WEEKLY SUMMARY

Taranaki Daily News, 17 September 1918, Page 4

WEEKLY SUMMARY

OF WAR OPERATIONS SHE HESiDENBURG LINE, MUCH RECONSTRUCTION necessary. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The acting-Prime Minister has received from the British Ministry of Information the following telegraphic summary of war news for the week ended September 13; little 8 since the sth of September, when the enemv commenced to withdraw from the line of the vesle, in the Lys sector. He shows "o ulclln ation to give up the Passchendaele and Wytschaete ridge, and much new work is being carried out in the rear lines of this area. Southwards he has straightened the line from Havrincourt to the Oise, while north of La JBere to the Ailette he is now back on the pld front line, and maintains approximately a straight front to the-. Vesle, near Breuil, using the Aisne as far' as possible. He retired methodically,, though forced to abandon much material This withdrawal shortened his front more than 70 miles, economising SO to 40 divisions. He now occupies a highly defensible zone, and no further withdrawal _ could counter-balance its loss, except in case of a very big retirement. He has now begun to flood the country and shows that he intends to stand linn. Before the Hindenburg system can seriously be attacked, much reconstruction is necessary as regards communications. Already much Work has been done in re-establising the bridges. The efficiency of our transport is shown by the fact that last month the British artillery fired at least ten million rflUiidS. Counter-battery work resulted in the destruction of enemy guns on a Scale more than ten times greater than our own losses from a similar cause, TERRORISM IN RUSSIA. The Bolsheviks are now seeing that their end is approaching, and resort to the most extreme measures of terrorism* Scores of Russians of every party are executed, untried, and many British subjects in Petrograd and Moscow have been arrested, including even the diplomatic representatives. The conditions are most terrible. Protests against this criminal policy of bloodshed have been made by representatives of all the neutral countries. Even the Germans and Austrians join in the protest. The Bolsheviks hold on desperately only through the support of the Lettish Guard and the connivance of the Germans. The peasants of various districts, maddened by the Red Guards' campaign of violence and spoliation, constantly rise and are praying for deliverance. THE SIBERIAN SITUATION. The Siberian situation changes quickly, but at present shows an improvement. The different detachments of Czecho-Slovaks seem to be in touch with one another, and the Bolsheviks' forces in the region of Habarovsk appear to be melting. The Czecho-Slovaks appear to hold the entire trans-Siberian railway. The control of this solitary trunk system and of the telegraphs is of firstrate importance. Military and economic relief is being brought up as quickly as possible, and it is hoped that the arrangements now progressing may meet the difiicultias of the winter.

INTERNAL CONDITION OF ENEMY COUNTRIES. The Allies' victories arc producing the natural effect upon the internal political situation of Germany and Austria. It is rumored that Dr. Solf, formerly Colonial Secretary, may replace Baron von Hertling as Chancellor, also that the Reichstag will be convened. These stories have no diplomatic importance, yet they reveal a dissatisfied and unquiet public feeling. Such exhortations as those of General von Hindenburg show how anxiously German authority regards these changes. THE FOOD QUESTION. Supplies of ham and bacon are coming in satisfactorily and the quality is improving. The suggested modifications of the potato distribution scheme put forward by the International Federation of Wholesale Merchants has been accepted, so certain difficulties have now been overcome. There is general satisfaction at' the arrival on the market of an excellent quality of home killed meat. The failure of the fruit crop will involve rationing of jam when the next ration books are issued in" November. STRENUOUS AIR ITGHTING. A most successful week has been marked by strenuous British air fighting on the battlefront in France, also by sharp local encounters in the coastal area and over Germany itself. Possibly fearing an extension of the present battle towards the coast, the enemy's : scouts have been very active north of the Arras-Cambrai road, and many fierce conflicts have taken place over the Scarpe valley, but the enemy's main air resistance has been between Marquion and the railway from Equancourt and Epehy, where British airmen encountered unusually large enemy formations and engaged them constantly over their own lines, inflicting the heaviest losses at a price of ol British machines reported missing. One hundred and one enemy aircraft were destroyed and 67 driven down helpless, and 18 enemy kite balloons were brought down in flames. NOCTURNAL RAIDS.

Most successful raids were made by night-bombing machines, especially on September 0 and 8, when excellent results attended attacks on the enemy's railway connections at Armentieres, Lille, Douai, Denain, Cambrai, and St. Quentin, Nearly 60 tons of bombs w«re dropped bohtod the enermy lines daring these raids, and all the British machines returned.

The xapid British advance between the Scarpa and the Somme necessitated photographing many positions which hitherto had been outside the actual fighting' zone. Numbers of British reconnaissance marihines -were actively engaged in this work, end took thousands of most valuable negatives, showing the battle lines and the enemy prepared positions in the war. Hie stormy weather has been most unfavorable for coastal operations, yet euccessful raids were made on Gentian military and naval works at Bruges, Ostend, etc. Many good burst were observed, and destructive fires started among the dock buildings at Ostend. BRITISH HEAVILY ATTACKED. i During successive raids on the 3th an.! (UK tlic British formations were heavily attacked in the air over their objectives.

la severe fighting six.' enemy machines ■were destroyed and four driven down. •Four British machines failed to return.

The RJL'F. independent force once again proved its ascendancy over the German airmen by heavily raiding the notorious poison gas factory at Mannheim in the teeth of the most obstinate enemy resistance. Shortly after leaving tiie aerodrome in the morning, the Brit* ish formations met greatly superior numbers of the enemy air force. Battle was given instantly, aid for 70 miles a continuous running fight was waged, but without preventing the British from reaching their objective, over which two tons of bombs were dropped. On tfao re« turn journey another running fight oc-t curred. One enemy machine was destroyed and two driven down. Four British machines were reported miming Destructive raids were also made 09 enemy railway organisations, on tßi Ehrange and Saarbrncken blast frauaces and hostile aerodromes at Buhl, Boulsjy and Morgange. At BoM three hmgasS were complataly destroyed, and very extensive damage was done to the ainsratgjj establishments at Morhange, whish Trexei attacked three times in 24 hoars.

On the Balkan front seven enemy machines were destroyed and n» iftSßsfcj were reported missing. a