WESTERN FRONT.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 October 1918, Page 5

WESTERN FRONT.

EVACUATION MOVEMENTS. POSITION OUTLINED. GERMANS ADMIT THREE KETREATS. Received Oct. 4, 5.5 p.m. London, Oct. 3. Sjr Douglas Haig's announcement of the German retreat on the La Bassec canal apparently confirms the persistent Amsterdam reports that thorough preparations have been made for the evacuation of Lille and other places. Messages emphasise that the AngloBelgian progress makes the evacuation of a considerable portion of the Belgian coast necessary in the immediate future. It is reported that the evacuation in the region westward of Bruges has reached an advanced Btage, and it is even said the evacuation includes Antwerp. Presumably tlhe La Bassee retirement refers to a withdrawal from the falient between Warneton and Loos, including Annentieres, involving a retreat on a 20-miles front. The movement is the Immediate result of General Plumer's swift advance.

The Germans themselves announce three more retreats, southward Of St. Quentin, north-westward of Rhoims, and in the Argotme forest. Developments are awaited with keen interest. —Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. FRENCH OPERATIONS. .PROGRESS CONTINUED. London, Oct. 3. A French communique says: Our ■ bombers dropped 27 tons of projectiles [and fired thousands of rounds at enemy concentrations and convoys. During the night over 27 tons were dropped on the I big stations at Longuyon, Conflans, Domfrey, Barcourt, Maison Bleue, Le Catelet, and Laon.—Aus. N.Z. Catye Assoc.

New York, Oct. 3. Tlie French captured Challerange and Poivre.

The Paris correspondent of the United Press states that the Americans have advanced 4J miles in the Argonne forest since the beginning of the offensive. — Aus. N;Z. Cable Assoc. London, Oct. 3.

A French communique reports that the enemy has been completely ejected from St. Quentin, the whole of which we are occupying, also t)he suburb of Isle southward. We advanced towards Haneourt and carried Moy, despite the tenacious resistance of the enemy. North of the Vesle our advance continues. Roucy, Guyencourt, Bouffignereux, Villers Franqueux, and Cauroy have been captured, and our lines have reached the southern outskirts of Cormicy and Loivre. Further south wc skirt the western bank as far as La Neuvillette We captured Courcv. We improved our positions in Champagne south-west of Orfeuil, and gained a footing on the heights south of Monthois. —Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Reuter.

THE CAMBRAI BATTLE.

DESPERATE FIGHTING. GREAT MASSACRE OF ENEMY. London, Oct. 3. Mr. Gibbs writes: The battle of Cambrai continues with intense and desperate fighting. The Canadians say there has never been harder fighting in the war period t4ian that of yesterday. The intensity of the struggle eclipses the Ypres battles. There was very little artillery fire southward of Cambrai this morning; it is close fighting ]n the suburbs, where the infantry worked without the support of the guns. Every house in one long street leading to the city was a machinegun fort. Following the Canadians' successful early morning attack on Tuesday, ceaseless and severe struggles have continued all day long. The Germans counterattacked again and again with almost fanatical courage. They advanced in close formation down the Brantigny and Raillencourt valleys. Canadian observers signalled the gunners, who had human targets at short range, and fired for hours with open sights. Shells raked the German ranks and tore gaps, and the men lay in heaps, but others filled the gaps and stmggled on m the effort to break the Canadian- lines. There was a great massacre of men in those valleys. Our guns were served until they were too hot to fire, but still, under cover of sunken roads, embankments and cuttings, the German infantry came 011 regardless of losses and forced a passage to some ruined villages, making it necessary for some Canadian battalions to fall back. One party was in an isolated and perilous Situation for hours, but held their ground, ultimately obtaining touch with their main line. All the Canadians say that the number of dead strewn on the ground is horrible to see, but they themselves paid a severe price for the ground held. The strength of the German resistance has been so stiffened since the divisions from Flanders and elsewhere have arrived that it becomes clear we shall not capture the eity without further severe fighting. It is possible the enemy will cling to it for some days at least, despite the loop we have flung round it. It is even likely they may counter-attack on a heavy scale, in order to throw us out of its approaches.

More southward there is a new attack by the Australians and English, wi.o pushed forward a little beyond Levcrgies and Ramiscourt, where the Ger- • mans are rushing up reinforcements. — I Acs. N.Z. Cable Assoc. IRAWLINSON'S SUCCESSFUL ATTACK i ! London, Oct. 3. i The United Press reports that Sir Jlenry Rawlinson attacked on a 10,000yard front at 0 o'clock this morning, between Mony and Sequehart, and re-took Le Catelet, Jouy, Ramicourt, and Sequehart and captured 2000 prisoner.— Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. BURNING OP BELGIAN TOWN'S. j Amsterdam, 0«t. 3. The Germans are burning a large number of towns in Flanders, including Routes and Liehtervide, the populations of vhidb have been sent to Germany.-—Aus. JLZiCUiIeABSOC.

| IN THE UNDERGROUND CANAL ADVENTUROUS AMERICANS. GERMANS' BACKS TO THE WALL. Received Oct. 4, 7.45 p.m. London, Oct. 3. Mr. Gilmour, writing on Monday, says it is feared that numbers of Americans who went forward yesterday as far as Jouay have bean taken prisoner. The Australians, when pressing on to-day, released many parties of Sammies who had spent a wet night in shell-holes. The attack undoubtedly threw the enemy into a state of serious disorganisation, which speaks highly for American fighting qualities and dash, and their rapidity in acquiring the technique of soldier craft necessary to finished fighters. Writing on Tuesday, Mr. Gilmour says the Australians and Americans lost no time in investigating the captured underground canal, which all considered one of the chief obstacles of the Hindenburg line. They found the place in utter darkness. Electric torches disclosed long 'lines of floating barges, and every sign that Germans hid recently been living there. Large numbers of Americans, whose duty it was to guard the southern end, j promptly adopted the houseboat life and I made themselves comfortable. The adventurous spirits declared they had walked through the entire length of 6000 I yards. This would be a risky thing to do, because the Germans were believed to have burrowed in all directions, making the canal tunnel the main corridor from which radiate numberless shafts, passages, and dug-outs. Our line at present embraces twothirds of the tunnel. Proof is afforded that during the Australian advance some of the Germans remain in certain, places in this vast underground habitation, and as we push on their position becomes perilous, unless tunnels exist leading far back into the German lines.

Eeferring to the desperate resistance round Joncourt, he says that evidently the Germans on this part of the front had been made to realise that they have their back to the wall, and that the Hindenburg line must be held. They have uiready sent in two reinforcing divisions, and are making the most of their artillery, but our men feel the enemy does not possess gun troops in numbers or capacity to stop them. The Americans are highly pleased at their success. They tell amusing stories of surrenders of German-Americans, who, as the Americans approached tlie German trenches, greeted tliem in pronounced Yankee accent. One shouted: 'l'm from Charlestown, and have been waiting for you since 1915." Many of them had already put on their packs in readiness to surrender.

Writing on Wednesday, Mr. Oilmour says that the penetration of the Hindenburg line is being steadily completed. The Americans who first reached the Riquaval entrance of the underground canal found it ablaze with electric light, like a vast fairyland grotto. The Germans left their packs and personal belongings on the floors, shelves, and barges. In the cookhouse fourteen corpses were found, the cooks apparently having been killed by an exploding shell. Five wounded Germans were discovered on a barge. They stated they had not been tended for four days. The whole tunnel and its extensive ramifications have not yet been explored.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc.

' ADVANCE OF AMERICANS. ENEMY FEARS OPEN FIGHTING. New York, Oct. 3. Mr. James writes from the American front: The Ist American Army is advancing towards the Kriemhilde Stelhing line. Captured orders show that the German high command is extremely anxious that this line shall be held. The Germans are afraid to face the Americans in open warfare, to which they will be compelled if they give up the line, as there is no organised defence system between it and the French border. Our air service reports that more than 100 enemy planes and 21 balloons have been brought down since the present attack started.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. OFFICIAL REPORTS. ENEMY FORCED TO RETREAT. London, Oct. 3. Sir Douglas Haig announces that the Germans have retreated on a 20-mile front between Armentieres and Lens. Wellington, Oct. 4. The High Commissioner reports under date October 3, 11.30 a.m.:—Sir Douglas Haig reports: Our progress in Flanders and at Cambrai and St. Quentin has compelled an extensive enemy retreat from Lens to Armentieres. The enemy is evacuating highly organised positions, held since trench warfare began. We are following up and our line has already reached Cite St. August© (near Lens), Douvrin, east of La Bassee, Aubers, and westward of Bois Grenier,

This morning we renewed our attacks north of St. Quentin. London, Oct. 3. Sir Douglas Haig reports: Me enemy strongly attacked this morning northeastward of St. Quentin with fresh troops, and succeeded in pressing us back from Sequehart, where we stopped him. Local fighting continued northward of Crevecoeur and westward of Cambrai, but there was no material change in the situation. The Canadians, as the result of operations yesterday and during the nigiht-tiige in the neighborhood of Camtrai, captured the suburb of Neuville St. Remy and the high ground westward of Ramilles.

The enemy, in the early morning, commenced to withdraw on a wide front southward and northward of La Bassee canal. We are fallowing up closely and have taken prisoWs.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. AVIATION REPORT. London, Oct. 3. Sir Douglas Haig's aviation report states: The weather has been fine and cloudy, and our low-fliers have been very active machine-gunning trenches and parties of troops arid bombing and stampeding gun teams. We dropped 30 tons Un the daytime and 12 tons at nighttime. We heavily attacked the railway junctions at Valenciennes, AnJnoye, and j Busigny. There was much lighting oni the German side of tihe lines. We destroyed 21 aeroplanes and drove down eight uncontrollable. Fifteen Sntuhais missing.—Aua. ZEZ.. jfl© Boot®** ,J

100,000 ENEMY PUT OUT. HEROIC STORIES OF THE FIGHTING EVIDENCE OF GERMANS' DISINTEGRATION. Received Oct 4, 9.40 p.m. London, Oct. 3. Murdoch, writing on Monday, says the line successes on all sectors of the Allied armies in the north, south, and centre are resulting in at least 100,000 enemy troops being put out of action. The four days' fighting include many heroic stories, none surpassing that of the American advance, storming, over muddy shell-holes, acres of barbed wire and entangled trenches. Nothing could exceed their brave determination and willingness to undergo suffering, and their eagerness to secure victory. After capturing Bellicourt and Nouray they refused to pause, scattering afield and declaring they would not let the Australians pass them, but would take their objective as well as ours. They pushed on to Joncourt, where, late in the afternoon, tfhe Australians found groups holding out gallantly against strong enemy forces. Subsequently the line was established at Nouray for the night. Many of the tanks that were intended to help the Americans were knocked out soon after starting, the whole line being blown up by a series of small landmines. The Americans lacked skill in clearing out the German nests hidden in the large tunnels and complicated dugout system, and had to pay the price for their lack of knowledge. Writing on Tuesday, Mr. Murdoch describes the steady progress of the Australians through tho.Hindenburg system ur.der terrible difficulties, heavy rain and mud, without artillery support, for fear of .pouring shells upon isolated pockets of Americans left in the forward shellholes. The whole area was covered for scattered fighting, wherein nests of ma-chine-guns make it impossible for runners to go overland, and the shelling makes telephonic communication almost impossible.

The best way to picture the fighting is to think of two bare rolling ridges, a few scattered villages, numerous lines of deep trendies, no sign of life except spurts of white smoke as the bombs burst. Picture laborious parties of soldiers following the lines of bursting bombs which are being hurled against Germans hidden in the trenches ahead. Tho Huns cling desperately and resourcefully to the trenches covering the whole underground tunnel, from which stairways lead to exits. The concrete posts on the surface are held by machine-gunners. The tunnel is 25 feet wide, and the troops therein are safe, as no shell could pierce its walls and no gas fumes can enter.

As we win the surface of the tunnel, yard by yard, we throw bombs inside, guarding every outlet. The Australians and Americans in the captured portions have sumptuous battle-quarters. Tihey eat German sausages and smpke German cigars aboard their barges. Writing on Wednesday, Mr. Murdoch says the situation is best summed up thus: We have a sporting chanco of turning the German defeats into wide sectional retirements akin to a rout, but if the weather enables the enemy to slick on the same temporary line for the winter we won't miss much, because we are confident of finisihing the job when spring comes. Yesterday's and to-day's fighting show that the enemy disorganisation is approaching in some places the phase of disintegration. The enemy apparently have no plans except to stick where they stand, showing bravery and determination on some sectors, but wretched morale on others. Perhaps the most striking evidence of deterioration is the number of unburied dead behind the Hindenburg line. The Germans have always been punctilious regarding military burials, but to-day you cannot avoid the ghastly sights of decomposing Germans. The Hindenburg line itself is muddy and dirty. Its immense strength and vast system of dugouts, tunnels, and concrete ! emplacements are mocked by stinks, abominations, decompositions, and decay of the proud liaiser'a vain-glorious force. —Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. HOSTILITY IN ALSACE. , GERMAN THREAT OF REPRISALS. Berne, Oct. 3. The German military authorities have issued a proclamation in Alsace drawing attention to the nocturnal attacks on troop trains between Colmar and Mulhouse by pro-French civilians with rifles, and adding: 'Tf, as hitlherto, the authorities are unable to discover the perpetrators of such outrages reprisals hereafter will be carried out on the whole population of, the districts concerned."— Aus. N.Z. Cttble Assoc. GERMAN RETREAT. New York, Oct. 3. The Germans admit the evacuation of Lens and Armentieres. | A United Press London message states that the British attacked on an 11 mile ! front north of St. Quentin, taking Le [ Catelet, Jouy, Uamicourt, and Sequehart. General Debeny's army is smashing through south of St. Quentin. The Gtermans have retreated tfflrce miles from Lens and Armentieres. During the past week the Allies have captured 60,000 prisoners and 1000 guns on the western front. —Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. NO SIGN OF GERMAN COLLAPSE. London, Oct. 3. Though there are many indications of the likelihood of a German retreat, there is no sign of a real break in the German resistance. The public should not be encouraged to look for peace by Christmas. What is really happening is that we have forced tho Germans to put in their reserves to hold tho present lines. Any furthej advance would render an attempt to hold tlhe lines for the enemy. The important Lens salient, with great coal deposits, is threatened by the Allies, who are running a race with winter and have only a month of campaigning weather ahead. Even the most succer Jul operations take time. St. Quentin, which is as big as Hull, is not cleaned up yet, and will probably take tfturo or four days.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc.

AMERICAN CAPTURES. London, Oct. 3. An American communique states: A I partf".! count of the captures for the ' week are .120 guns of all calibres, 750 trench mortars, 300 madtiine-guns, 100 ■ Jvoavy tank guns, thousands of shells, and hundreds of thousands of rounds ' <inanni)tion. —.Vv*. JT.Z. Cable Assoc. ■:jr*

THE REARMOST LINES. NOW BEING ATTACKED. Received Oct. 5, 1.15 a.m. London, Oct. 3. Mr. Gilmour, writing on Thursday, Bays: The battle was resumed this morning with a set attack with a view to piercing the rearmost Hindenburg position. The Beaurevoir line, between two and three miles eastward of the underground canal, represents the last strong line of resistance for several miles.

The Australians belonging to the units which have had an easier time since the storming of Mont St. Quetitin, are already reported t& be in a considerable portion of the Beaurevoir line. The attack is supported by a heavy weight of artillery, and a number of tanks. Big guns all night long hammered the trenches.

The British advance on the immediate right is reported to bo satisfactorily progressing—Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Reuter.

THE ENEMY'S PLANS,

| BROKEN BY THE ALLIES. Received Oct. 5, 1.30 p.m. London, Oct. 3. The French centre captured the western portion of the Chemin des Dames, and cleared the area between the Aisne and the Vesle. The British have brogen the enemy's plan to hold the Hinden'burg*line until the winter, which should allow him to mate a further wihtdrawal unmolested, This has completely broken down. The occupation of the Roulers-Menin Road endangers the German, hold of Ostend, and, combined with our attack on Cambrai, threatens both flanks of the German defensive system in the Lille area. The attack on Rollers was conducted by comparatively weak British forces. The striking success was due to Allied pressure elsewhere. The enemy has thus far lost, since the 2Gth, €O,OOO prisoners and 1000 guns, of, which the (British have taken *25,000 prisoners and 400 jruns. The results of the success obtained largely depends on the weather. The number of German infantry divisions on tile West has now been reduced to IS7, in addition to five AustroHungarian. The continued disbanding of the German divisions and the substitution of women for men,in the lines of communication show the increasingly unfavorable man-power situation in Germany. The prisoners from Russia are to a great extent affected by Bolshevikism, and there are frequent cases of refusal to return, to the front Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assoa

FIGHTING IN TANGLED FOREST. AMERICANS' VALOR AND ENERGY. Received Oet. 4, 7.45 p.m. London, Oct. 3. Reuter's correspondent at American headquarters says that in the fighting on a ten-miles front, in the tangled forest of Argonne, the Americans were obliged to dispense with motors and horses and use man-power to drag artillery and supplies when smashing the wire defences. Tho men frequently exposed themselves in order to locate the ma-chine-guns, The whole advance shows the greatest valor and energy.—Reuter. THE FLANDERS OFFENSIVE. . ENEMY'S STIFF, RESISTANCE. Received Oct. 4, 7.45 p.m. London, Oct. 3. A Belgian communique issued at six o'clock this morning states: Notwithstanding (the enemy's stiff resistance, the Belgian army improved its positions by local thrusts at different points. General Plumer's army, after severe fighting, made an important advance in the direction of Menin by capturing Goluwe, north of and close to Armentieres. General Plumer also captured Bizet and the Heneque farm, north of Houplines. British aviators destroyed nine aeroplanes and two balloons.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Reuter. ORGANISED POSITIONS. . BEING EVACUATED BY ENEMY. Received Oct. 4, 7.45 p.m. London, Oct. 3, 12.10 a.m. Sir Douglas Haig reports: The progress of the Allied offensives in Flanders and before Cambrai and St. Quentin, combined with the enemy's heavy losses in endeavoring to resist our successful attacks, has compelled the enemy to undertake an extensive withdrawal of his line from Lens to Armentieres, The enemy is evacuating the highly organised positions which he has held since the commencement of trench warfare, and ■liitherto defended with the utmost resolution. This movement, which was expected, is being closely -followed up by our troops, who are maintaining touclx with the enemy rearguards and inflicting many casualties, and taking prisoners on the front of the retirement.

We have already reached the general line Cite St. Auguste, Douvrin, east of La Bassee, east of Aubers, west of Bois Grenier, and our advance continues. Last evening we repulsed an attack northward of Cambrai. We renewed attacks northward of St. Quentin this morning.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Reuter.

ST. QUF.NTIN IN FLAMES. PILES OF EQUIPMENT TAKEN. Received Oct. 4, 7.45 p.m. London, Oct. 3. The Morning Post's correspondent Btates that the. loss of the St, Thierry massif and fort definitely frees Rheims from the risk of German aggression. The news from St. Quentin shows that whole quarters of the town are in flames, and that explosions arc frequent. Mr. Percival Phillips states that the platforms in the underground tunnel were piled with every conceivable kind of equipment, including numberless rifles, boxes, bombs, steel hats, body plates, medical stores, timber and entrenching tools.—Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assoc. FRENCH CONTINUE ADVANCE. VIOLENT COUNTER-ATTACKS THROWN BACK. Received Oct. 4, 7.30 p.m. London, Oct. 30, 4.50 p.m. A French communique states: North of the Vesle we are continuing the advance. We captured Loivre, in the region of Neuvillette. A violent German counter-attaelc was resultless. In the, Champagne fights continued last evening. We captured Challerange. The Germans made powerful efforts to throw us out of the woods south-east of | Offeuil, where we penetrated thrice. Their assaults were shattered. We maintained all our gains, and inflicted heavy losses. Our attack was resumed at daybreak this morning. During September the Allies in France and Belgium took 2844 officers, 120,192 men, ICOO guns, and over 10,000 machine guns. ■ The Allies, from July 15 to September 30 have taken 5518 officers, 248,494 men, 3669 guns, over 33,000 machine guns, and several hundred mine throwers.—Australian and N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Reuter. GERMAN OFFICIAL REPORT. RETREAT ADMITTED. Received Oct. 4, 7.45 p.m. London, Oct., 3. Wireless German official: We evacuated Armentieres and Lens, without fighting, on the night of October 1, and occupied positions eastward. Strong attacks against our new lines northward and southward of St. Quentin failed. French local penetrations in the Champagne southward of Orfeuil were reduced by counter-thrusts.—Aiuf. N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Reuter.