THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 71, 23 March 1918, Page 5

THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE

ENEMY'S HUGE LOSSES

MOWN DOWN IN iASSED ATTACKS

Latest reports indicate the complete failure of the German offensive. Of course, further heavy fighting: is to be expected, but the first rush, which was designed to drive back the defence along a wide front and to a considerable depth, thus providing the attacking force with a new jumping-off ground for the continuation of his offensive, has signally failed to achieve its object. The British line, on a forty-five mile front, from the Kiver Sensee to the Oise, was heavily bombarded with gas shells and high explosives, from guns of all calibres. Following this barrage came smoke clouds, under which the Germans left their trenches in a tremendous assault upon our line. That assault was anticipated, its exact location being rightly gauged, and our outposts, according to plan, withdrew upon the real battlefront. Here the enemy was, generally speaking, held up, though in a few places, by weight of numbers, he penetrated the line and pushed our troops back upon the reserve positions. But at no point was there a semblance of a break through, at no point was the intended objective reached, and the enemy was unable to continue the attack next morning — three factors which, taken together, justify the assertion that the attack was a complete failure. The enemy's losses were enormous. He attacked in the old massed formation, and our rifles, machine guns and artillery had targets which they have not had since the retreat from Mons, and.this time there was no shortage of guns and munitions, as was the case in September, 1914. Along the French front the enemy maintained a violent bombardment, and made a number of local attacks, mainly to hold the French in their positions and prevent the release of men for the threatened English line. None of the attacks succeeded, and the French battle line remains in its old position.