FEVERISH GERMAN INTEREST IN OFFENSIVE.

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

FEVERISH GERMAN INTEREST IN OFFENSIVE.

(Received 11.20 a.m.) COPENHAGEN, March 22. The "Tagische Rundschau" states: —"The German people will follow the offensive with feverish interest. We have now entered upon, a battle for decisive peace in single combat between England and Germany to decide our future position in the world, and whether Anglo-Saxons shall, continue to press their will upon the world."—(A. and N.Z. Cable.) The statement that the enemy offensive has completely failed is not an official message, but is a condensation of the latest reports from our front rushed through with the greatest possible dispatch all along the route. Thus though the message was received earlier .than some of the accounts of the fighting of the first day and night, it post-dates those messages in front of London time, and thus sums up the position as it stood some hours after the other messages published to-day. Of course, such a briefly worded summary must not be read too literally—it does not mean that the Germans- have achieved nothing by their attack. They have certainly gained some ground at various points along the line, but, taken in conjunction with Sir Douglas Haig's statement, that they attained none of their objectives, and the further statement that the attack was not renewed on the second morning, clearly indicates that the first stage of the attack, as the cable says, failed completely. Further indication of the enemy's failure is contained in the capture of by British infantry and tanks. That village was in our hands before the°attack was launched, it was presumably lightly garrisoned, and given up when the outposts retired to the battle line. Its subsequent recapture shows chat the British must have at that point, at all events, taken the buffet and cushioned the shock so effectually that they have been able to return to the attack. Doignies stands three miles to the south-eastward of Lagnicourt, and a little to the eastward of Beaumetz Wood. Bullecourt, another point at which heavy fighting occurred, is one of the most well-remembered villages on the line, for it was there that the Australians performed such prodigies of valour a' year ago, when they captured one of the strongest field fortifications ever pianned, drove a salient* into the enemy's line, and held on amid a tornado of fire for weeks, taking enormous toll of the enemy with rifle and "bomb. Norquil another point of attack,- lies midway between Bullecourt and Lagnicourt and within two miles of the hinge of the Hindenburg line at Queant, where the Siegfried and Wotan sections of that line join. _ Initial failure of the German attack does not imply that the offensive is over Their attempts to smash the line will doubtless be multiplied, with incr-asin-r forces, and if possible greater gun power. They may be expected to attack again and again, unless they learned the real lesson of Verdon—and there has since been little indication in their strategy that they have. In any event the British can look forward with confidence to the strongest efforts of the enemy.