WESTERN FRONT.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 October 1918, Page 6

WESTERN FRONT.

GERMAN ARMIES IMPERILLED. POSITION FULL OF POSSIBILITIES London, Oct. 11. Mr Ferris writes that it is too soon to say that the German retreat at the south is genera!, but there are indications that the Anglo-French victories at Cambrai and in the Champagne are now bearing fruit. On the other hand it would be rash to expect a debacle, but nine German armies are imperilled. London, Oct. 11. A report from British Headquarters on the evening of October 10 says the ei.'cmy retirement wa9 so hurried that even civilians were not removed from the captured villages. The tendency of our progTesß lis parallel with the Le Cateau road. Thus we elongate our salient eastwards without corresponding extension northwards. I believe this is strategically deliberate, and should be considered in conjunction with the situation around Lille. We are apparently avoiding a pitched battle at Lille, which would give the Germans an excuse to wantonly devastate the great manufacturing district of Flanders. The sodden ground is restricting movements, but t'he enemy is in such an uncomfortable plight in the clay plains that they will probably not attempt to remain in t"heir present positions long.

CORRESPONDENT'S DESCRIPTION

OF FIGHT FOR LE OATEAU. London, Oct. 11. Mr Percival Phillips writes: —The 66th Division, including the Connaughts, Dublins, Inniskillens, Manchesters ana Lancashire Fusiliers were prominent in Thursday's advance. The enemy was astounded by the attack. One battalion commander says he heard that peace was to be signed on Thursday nigfat. The troops had been told an armistice was certain, a3 Germany's offer covered all demands. The 66th made a wonderful journey towards Le Cateau. A great wave of enthusiasm carried them forward though they were footsore and dazed from want of sleep. The only resistance was from dispirited German rearguards. The British swept over the hills with such force that flvo German divisions simply fled, abandoning tflieir guns. The Connaughts captured three Bin howitzers near Serain. The Germans tried to recapture the guns. The inhabitants hiding in the Serain cellars heard them* rushing ma-chine-guns forward, the officers cursing and urging haste. The Connaugta fell back a while, then came again, irresistibly driving the enemy in disorder. British cavalry pushing forward reached the outskirts of Lc Cateau, where they met strong machine-gun opposition. They did not attempt to enter the town. The 66th, astride the main road, readied the outlying buildings on Thursday morning. The German Second Army seemed to be standing on high ground east of Le Cateau. Heavy enemy artillery lire was directed, apparently in the hope to prevent us entering. It came as a shock to see the villagers going about their daily tasks, women washing clothes, and children playing with dogs. The villagers seemed content to remain, tfbough the fields nearby were dotted with dead and littered with battle wreckage. One of the foulest German deeds v:as the deliberate destruction of the lacemaking and embroidery machinery, whereby the villagers lived. The vilagers state that some British prisoner? who escaped after the German advance in'Mardh and hid in the villages were shot when found. A villager in Selvigny saw a group forced to dig a shallow grave and made to kneel on the edge thereof, when all. were shot.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

ENEMY'S REAR DEFENCES TURNED. GERMAN. RAILWAYS BOMBED. London, Oct. 11. The British success on October 8 lies in the fact that it has completely broken the last line of t'he Hindenburg system, constituting the main pivot of the cnemy's whole defensive between the Meuse and the sea. It f lso turns the enemy's rear lines of defence, constructed between the Oise and the Argonne. When the enemy is driven from his present position in the Champagne and the Aisne t'here will be no line of defence where he can reorganise and rest his troops. How far-reaching the results will be depend on the weather and the enemy's morale. His troops are greatly exhausted and the enemy's situation is most dangerous.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. London, Oct. 12. The Press Bureau reports: The Independent Air Force on the night of the heavily attacked' the railways at Mezieres, Metz-Sablon, Thionville and aerodromes at Frescaty and Morhange. Good results were observed at Mezieres Five direct hits were seen at the MetzSablon railway, and a fire was caused by two direct hits at Thionville railway. Four hits were made on the Karlsruhe works. A total of 12J tons of bombs were dropped. We again heavily attacked MetzSablon to-day, making five direct hits. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

" EAST OF CAMERA! ' GREAT BATTLE IN PROGRESS: New York, Oct. 11. There is a gfeat battle on a 30-mile front east of Cambrai. There is little enemy resistance. The Allies have entered Grand Pre (in tfiie Argonne). The Germans are evacuating t>e Chemin-des-Dames region and have also begfin the evacuation of the St. GoDain : Forest.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. London, Oct. 11. An American communique states:' On the right bank of the Meuse the French, fighting with the Ist American Army, continued to advance, and valiantly withstood counter-attacks. The heights east- of Sivry have been cleared of the enemy. . .. , On the left of the Meuse we stormed Cote Dame Marie, after severe fighting. Further westward the enemy has been driven from the Argonne Forest, and we reached the line ■Sommerance-Marcq-CheVieres, and opposite Grand Pre. We took 1000 prisoners, including two comCable

FURTHER FRENCH GAINS. .., THE ENEMY HUSTLED. AVIATORS BOMB MASSED TROOPS,. Loudon, Oct. 11. A French communique reports: East of St. Quentin our troops maintained contact and continued to pursue t'he enemy, whose rearguards arc resisting severely. We advanced .six kilometres at certain points, and carried our lines to the cast of Boncourt, the outskirts of Bernoville, east of Montigny-en-Arrou-aise and Bernot. We occupied numerous villages, including Fieulaine, Neuvillette, Regny, Chatillon-sur-Oise, and Tlicnelles South of the Oise we captured Servais and took prisoners. Between the Aiiette and the Aisne the pressure of our troops, assisted by Italian units operating on both sides of the Chfiinin-des-Dames. forced the Germans to retire beyond the Oise Canal. Notwithstanding violent machine-gunning, we captured Beaulne, Chivy, Verneuil, Courtonne, Bourg and Cetnin. Simultaneously, crossing the Aisne east of Oeullv, we drove back the enemy northwards and occupied Pergnan and Beaurieuv. Farther east we attacked strongly north of Berry-ail-Bac and gained ground, taking prisoners. Li the Champagne the enemy, exhausted by the incessant severe fighting since September 20, on the front of the 4th Army began this morning to retreat in the direction of the Aisne. Our infantry is hustling the rearguards, who are attempting to arrest their advance. We passed the villages of Liry, Monthois and Challerange, and reached the outskirts of Mont St. Martin and St. Morel.

Further on the right, we crossed t'lie Aisne opposite Termes, which we hold. We occupied the station at Grandpre, where numerous prisoners wero taken. Despite fog on the 9th, observing aeroplanes made numerous reconnaissances far in the enemy territory. Great concentrations of troops were reported and were attacked by massed squadrons of aeroplanes, who dropped 33 tons of bombs and fired thousands of cartridges, with successful results, on the troops and convoys. During these operations 21 enemy machines wero brought down. The fog was denser at night, when only tons were dropped on various stations. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. THE DAMAGE AT CAMBRAT. GRATITUDE OP THE PEOPLE. HUN VANDALISM. London, Oct. 11. Mr "Philip Gibbs writes:. —Earlier reports of the explosions and damage at Cambrai prove to have been exaggerated. The fresh damageMs not extensive. The British have now taken for the first time undestroyed villages after traversing a forty-milo belt in which not a house remains intact. Beyond Villers-Outreaux we found cleancountry, ploughed fields, and smooth roads, with the inhabitants still in their shops. They try to give utterance to their inexpressible gratitude for deliverance. We found live hundred civilians in Sevigny, though all the males between sixteen and sixty had been deported. They told us how the Germans stole everthing valuable from the farms and houses, even curtains and linen, killed the fowls or fined the owners if the fowls did not produce enough eggs. The Germans requisitioned milk, butter and- vegetables and even took lard and fats from the International Relief Committee's stores. The Germans ordered them to flee at the British approach, but the people took refuge in their cellars while the Germans looted the houses and smashed the furniture. A priest at Sevigny states that he saw bombs affixed to his church on Tuesday, but he crept out at night and cut t'lie wires, and the church was saved.—Aus,N.Z. Cable Assn.

RAPID BRITISH PROGRESS. MORE CAPTURES MADE. • London, Oct. 11. Sir Douglas Raig reports: We resumed the advance at dawn on the whole battlefront and sfre rapidly progressing at all points, despite the efforts of the enemy's rearguards to hold us up. We are approaching the large wood eastward of Bohain, and have entered VauxAudign. Northward of that place we reached the general line of the Selle River, from St. Souplet to ' the neighborhood of Solesmes. We captured Le Chateau. Westwards of Solesmes we captured Avesnes, Rieux and Thun-St. Martin. Westward of the Canal de l'Escaut we have taken Etrun. In the towns and villages captured to-day a number of civilians were found, including 2500 in Caudry. South-eastwards of Lens we made further progress, and captured Rouvro. Sir Douglas Haig's aviation report states: Low-fliers, with bombs and ma-chine-gun fire, caused destruction and confusion in the columns of tlie retreating enemy. We bombed railway junctions at Mons, Valenciennes and Lille, securing direct hits. Nine British machines are missng. Night flying was impossible.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. New York, Oct, 11.

ARGONNE FOREST AREA CONQUERED According to a United Press message from London the Germans are retiring from north of the Scarpe to Bertricourt, the Italians have captured Troyon, south of Laon, and the French are menacing Guise. The Allies have completed t'lie conquest of the Argonno forest area.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.