TWO MORE VILLAGES NEAR ARRAS CAPTURED

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 89, 14 April 1917, Page 5

TWO MORE VILLAGES NEAR ARRAS CAPTURED

ARTILLERY SHOWS WONDERFUL SKILL IN NEW CONDITIONS LONDON, April 13. Sir Douglas Haig reports:—'South of the Arras-Cambrai Road this afternoon we stormed the villages of Heninel and Wancourt, five miles south-east of Arras, with the adjoining defences. We crossed the Cojeul River and occupied the heighte on the eastern bank. "Further progress was made during the day north of the Scarpc and east of Vimy Ridge "Our gains reported this morning north of Vimy Ridge were secured, and our positions strengthened. "North-east of Epehy, twelve miles south-west of Cambrai, on the Cambrai-St. Quentin front, last night a large enemy detachment came under effective fire of our infantry and suffered heavy casualties. "In spite of the exceedingly bad weather the aerial squadrons of both sides were active. Our aeroplanes seized every opportunity to harrass hostile troops by machine-gun fire. We brought down 15 enemy machines. Six of ours are missing." Correspondents at Britisli headquarters state that snow and rain storms continue, and the velocity of the wind is sometimes 60 miles an hour, but the infantry is eager and enthusiastic in continuing the attack. The artillery is showing wonderful skill in the new conditions of field warfare, which are very different from shooting at fixed targets, the range of which is accurately known. The momentary pause in the advance is due to the fact that the infantry has reached the limits of the area of devastation caused by the smaller guns, and Sir Douglas Haig must have time to move up his artillery. The enemy still holds the fortified villages of Givenchy-en-Gohelle and Petit Vimy, which stop progress towards Lens. The Germans have prepared a second line running north and south of Queant, supplementing the Hindenburg line. The correspondent of the London "Times" says:—"Our line now runs below Givenchy in a south-easterly direction, 500 yds south of Vimy village, thence south-easterly and east of Fampoux, Monchy, Guemappe, and Heninel, where it strikes the Hindenburg line south-east of St. Quentin. — (A. and N.Z.) Sir Douglas Haig reports that during the fighting on Monday and Tuesday the British took prisoners from all the infantry regiments of six German divisions. The number of prisoners in each of these divisions exceeds 1,000 —(A. and N.Z. and Reuter.) A German official report states:—"We repulsed attacks at Vimy and Fampoux. We have lost Monchy after frequent assaults. British attacks, including cavalry and armoured cars, north of Monchy, broke down. The enemy is again heavily bombarding St. Quentin. "The artillery battle is increasing in Western Champagne. We bombed camps and munition depots in the Vesle and the Suippes Valleys. The enemy has lost 24 aeroplanes."—(Admiralty per Wireless Press.) Describing the British offensive, Mr. Beach Thomas says the enemy was bringing up 17in howitzers to complete the ruin of Arras. The city was laved by a margin of a week.—(United Service.) Tfco Rotterdam correspondent of the "Daily Telegraph" states that General yon Hindenburg was alarmed by the threat to his much-vaunted line. He hastened to the Western front, and stayed two days. He attributr>i the disaster to the divisional generals, and Refuses to admit that he. underestimated the prowess of the British forces.