GERMAN STORY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 128, 30 May 1918, Page 2

GERMAN STORY.

— I BRITISH TAKEN BY SURPRISE.! PROGRESS ACROSS THE AISNE. I tROTJND UNTOUCHED SINCE I 193 4. t Received 2.20 p.m.) LONDON May 29. | A German communique states: On | morning we penetrated the j French lines between Voormezeele and i Loere. The Crown r*rinee"s attack southward I of Laon was completely successful, de- I leading French and English divisions. Yon Boehm's army stormed and captured the Chemin dcs Dames, whose long ridge, which we evacuated for strategic pur- I poses last autumn, is again in our hands. Our infantry, after tremendous artillery preparations, crossed the Ailette between I Vaiixaillon and Craonne. and penetrated | Mie English lines further east between L'orbeny and the Aisne. The occupants ! 5i the trenches were completely surprised and generally offered slight resistance.! Jit the early hours of the morning we | stormed Pinon. Oha"vignoii. Fort Malmai- j son. Courtecon, Cernv. Winterberg, l Craonne. Villerberg and fortified works] near and northward of Berry-au-Bae. | Towards afternoon, by steady fighting, we : reached the Aisne, between Vailly and I i?erry-au-Bac, capturing- Vailly. The attack continued in the* afternoon.' We are on the heights between Vauxail- : and Vailly. Near XcuvUle and Laffaox, and northward of Conde, we 1 crossed the Aisne. carrying the battle into the area untouched since 1914. We drove the enemy from the fortified wooded heights on the soutii bank of the river, and we have reached the heights northward of Vesle. General yon Bulow threw the enemy out of strong positions between Sapigneul and Brimont back icross the Aisne and Mame Canal, and stormed Cormiey. Cauroy. and Loivre, on ihe west bank of the canal. L T p to the present we have taken prisoner 25,000. Fighting activity has revived between the Meuse and the Moselle and Lorraine.— i (Admiralty per Wireless.) A later official message says: In continuation of our attack across the Aisne j w t extended our successes, and are now fighting for the Vesle sector, between! Soissons and westward of Rheims. We, captured the south bank on both sides of Hsmes.—(Admiralty, per wireless.) j