BULGE BEHIND HINDENBURG LINE GROWING.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 207, 30 August 1918, Page 5

BULGE BEHIND HINDENBURG LINE GROWING.

r MANY SYMPTOMS OF ENEMY'S DEMORALISATION. BATTALIONS AND COMPANIES MIXED CHAOTICALLY. (Received !l a.m.) LONDON, August 29. Mr. Percival Phillips writes:—Though the Herman High Command must lie anxious over the fall of Rove, the Australian advance on Peronne, and the peril of Bapaume, the position before Arras must claim attention before all else, because the bulge above and behind Hindenburg's line grows hourly deeper, (ieneral Home's army" has pushed through the greater part of the defence which the enemy believed practically impregnable. Our infantry and guns occupy .territory untouched by the ISritis.li ninci> the enemy invaded France. At, comparatively speaking, the cost of a few men, the Germans yielded with great readiness, and his counter-attacks were soon broken. The fate of Bapaume anil Pcronnc matter* little by comparison. Meanwhile our extreinii right is passive, if the Australians can be passive in any circumstances. The outstanding feature of the First Army's advance was tlv symptoms of the enemy's demoralisation. Undoubtedly confusion exists ami the prisoners are suffering badly from nerves. The infantry accuses their gunners of criminal inaccuracy, and the oflieer* blame the higher command tor ordering impossible counter-attacks:. Cases arc recorded of the enemy bolting, for example, at Vis-en-Artois, from Canadian*, ami at Bnllecourt from the Londoners, but enemy. machine-gunners are lighting well. .Mr. Philip <;ibbs, giving an instance of the confusion ni the (iernian troops. says that odd battalions and companies are mixed chaotically, but are goaded forward and told they must light. In one stretch of three mibs near Montauban there were sixteen battalions hopelessly mixed, drawn from live shattered divisions. Two storm divisions at Mory and Cherisy were reduced to ri."i per company. One battalion a! Si. Loger found itself abandoned by itneighbours, and was surrounded and captured en masse. The commander cursed the Higher Command, which sent a decimated regiment into buttle. The Higher Command, in or.ler to encourage them, previously imiipil an order declaring, "We defeated four Hriti>h divisions and they know it." The Higher Command sent four divisions against Moyenneville anil Ablaingcvillv, but despite the encouraging order, many were non-starters. Those who started were caught by artillery and slaughtered; it was terrible: few came to close quarters. Two new divisions -oiintcrattackerl the Canadians at Moncliy and again there were many lion-etartcrs. Only a lew resolute groups persevered, yet they only covered -100 yards before I hey were wiped out. Another division was ordered forward ,und a number of brave men did their best, but the disorganised division drifted back. Apart from the gallant machine-gunners the flerman infantry, for a time at any rale, lias lost it* spirits. They have bad enough of rearguard lighting. The rot lias set in which will lead to disaster unless the Cerman army can be rallied an»l refreshed. Our men will not give them rest. We ourselves were not in a good state to march, but w<. had reserves. The (lermans at present have no such reserves, but we can ex|«'el a cheek at the Drocourt-Quennt line, which is strong, and will be defended by every available man.—(A. and N.Z.I