicourt Fremicourt. Sharp fighting occurred on this front, where we inflicted many casualties on til© enemy, who itttempted to delay our progress.—Aus. and N.Z. Cable Association and Reuter.
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Taranaki Daily News, 31 August 1918, Page 5
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2,330WESTERN FRONT. Taranaki Daily News, 31 August 1918, Page 5
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