THE WESTERN FRONT.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16363, 7 November 1918, Page 7

THE WESTERN FRONT.

ALLIES' ADVANCE CONTINUES. BRITISH CAPTURE 10,000 PRISONERS AND 2QO GUNS. (By Cable.—Prea* Association.—CopyrifhW (Australian and Cable Association.) LONDON, November o. Tho British have captured Le Quesnoy, NEW YORK, November (». The Germans are retreating on tho Seheldt-Aisne fiont. - The Allies hnvo bc>nun to seize Ghent. The United Press Paris correspondent, says that tho I'rench have launched an offensive on a forty-mile front, from tho Peron River to the Aisne. The Americans continue to advance north-west of Verdun. They aro extending the area of attack on tho east bank of the Meuse. All towns west of the river and south of Hallos have been captured. FRENCH OFFICIAL REPORTS. (Australian and X./. Cabl« Association.) | (Reuter's Telegrams.) LONDON. November 5. A French communique states:— The First Army during the morning attacked in conjunction with the British on tho Simbre-Oiso canal, between Oisv and Vadcncourt. Despite tho difficulties in crossing tho canal and tho stiffest enemy resistance, we everywhere forced* the crossing nnd gained a footing on the heights on the eastern bank and reached tho outskirts of the villages of Bono, La Nouville les Dorengt. and Iron, and passed Lesquilles, realising a maximum advance of three kilometres. We captured over 3000 prisoners and fifteen guns. We completed the occupation of the south bnnk of tho Ardennes canal between Senyuy and I.e Chesne. The enemy is resisting vigorously on tho northern bank. Since November Ist fifty-threo guns have been captured in this region. t (Australian nnd N.Z. Cable Association.) (Reuter's Telegrams.) (Received November 6th, 4.50 p.m.) LONDON, November 5. A French communique states: — Our repeated successes compelled tho enemy to carry out a fresh retreat at several points of the front. With unwearying ardour we have maintained close contact. North-east of Guise we have occupied Bergues-sur-Sambre, where 200 civilians were freed. Along the whole front of the First Army attacks were resumed this morning, and made progress between the Poron and the Vulpion. where we captured Pargny Wood, and north of Sissonne we reached a lino passing Froidmont sugar factory west of Autreneneourt, Cuirieux, Goudolancourt, and! Macheoourt. o ur advanced guards, supported by artillery? aro progressing between Sissonno and Chateau Foreign. We penetrated all parts of the Hunding positions, where tho enemy was still holding out, forcing liim to withdraw. Our advance is general between east of St. Qnentin lo Petit and the outskirts of Larpy.

SIR DOUGLAS HAIG'S REPORTS. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) (Router's Telegrams.) LONDON, November 5 (J..20 a.m.). Sir Douglas Haig reports:— The Fourtn, 'lnild, and First British Armies attacked between the Sambre Canal at Oisy and the Scheldt, northward of Valenciennes. On the whole of this thirty-mile front the British and New Zealanders broke in deeply into the enemy's positions. We capturcd 10,000 prisoners and took 200 guus. On the light of the' attack the jt'irst and Thirty-second Divisions attacked in conjunction with tho French, who were southward of them. These divisions, with a dash and u gallantry, stormed tue formidable line ot .the Sambre Canal, overcame tho resistance, and reached a depth of three miles eastward of the canal. The First Division, undet General Strickland, after capturing Catillon, forced the passages of the canal opposite Catillon and near a lock two milefe southward. . At the latter point, assisted by the Engineers, the Camerons crossed the canal in six minutes. The First Division captured Fesmy and La Groise and took 1500 prisoners. To the leftward tho Thirty-second Division crossed the Ors Canal, and after severe fighting captured liuedenhaut ana cleared the line of the canal southwards and northwards of this village. We have captured Mezieres, La Folio, and Sambreton. In the centre we attacked the western face of the Forest de Mormal with infantry and tanks, and drove the enemy from tho western outskirts. We captured Socieres; Preux au ' Bois, Hecq, and Louvignies. The Twentyfifth Division forced the crossings of the Sambre Canal opposite Landrecies, which was captured. ' • Further north the Eighteenth and Fiftieth Divisions penetrated the Mormal Forest, and are still advancing. The Twenty-eighth Division reached Les Grand Egpatures. The Seventeenth captured Locquignol, in the. centre of the' forest. There was severe fighting wt Le where the New Zealanders repulsed a strong counter-attack, inflicting heavy losses. We passed south and north of this fortified town, and are now several miles eastward of it. We drove tho enemv out of his new positions on «he Aunelle river. The Guards captured Preux au Sart. The Twenty-fourth Division capturcd Wargnies le Potit and Wargnies le Grand. _ The Canadians made progress on rhcht bank of the Scheldt, and passed beyond Estreux and Onnaing. Our-advance continues on the whole battlefront. A message dated November sth (1.20 p.m.) states: lesterday afternoon wo surrounded and captured the walled town of Le Quesnoy, taking prisoner over 1000 men. The Thirty-seventh and Sixty-second Divisions had hard lighting southward and northward of Le Queanoy, and took many prisoner?, these divisions, after overcoming strong divisions at tho outset about Louvignie3 and Or-inval, pushed forward rapidly on the flunks of the New Zealanders eastward of Le Quesnoy, advancing with them to a depth of between three and four miles, a*nd capturing the villages of Joli-metz, Lerond Quesne, Frasnoy le Petit, and Marais. AVe progressed further in the evening in the Mormal Forest and eastward of Valenciennes, capturing the village of 3?th. LONDON, November (i (12.45 a.m.). Sir Dougia:: Hnig reports:— In the great batt'o which opened yesterday between the Sambro and Scheldt, our Third and First Armies heavily defoated, witli severe losses in killed, wounded, prisoners, guns, and materia!, no fewer thau twenty-fivo German Divisions, thus breaking the German defence on a thirty-mile front. Owing to this brilliant success the enemy today is retreating along the whole battle front. Despite the- rain we aro .pressing him closely, taking prisoners. The enoniy abandoned complete batteries and quantities of material. Wo passed through Mormal Forest and reached the general line of Barzy, Crandfavt, Berlaimout, westward of Bavau to Rosin in Fresnos.

A British Flanders official report i | states:— ' I J Among cfaptured documents is aa ! order issued by General von Larische, f on October 19th, in which it is declared , ! that tho Lyo-Hermann-Stelling lino : must be held at all costs. » AMERICAN OFFICIAL REPORTS. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association^ (Renter's Telegrams.) i LONDON, November 5. < - An American communique -says:— Tho First Army continued its advance 1 ' on the entire front between tho Mouse . and Bar. On tho extreme right wo ; drove the enemy into the valley of tho , Meuse and fought through the Forest : of Dieulet, and occupiod Lancuville, ' opposite an important crossing of the Menso nenr Stenay. We seixed Beau* mont-Stenny and the heights over- 1 looking Beaumont. Our left reached j Grnndes Armoises, despite vigorous op- i position. The enemy abandoned much ; matorial. One hundred and forty-nine 1 1 aeroplanes bombed crowded enemy ! traffic at Montmcdy, and destroyed j j thirty enemy aoroplanos. Several American machines aro missing. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) (Router's Telegrams.) (Received November Gth, 7.20 p.m.). LONDON, November 5. An American official report states: — . Our First Army resumed tho attack . this morning, and despite desperate opposition forced the crossing of the V Meuse at Brioullcs and Clery le Potit. \Yo have now developed our now j lino in the heavily-wooded and vory j difficult terrain on tho heights eastward i . of the river. Between these points j ' the enemy on the entire front is oppos- i • ing our advance with heavy artillery i and machine-gun fire, notwithstanding ! wliich wo are making excellont progress. | "\Yo hold the west bank of the Meuso j > as far northwards as opposite Pouilly. A GENERAL ADVANCE. ' ; (Australian and N.Z. Cablo Association.) " LONDON, November 6. ' J Practically on the whole front ! !' t'woen the Mouse and tho SchoTdt there ; has been an advance of from a mile to ' ! two miles. Fighting is "proceeding at Le Quesnoy, whore the position is obscure. The enemy is heavily counter-attack- ' ing from the Mormal Forest, the south- i ern part of which wa penetratod for a mile. The French lino now runs .along tho southern Ardennes canal. j The French and Americans are with- j in teu miles of the Longuyon-Mezieres-Hirson railway. \ GERMAN~TRICKERY. (Australian and .N.Z. Cable Association.) (Received November 6th, '7.20 p.m.) LONDON, November 6. ! The British troops during tho pursuit j discovered that German machine-gun-ners adopted the trick of donning Belgian • workmen's clothes, putting the | British on the wrong scent. Other i Germans found hiding in Lille ia civilian dress pleaded that they feared tho inhabitants' vengeance. j

BAVAY CAPTURED. AMERICANS CROSS THE MEUSE. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) (Received November 6th, 7.20 p.m.) NEW YORK. November' 6. The Allies have captured Bavajr and are advancing rapidly. The Americans have crossed the Meuse in groat force. WEATHER CONDITIONS BAD. PROGRESS CONTINUED. (Australian 'and N.Z. Cobl© iuwociiitioo,) (Received November 6th, 7.20 p.m.) ; . LONDON, November 5 (2.40 evening). The weather conditions at the front are very bad, and it is too early to pro? diet its effect on the fighting. The Gorman opposition waa stiff during yesterday morning, but lessened as the dey progressed. Wo identified during the advance twenty regiments on the front of one of our armies alone* -Our progress this morning was accentuated in. the Mormal Forest. The Americans have readied the outskirts of Stenay and also, oocupied Gr&ndes Sarmoises. They are novfwithin eight miles of the railway through Mezieres. . The position at Ghent indicates that the fall may . not come for sozqe time. ■ ENEMY RETREATING..'. • THE NEW ZEALANDERS» BRILLIANT FEAT. (By Cable.—Press Association.—•Copjrrifkt I (Received November 7th, 80 a.m.J £ JJONDON, November s. ' The enemy is retreating on a seventymile front between the Scheldt and the Aisne. The New Zealanders* capture .at Le Quesnoy was a most dramatio iee?: ture of Monday's battle. They broce in gun positions eastward, of the fortress and captured a hundred guns, many limbered in readiness for retreat. The New Zealanders penetrated the waggon lines and rounded up the transport. The garrison refused three aeroplane invitations to: surrender. Tbo New Zealanders by evening had forced the ramparts and wiped out the macliiue-gun nests. The remainder of the garrison laid down their arms. GERMAN OFFICIAL MESSAGE. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) ■ ' (Reuters Telegrams.) (Received November-Gth, 11.26 p.m;) LONDON, November 6. ' A wireless Gorman official message states:— • : We evacuated Le Quesnoy. Northward of Mormal Forest we stemmed a thrust eastward of Jolimeta and southward of the forest. We also stemmed a thrust on the Samhre-Oise canal. We withdrew to the east bank of the Meueo northward of Stenay. GERMANS RETREATING ON WHOLE FRONT. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) (Renter's Telegrams.) ~ i (Received November 7th, 12.5 a.m.) LONDON, November 5 (9.30 p.m.). j The Germans are retreating on the .1 whole front between the Scheldt and j the Aisne. The situation is changing Hourly. It is impossible to give any definite idea of our advance. Roughly, i wo havo crossed the Franco-Belgian j frontier between Valenciennes and j Bavay. We are between a mile and ! two miles westward of the latter. We j have captured Mormal Forest, withthei exception of the eastern edge. Thence j our lino runs to Maroilles and* the j western edge of the Nouvion Forest, to j two miles eastward of Guise. Through I Sains it continuos two miles south- j ward of Marie, to a line two miles ! southward of the Sorro river; then in a straight line to Chateau Porcien. The weather has temporarily slackened our pursuit, and we havo lost touch with the enemy's main body, which fetf mado off eastward. i

BIG RETREAT APPARENTLY BEGUN. (Autnlita snd N.Z. Cable Association.) IA)NDON, November 5. The French astride Le Chesne ha\ crossed the Ardennes Canal, and a< t vanoed a mile northward. The Ami ricans, co-operating, hold tho who road romo Stenay to Le Chesne. Tht ' have occnpied Beaumont, reached Irn in the loop of the Mouse, and formed bridgehead southward of Dun, but, a] parently, have not yet occupied Din ~ Wo here again lost touch with tho mai ' German forces, although less than si miles from the main lateral line of con manication. It appears that ar< . ' treat on a large scale, foreshadowc some time past, has really begun. . GERMANS THREATENED WITH ; DISASTER. BRITISH FORCES BREAK STRONI * ENEMY POSITION. NEW ZEALANDERS TAKE LE QUESNOY. • ■* (Beuter'a Telegrams.) H f • LONDON. November 5. Renter's correspondent at Britisi : ; Headquarters .says The series of bat | j ties raging on the West front promis* to be tho most stupendous conflict o ; the war. It is a mistake to suppoa 3 that the Allies only engaged tho rear : guards of tho enemy retreating accord * tag to plan. Really, tho Germans ari : being forced to fight their hardest bj ■: attacks which threaten to* achieve th( , t strategic of the enemy, and th< . lucoesses gained have been against im 1 1, men so concentrations' of troops striving | most determinedly to hold vital points , fj Marshal Foch is adhering to his plan J Tho right angle of the front is steadilj "i reducing the enemy's area of mancau- !' vro, squeezing him against tho Ardenncj •hills from the west, and south, and robbing him of mobility in a fashion which is likely to prove disastrous before long, 'As .his strategic position becomes more ■ hopeless his strength is being deeplj sapped. Already his exit via Algtz is fast closing as the result of the American approach to Sternay, threatening U communications between tho German 11 Northern Armies based on Liege and "| the Southern Armies based on Luxemburg, whicH« will be divided by the Ardennes wedge, forcing the whole line from the Sambre northwards to retreat to Antwerp and Namur positions. If the enemy attempts to divert his -Eastern forces to tho Meuse line these will be increasingly congested by .he British advance soivth of Yalenciennoa. Sir Douglas Haig's forces yesterday broke one of the enemy's strongest strategie positions approaching important communications, whose vital point is the Mons junction. Never throughout the war have the Allied. Armies proved of higfcr quality, for they resisted the temptation to take things 'easily against tile enemy, who was only too aimoaa to surrender territory; but they are fighting most vigorously. They believed in a knock-out blow. It has become a habit of speech to say that' the enemy is still unbroken and unbeaten, but if things continue much longer at the present rato we shall suddenly awake to the realisation that this statement has ceased -to be true. The correspondent pays a great tribute to the artillery for - the tireless devotion •with which it has followed up tho infantry, and its extraordinary efficiency. The teams galloped into action, unlimbered, swung round, and picked up ranges, often under shell firo and upon gassed ground, in gloriously fin© style. Describing the taking of Le Quesnoy by the New Zealanders tho correspondent says.—"The town crowns a knoll a hundred metres high. It is a fortress of the Vauban type, immensely strong . with ramparts, surrounded by deep moats. Such was the obstado that confronted the gallant infantry as they converged upotf th e place, and it was evident that a tough job lay before them. Airmen reported that th« town was well garrisoned. As a storming ° attack seemed out of the question tlya New Zealanders deployed by way of Champs des Mansevres and along the railway north-east of the town, closing in at Potelle, and thus surroundinc tho .fortress. Airmen joined in the attack, wheeling over the, town and machine- 1 'gunning th©' defenders incessantly. Under cover of smoke screcns tho New Zealanders crept to the gateway which the Germans were keeping open as a' line of retreat. Then followed a spoil of confused desperate fighting, and the entrance was secured, and the town captured. The skill and valour with 1 which the stronghold was carried are I beyond praise."