THE WAR.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 October 1918, Page 6

THE WAR.

WESTERN FRONT. THE FLANDERS ADVANCE. £4Pffi BEYELOPjkifiNTS, ' New York, Oct. 18. Bruges has been evacuated. Zeebnigge and Tourcoing Jiave been captiu ed Ah extensive German retire-' "lent■ lias, begun in the region of Laon and Cambrai. There are great tires iaround Zeebnigge and Bruges. The Germans are flooding the country. The United Press Paris correspondent learns that the Allies have captured Roubaii. London, Oct. 18. A Belgian communique reports: The attacks carried out by the French and Belgians since October 14 have completely succeeded. On the whole front in Flanders the beaten enemy continues to retreat, closely followed by the Allied troops. _ On. the left the Belgians crossed the Yser in pursuit of the enemy, and our mfantry entered Ostend in the afternoon.

Further east we reached the line Oudenburg - Zedelghem - Ruddervoorde. Belgian cavalry, hustling the enemy rearguards, reached the outsqirts of Bruges. In the centre tlie French advanced considerably beyond Swevezelle and Pitthem, carried Wyngene and reached the outskirts of Thielt.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. and Reuter.

Southwards the Belgians have reached the junction of the Mandel Canal and the Lys and skirt the river to Harbeleke.

Indescribable enthusiasm prevails among the civilians in the recaptured territory.

London, Oct. 18. Sir Douglas Haig reports: The German retreat began on Wednesday, under pressure of the armies commanded by tho King of the Belgians, and continued on the whole front between the North Sea and the Lys. By evening the advance had reached a depth of 20 kilometres (12i miles) on a front of 50 kilometres (31 miles). The Belgians entered Ostend, and their cavalry are at the gates of Bruges. The Belgian cavalry occupied Ingelmunster. The French captured Pitthem, Gulebeke and Wynghene.

Further south the British 2nd Army occupied the line of the Lys northward of Courtrai. Southwards of that town the British crossed the river and reached the outskirts of Tourcoing.

THE CAPTURE OF LILLE.

LIBERATORS FRANTICALLY WELCOMED.

London, Oct. 18. Sir Douglas Haig reports: In the morning the British and Americans attacked on a nine mile front north-east-ward of Bohain, and met with strong opposition on the whole front. There was heavy fighting all day. On the right the British, attacking in close co-operation with the French northward of the Oise, advanced two miles in depth across the high wooded ground eastward of Bohain, and captured Andigny-les-Fernes. Further north we carried the line of the Selle River on the whole front. Southward of Lc C'atcau we made progress on the high ground eastwaru of the river, capturing Le Vallee Mulatre and l'Arbe dc Guise. On the left flank of the attack we cleared the eastern portion and established ourselves on fclic line of railway beyond the town. The enemy held these positions in force, seven German divisions being on the front of attack, and he delivered ft number of determined counter-attacks, all of which were repulsed with heavy losses to the enemy. We took 3000 prisoners in these operations. Threatened by the continned Allied progress southward of the Sensee and northward of the Lys, the enemy is hastening to retreat from the Douai-Lille salient. We entered Douai, having broken the enemy's resistance on the line of the Haute Deule Canal.

The troop 3 of the sth Army, under Sir William Bird wood, having pressed back the enemy's rearguards with gTeat activity for many weeks, to-day encircled and captured Lille.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. and Reuter.

A LANDSLIDE.

GERMANS RETREATING IK FRANCE AND BELGIUM.

London, Oct. 18. Mr Philip Oibbs writes: The enemy has abandoned Lille and Turcoing. We have captured Lombaertzyde and Ostend. From one end of the line to the other the German armies are retreating in France and Belgium. It is a landslide of all their ambitions and military power. To-day I watched scenes of history of which many people have been dreaming for years until sick with hope deferred. I saw Franco-Belgian cavalry riding into the litjerated townte jancJ cheered by the people, who had been prisoners in their own homes for dreary years. Their joy was wonderful to see. Our airmen received the first news of the enemy's flight at Lille. They noticed the citizens frantically waving their 'handkerchiefs. The airmen guessed they had joyful news. A civilian came to our lines and said: "You can go in; the enemy departed in the night." Our patrols flew across without encountering opposition. The regaining of Lille was the most wonderful occurrence since the combined Allied offensive began.- Lille is the prize of many victories. As a result of the soldiers' heroism and Marshal Foch's strategy the horrors of war are lifting. The enemy's iron ramparts are yielding at last. Our pursuit has not yet become a dashing charge, but almost every hour in liberated villages there flies" the Belgian flag which has been hidden in the cellars for years; against this day. The Belgians emerged j .from the cellars at Roulers, ran to welcome the French troops entering, and. embraced them. The Mayor rußhed forward and" cried: "Be careful, the towm is mined." French engineers discovered-" big charges of dynamite at crossroads and under the floors of churches. JSeraaiu looted the last fragment tmPm frw m fe™*, mo

stripped off the panelling and removed doors and window-panes, leaving nothing but the shell of the town. Between thirty-five and forty thousand civilians remained in Courtrai. The Germans forced able-bodied men to depart. Others refused, knowing that the English were approaciug the town. Our inacnmegunners cling in ditches and trenches, and hold their fire while women with perambulators pass, also old women hobbling with children at their skirts.— Aus.-N.Z Cable Assn.

THE ADVANCE AT GRAND PRE.

ADDITIONAL PRISONERS-TAKEN. London, Oct. IS. A French communique says: The French, co-operating with the British and Belgians, captured Pitthem, Moulelieke and Wynghome, despite vigorous resistance. The French in the region of the Oise sharply attacked all day between Andigny Forest and the river, and captured Petit Verly, Mareliavenne and Mont Dorign, taking 1200 prisoners. The enemy furiously counter-attack-ed west of Grand Pre, where we advanced north of Oligny. London, Oct. 18. American official: We passed beyond Grand Pre, taking an additional thousand prisoners.

THE NEW ZEALANDERS.

ADVANCE EAST OF CAMERA! SOME HARD FIGHTING. (Special from the Official New Zealand War Correspondent.) By Cable, Oct. 8. An unusual quiet reigned on our front last night. At intervals a Boche shell whistled drearily overhead and crashed in an adjacent village. The night was cold an wet. With the first- glimmer o." tile dawn in the leaden east, the whole scene changed, and the front for miles became sudenly ablaze withd Hashing guns, while the rumfire of the barragu rolled across the valleys and hills, It was 4.30 when the New Zealanders moved forward beyond the St. Quentin' Canal to the attack ou Lesdain and Esnes, two villages beyond Crevecoeur, which had already fallen to them. The Otago and Canterbury troops were 011 the right, the Rifles on the left. Early in the advance the opposition, mostly from machtne-gun and rille-lire, was met in front of Lesdain, at the beet-crushing factory, and from the village itself; but this was soon overcome, and our troops were killing the Boehes in the street on either side. Several prisoners were taken here. Pressing on with their usual determination, our men crossed a tramway and aJiead of it met with more opposition in a sunkenroad. where there were several deep German dug-outs. As the morning wore t.n the weather improved, and the battlefield presented a most wonderful sight. Along the crest of the ridge ahead the Stokes shells mingling with the darker bursts of the high explosives rose in columns straight in the air, and at intervals the play of the sunlight on this smoking line was most picturesque. Our men could be seen about Seranvillers on the left and ahead of Lesdain making towards the lines.

An aeroplane signalled the oncoming of the enemy 011 our left; the artillery opened fire on them, and the attack faded awaj'_. Present';- we could see the black bursts of the Roche shells in ?eranvillers, indicating that it had fallen to the division on our left. Prisoners began to come down in droves, and the New Zealand cage was crowded with men and officers of the 38th. 201st, and Ist and sth Bavarian divisions. Non-coms., officers, and men admitted their defeat, and said that Germany was done. At 3.30 the explosions of a great German dump behind SeranvilUers added to the picturesqueness of the scene. In I.esdain some men of the Rifles had stiffish fighting, but the honors of the fight were entirely with them. They killed several and captured many, including a battalion commander. Our Lewis gunners shot from their hips, and there was a lot of rifle work. Two hundred and fifty prisoners were counted. At 9.30 our artillery put a barrage on Esnes. We watched the smoking town and saw our men, South Islanders, gm gallantly forward to the attack. After a time the sheling died down, and they had won their second objective. Some mines were discovered in Esnes.

A squadron of cavalry attached to U3 was now sent to Esnes and exploited the advance towards Catu'ry, a town of considerable size, which had quite recently housed French civilians. We could plainly discern its undamaged church aud houses and chimney stacks, and up the slope in front of it there were many retreating Germans. Between 9 and 10 there were signs of a counter-attack from the direction of Awoingt, on our left, with tanks, both German and old British ones converted; but the German infantry had not the courage to conic on, and two of their tanks were left in our :>ands. Men of the Rifle Brigade were now seen away beyond Seranvilllers and the South Ir-'anders were beyond Esnes. All s their objectives were taken in splendid style, and they were now exploiting still further ahead. During these operations our artillery got on to the enemy massing for a counter-attack and did some splendid shooting. They must have killed and wounded many Boc-hes. At a rough, estimate, our prisoners 7m,st be about : three times our casualizes. We captured several guns- T -w our own ar--1 tillerv teams bringing' in three high-velocity'seventy-sevens 1 field guns), and ! there were several others. T walked across the battlefield through Lesdain and into Esnes, and mvt myself many enemy dead, but few of '.ur own. The 'story' of the -battle could lie read as one 'walked along. Withdrawing the cloak '.from the face of one of our men near iLesdain. I found lie was a, greatlylesteemed ma-jor, who has been with us jfi'om the very start. STear him was a I lieutenant, who by a shell had met a painless death; and further on a Can'tcrbury corporal.- These had been killed jwhile advancing gallantly over quite ropen ground' in the attack There were a few privates dead Here and there. About. Lesdain there were many German dead. On a piece of flat and to'the left of Esnes Road, the enemy dead' ■were thickly strewn, all lolled by one: New Zealand platoon. But the grim-' west sight of all "was to a sunken' road beyond- Lesdain, wliere, lay a; dead New. Zeasmd private and'

ers whom lie was taking back, all killed by the one (German shell. As I left, two fires were burning in German territory, north of Caudry. One vvaa the biggest firo I have yet seen on the battlefield. October 9. It Ims been an extraordinary day. The headquarters of divisions and all the services are streaming forward into new territory, with villages from which tha French civilians as well as the enemy had hurriedly withdrawn. The New Zealand headquarters, which hncl been split in two for some days, has now moved well forward beyond the St. Quentiu Canal, and occupies houses in which there was a litter of rubbish and dug-outs still smelling of Boehe occupation We had weird meals at odd hours, and strange tilings happened- Advance dressing stations got ahead of the regimental aid posts, and the ammunition re-filling pomt waa almost at our lino- Tt was wonderful how the »m----muntion and supplies arrived. Well forward one saw Maori Pioneers eating raw carrots from garden, plots, and our infantry digging potatoes or cutting cabbages that either the German or the French farmers had sown. The day was fine, and our men. in high spirits, were thoroughly enjoying themselves. They were again in touch with the enemy, who did not seem in great force, and apparently was fighting a rearguard action in the villages. One had to be careful of booby-traps. Bits of wire pulled by the unwary might, explode a concealed shell or a mine- We were warned not to light a lire in any stove in case it would melt some connection that would fire a mine. Darkness still fell upon us looking for somewhere to sleep, and with a strange quiet, for there was no sound of gun nor bursting 'shell. Gradually, however, things straightened themselves out, and we dined at, an ultra-fashionable hour. Along the roads lay dead horses and dead Bodies that there had as yet not been time to bury. To-morrow we may move again. It ia all strangely interesting and good to be in the midst of such moving scenes.

Touch ivas obtained w'tli the retreating enemy by tlie New Zealanders this morning at Fontaine-au-Pere, where they were held lip by n'.achine-gun fire from the village. Some of the gunners were tiring from the clitsreh steeple. T went again through Ewpe to Gonghart, where I could see the Tlitle Brigade men on the left and the Otago troops on the right of the villlage. Our supports had dug themselves in in small oblong pits behind the forward rise, An enemy balloon was up, and the German guns were firing at our men on the left, but the fire was not. heavy, and the men were sheltered from anything but direct hits. From this vantage point there was a magnificent view of the country ahead We had come well east of Cambrai. which was still burning. Cudrv, to the right, was also smoking, hut the fields were green with Ip.te crojis. where the French civilians had but recently been cultivating. One had come at last into a pleasant land, where the villages were undestroyed, and the roads were good, except where the bridges were blown in. In the.houses there v.'ctc evidences of the hasty flight of the .French inhabitants. Women's and children's clothing, good crockery and glassware, and remnants' of food were littered about the rooms. In one house stood a sewing machine with a garment a woman had been making still in it. One wondered what had happened to the late occupants of these pleasant village homes. Now their belongings were strewn to the four winds of heaven. On my way back I saw one of the most comical sights of the war. A New Zealand ammunition column swung round the corner of a. village street in ft strange guise. The rVlers and men on the limbers had discarded their steel h°!mets and were wearine bell-toppers, bowler, and felt hats. They were the cynosure of all eyes, and the roads thor passed along became gay with the smiles of the long -lolumns of infantry moving forward.