THE WESTERN FRONT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 237, 4 October 1918, Page 4

THE WESTERN FRONT.

We are closing in elowly on Cambrai, hut the enemy ie resisting desperately, with a courage and determination that must be rpcognised. Cambrai is now of little nee. to him, and he has no doubt made up hie mind that he must lone it, but ho wants to delay its capture as long ac possible, co that he may prepare for an extensive withdrawal and leave us as little as possible of what is ieit of the autumn for campaigning in the open country beyond. Between Cambrai n.nd .St. Qnentin to have -won striking successes in the face of most formidable obstacles, bnt the enemy here w also resisting very strenuously, and on Wednesday pressed us back at one point. Yesterday, however, we renewed the attack, and -went forward on the eastern side of the Cambrai-6t, Quentin Canal to a point some niilee beyond that obstacle. While m have been fighting these fierce battles about Cambrai and soiith of it the French have entered and cleared St. Quentin, and to-day's news shows that they are driving forward south-eirat of the town, between it and La Fere. The lα* of St. Quentin, one of the strong points of their great defensive system, is a serious Mow to the Germans, and if this new drive is piifl-hed ranch further they will be levered away from La Fere, another pillar of their defence. They eeem to have made their principal concentration at Cambrai, because a break-throngh there would have had the most serious consequences, ibut our progress north and ecrath of St. QuMitin should soon compel them to fall bark towards the Belgian frontier. Much, of course, depends on the .weather, but it ie worth noting that last year major operations 'were conducted on this front as late as the beginning of December.

The latest development in the south is a German retirement on the front from Lens to Armentieres, giving us not only the last bit of the ground, we lost in the April offensive, tut territory held by the Germane since trench warfare began. The ruins of Lens have been given up, and by this time probably La Bassee, one of the strongest positions on fche iwhole. front, so prominent in the fighting in 1014 and 1915, is ours, and perhaps also the famous Aubers Ridge, the failure of our attack on which in 1915 brought home to the British Government and the people the need for a huge supply of high explosive shells. The retreat "was forced on the Germane not only by our frontal preseore.. but. by the alarming advance of the Belgians and the British Second Army east of Ypres. Already the Allies on that front are threatening to ontflank Lille and ite neighbouring towns, and how far the Germans will have to go bank to avoid envelopment is uncertain. They will cling to this group of industrial towns as long as possible, hut if they wish to make Lille one of the pillars of their next great line of defence—whiah normally ■would run from there to Valen|ciennes, Mezieres, and Verdun—they will have to bar our way in Belgium. But the iwhole situation from the sea to Lorraine is unstable, our operations at several points threatening the German line, and the next, few days may produce dramatic and spectacular, if not decisive, results.