WESTERN FRONT.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 September 1918, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

SATISFACTORY PROGRESS. ESSENTIAL OBJECTS ATT.A» A DIFFICULT NOV TO CRACK. , . New York, Sept. 19. Tli9 British, in the St Quentin attack, captured 2000 additional prisoners. Nurth of Pontruet the Australians carried the Hindenburg lino outposts. Paris, Sept. 19. A Basle newspaper reports that the Germans have evacuated Mulhausen.— Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. London, Sept. 19. Jlr. Pereival Phillips writes.—The casualties of the 3rd and 4th Armies were not heavy. They attacked at 5.20 on a front of 15 miles, in co-operation with the French on our right- Although greater resistance was encountered than during the earlier stages of the British advance, the troops of the United Kingdom and Australia made satisfactory progress along the ridges protected by well-fortified villages, which give access to our old outpost line immediately before the Hindenburg line. All the essential objects of the attack were attained, and the infantry is still going forward. The Hun was prepared for the blow, and intended to fight stubbornly on bits of high ground. We are up against stronger forces than the old rearguards. The ridges and spurs were seamed with trenches, which, connected with Gouzeaucourt, Hargicourt, and the ruined villages, afforded an ample screen for machine-gunners. The remains of several farms are embedded in the trench system, which ran along the entire front. P.ain fell while the infantry was assembling and made the ground sticky. News came back slowly, and it is still impossible to know the full results attained. Our attack commenced threequarters of an hour before the Germans expected it. The enemy batteries across the Canal replied promptly, and the gunfire was heavier than any since August IS.—Aus.-N.Z. Caible Assoc. Mr- Gibbs writes:—The primary object of the English, Scottish, Irish, anct Australian attack was to regain our old outpost line running along the ridges from which spurs strike down to the St. Quentin Canal. The enemy had already withdrawn his artillery behind the canal, relying mainly on long-range high velocity guns to harass our position. Ho is now strong in gun-power. For protecting the Hindenburg line, he has a most unusual number of longrange guns. The enemy is holding the outpost line with troops who have borne the full brunt of the recent battles, and whose spirit is lowered to gloomy depths. The less mauled divisions are being reserved to defend the Hindenburg line itself. The enemy is now giving his troops no rest in support until they are thoroughly worn out, when he stiffens them [ with material of better class. The method is merciless, but is necessary. Among the men fighting to-day were the remnants of the 2nd Guards Division who were routed like rats from Mont St. Quentin, near Peronne. A rainstorm early in the morning ( ma'de the ground bad for the tanks, the slimv chalk giving no ■jrip, hut, after <t brief hurricane Are, our troops went forward with perfect confidence. The losses in the first assault were light; the men were mostly hit by shell splinters, not by machine-gun bullets, showing the temporary end of open warfare. The English troops met with very hard resistance at Epehy, where the German Alpine Corps put up a hard fight. It is too soon to um up the results of the day's fighting. It is now raining again, ■which does not help our tioops, but may present night bombing over our lines. Lately the enemy has been flying giant planes by night, monsters carrying crews of eight and bombs 13ft long, containing 20001b of explosives. We have destroy- , crt several during the past week.—Aus.N.Z. Cable AssocHEAVY FIGHTING. SEVERE ENEMY LOSSES. PRISONERS EXCEED 10,000. Received Sept. 20, 8.30 pan. London, Sept 19. Sir Douglas Haig Btates: Further reports confirm the heavy nature of the enemy's counter-attacks yesterday afternoon north of Trescault, and the severity of his losses. Fighting to-day took, place in the seetor eastward of Epehy, also in the neighborhood of Gouzeaucourt, where we gained ground northward of Gauche Wood. There were local engagements on the remainder of the battlefront. We improved our positions slightly on the west of Wytschaete. We repulsed , raidera east of Neuve Chapelle and north j of Yprcs-Commes Canal. | The prisoners taken during the operations which commenced yesterday northwest of St. Quentin now exceed 10,000, and over 60 guns have been captured. AERIAL ACTIVITY. ' Sir Douglas Haig's aviation report states: There is slight enemy activity. On the 18th we brought down four hostile machines and drove down three un.controllable. Four British maphinga are missing. Aeroplanes assisted the advancing troops. They bombed and ma-chine-gunned the enemy. We dropped' sixteen tons of bombs in the last twentyfour hours. Anti-aircraft guns dawned one hostile machine on the 16th and ma-chine-gun fire from the ground downed another on the 17th.—Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assoc and Renter.