WESTERN FRONT.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 October 1918, Page 6

WESTERN FRONT.

FRENCH OPERATIONS. GERMANS DECISIVELY BEATEN. -■ CHAMPAGNE DEFENCES JLXDANGERED. London, Oct. 28. SSTBf rris. writing from French lieadqnaxtaE,, says: Generals Debeney, Mangin, and Guillaumat decisively beat the Germans, though the enemy employed considerable numbers of effectives and the German positions were covered by tfiie Oise and the Serre. General Mangin has broken across the northern end of the marshes, capturing Vesica et Caumont and Pierrepont, while the sth Army attacked 12 miles of the Bunding line and has broken it to a depth of three miles, capturing St. Quentin-le-Petit. Despite five successive wire fields, five ranges of trenches with machine-gun posts and anti-tank minefields, too whole of the German defences in northern Champagne are endangered. Over 5000 prisoners were taken, though this is but the beginning of a great victory.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. A FIVE MILES ADVANCE. SUCCESSES NEAR GUISE. London, Oct. 28. A' French communique states: The enemy, pursued by onr advance guards, continued his retreat between the Oise and the Serre on a front exceeding 25 kilometres (18 miles). Our advance to-day exceeded eight kilometres (five miles) at certain points. We carried Boheries, Proix, and Maquigny, and pushed on to tfh© outskirts of Guise. Further south we approached the Guise-MaTlo road on the general line Pertaignemont Wood, Landifay, Bertaignemont, and west of Faucouzy, Monceau-le-Ncuf, and Montigny-sur-Crecy. We captured numerous prisoners and considerable material. The prisoners captured by the Ist Army since October number 3700, and the booty for the same period includes 20 guns and several hundreds of machine-guns. The 10th Army, co-operating with the j Ist Array on the Serre front, is vigori ouily pushing the enemy northwards. Wo occupied Crecy-sur-Serre. The fighting during the last two days | has obliged the enemy to abandon part ; of the Hunding position between Herpy and Recouvrancc. We are following on the heels of .t'he enemy, SEVERAL CAPTURES MADE. - AMERICANS ADVANCE. WHOLE OF BELLEN WOOD TAKEN. I * 1 {Received Oct. 29, 5.5 p.m. London, Oct. 2S, 5.55 p.m. A French communique reports: Between the Oise and the Serre, keeping close contact with enemy rearguards, we continued our progress during the night and occupied La Motte farm. West of Guise we reached the western approaches of Liberie and Lavieville, passed Moneeau-le-Neuf, and reached the western outskirts of Targny les Bois. On the Serre front we carried Hill 123, nort'li of Crecy. Farther east we obtained a footing in enemy trenches north of Froidmont and Cohartille, east of Rethel. American units, by a brilliant local operation, advanced a kilometre in the region of Forest Farm, east of Attigny. An American communique reports that Bclleu Wood is entirely in our 'hands.— Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Reuter. REJOICINGS AT BRUGES. ' OVER ROYAL yiSIT. ! CAPTAIN FRYATT'S MURDER. iaMfcteciik' I—* 1 —* n London, Ocf. 28. Mr. Gibbs gives a vivid account of the state entry of the King and Queen of Belgium into Bruges. Every soul in the city was in the streets. The windows and balconies, of every house were beflagged. After a review of tlhe troops King Albert went to the Governor's house. The emotion of the populace broke all bounds. Ten thousand surged round the tall figure who stood at the salute. The populace say: "The Germans were never told when a submarine was sunk, but we knew the commanders' names, also the dates of the trips. When a fortnight or a month had passed and the men had not returned we knew that the British navy had sunk them." The murder of Captain Fryatt stirred the people of Bruges to a cold fury. Admiral Schroeder hurried on the execution secretly in order that there should be no opportunity for a reprieve.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. TV 1 '"I \ f f .-ERITISH SUCCESSES.' t iHT" —London, Oct. 28. Sir Douglarf Haig reports: A determined counter-attack made on October 27 on Famcra was repulsed after street fighting in wthich many of the enemy were killed. We slightly improved our positionqs on the borders of the Mormal Forest and northward of Raismes Forest. £O,OOO PRISONERS TAKEN, 11 — — ' Washington, Oct. 28. The Americans have finally captured Belleu Wood. General Pershing reports that in the first month of t/he present battle the Americans captured "20,000 prisoners and 150 guns.—Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. . RUMORED EVACUATION OF GHENT. Amsterdam, Oct. 28. PrieonflfiOTd reports from the frontier

THE CHANNEL PORTS FIASCO.

' ' New York, Oct. 20. Mr. Grigg, on the British front, says: The colossal nature of the- preparations the Germans made on the west Flanders front for the intended base for operations last summer against the Channel ports held by t'iie Allies can now be estimated since the enemy has withdrawn. The Germans had stored 1500 tons of ammunition and many thousands of tons of supplies in one corps area of the Lys salient. These munitions, valued at many millions of dollars, wore destroyed when the Germans were compelled to retreat. The enemy also constructed 108 miles of light railways in the Lys salient at a cost of more than a million dollars, and made 180 miles of new road beds, erected 18 new aerodromes, 17 new landing grounds/ and established 70 new hospital units. —Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. WASTAGE OF GERMAN FORCES. London, Oct. 28. The correspondent of the Morning Post oil the French front states that the enemy on March 21 had 2,800,000 bayonets, of whom we have captured 400,000 and killed or seriously wounded 800,000, so that the Germans have now only 1,600,000 compared with 2,000,000 Allied bayonets on tlhe west front, to which America is adding 250,000 monthly.— Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc.