BITTER BATTLE IN THE WEST

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3038, 27 March 1917, Page 5

BITTER BATTLE IN THE WEST

GERMANS ON A DESPERATE DEFENCE 1 FRENCH STILL ADVANCING , RUSSIA'S TASK WAR COMMITTEE FORMED'

A bitter struggle is beingwaged along the line: of the Allies 1 - advance 011 the. Western ronfc. ■ The Germans, too rapidly and vigorously pressed for their liking, lave been .forced to'detach masses of troops to reinforce their rearguard. Nothing in the form of a set battle has yet developed, and sensational messages asserting such is the case are contradicted. The French are pressing their advance on tbo St. Quentin front, (while on the British front the position has \ boon improved, but no material developments aro recorded. There is no news .0 the,progress of operations on the other mainfronts. Mr. Ed- '. mund Candler, the British press 'correspondent in Mesopotamia,' sends' a ' thrilling description of the>, splendid gallantry displayed by . the British,when forcing the orossing of the Diala River. The GermanAmerican situation remains unchanged, In Russia, the Provisional Government has received'the greetings of the Allied Ministers at . Petrograd, and appointed its War Committee. The loyalty of the army; , r ' is now assured. 1 .

BITTER STRUGGLE IN THE WEST '

. , GERMAN INFANTRY FORCED TO FIGHT FRENCH ENRAGED AT THEIR VANDALISM i • ~~ ~ ....... • ■ By T»leßr»pJi"PrßSß AeEociatioa-Oopyriirltt ; .t. London, Mar'oh 25.' . ■ A French official communique states: "We made further progress north of Grand Serau Court and St. Queritin, and advanced appreciably north of Chauny and on the east bank-of the Ailette. We consolidated positions there and in tho region north of Soissons. We seized portions of trenches east of Malancourt Wood, west of tho Meuse. The prisoners taken yesterday belonged , seven different regiments. There is great mutual activity-in aerial bombing. The Germans -bombed-'Dunkirk and Calais, but did small damage. •—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Beuter. ' • The High Commissioner reports :— , ' ' • ■ ; , , London, March 25, 11.15 p.m. : A BVenoh official report states: ''From the Somme to the Aisne we have continued the offensive. A bitter struggle has resulted from the energetio defence which is being offored by the'enemy, but our soldiers are so. exasperated' bythe enemy ravages everywhere that, the driving operations have been done with serious losses to him. On the, Somme-Oise front wo threw the enemy baok beyond an important'position on the Castres-Essigny-le-Grand line. South of the Oiso we have penetrated several .poiftts at the Forest of Couoy, reaching to the outskirts of Folembray. North' of Soissona our gains tare been increased." -. 1 •

-I ' V. BRITISH IMPROVE THEIR POSITION

(Rec. March 26, 5.5 p.m.) London, March 25. Sir Douglas Haig'reports: "We havo improved our position west' of Croisilles. We enters the enemy's trcnohes north-east of Loos and ejected' raiders who entered our trenches west of Hulluoh. Thero. have many air fights. Eight German machines were brought down. Four of ours are missing."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. \

1::■ . " ■ . . CORRESPONDENTS' IMPRESSIONS ' . .j ; -—7—' • ' UNEXPECTED RAPIDITY OF THE FRENCH PURSUIT. , ... (Reo. Maroh 26, 5.5 p.m.) 7 . , , London, March 25. , Reuter's correspondent at French Headquarters says: "The enemy has apparently miscalculated the rapidity of the French pursuit, which lias already cost him heavy loss, and forced tie Germans to turn at bayr Largo masses of the enemy's infantry are now engaged along the whole front,from St. Quontinto Ailetto." The correspondent also _ describes the "excellent commanding position which _the advance has established." A correspondent £t British Headquarters comments on the growing resistance of the Gennaris, and adds: "Behind the recovered territory many thousands are'toiling day and night restoring the communications and clearling tho ruination left by the Germans. Especially spgedy work has been done'by th'a Royal Engineers in building bridges sufficient to/carry, the heaviest, transport."—Renter. . , . ' '. v . ■- : ' ' EVIDENCE OF FORCED RETREAT. . (Reo. March 26, 8.45 p.m.) ( . ! : London, Maroh 25. The "Times" correspondent at Headquarters says: "There is evidence that the retreating Germans are underfed. They are eating cats and making sausages of dogs. They 1 are also extremely short of medical and "surgical necessities, and'there have been numerous deaths from poisoned wounds. An additional. demonstration bf the fact that the Germans were forced to retreat, is that- the British axe .now. passing well-built dug-outs, trenches, gun-pits,, and vast quantities of valuable material miles behind tho surrendered line."—The "lipies." ' .

. SENSATIONAL MESSAGES CONTRADICTED - ; '' i' ■ ~' — . ENEMY DRIVEN FURTHER BACK. " v - r ' (R«o. Maroh 26, 10.45 p.m.) ' <' . ' London, March 26. The latest messages from the British, and French fronts show, that /there is not the least justification for, the sensational ' messages, published to-day, that a set battle has commenced, and. that the heaviest fighting is in progress. The French have advanced appreciably in theUasfc twenty-four hours, and have now driven the Germans back to a line three miles southwest of St:.(Juentin, where they are expected to try to hold the Grunies-TJrvillers-Oeritey-Moy line.—Aus.-N.Z.Oable Assn. \ ' THE GERMAN REPORT , London, March 26. ' A.German offioial report states: "South-east of Ypres we advanced, and found the trenches destroyed and evacuated. Our protecting troops gave way in accordance with instructions at Beiumetz and Roisel. Eastward of the Crozat Canal, we repulsed the French at Vrcgny, and we pierced the Frenoh lines' at Souper and Gerny. Our aeroplanes destroyed seventeen English and Frenoh machines—Aus.-.N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. • ' IN THE WAKE OF THE VANDALS ' FRENCH-PRESIDENT VISITS THE RUINED PLACES. ' . ' Paris, March 25. M. Poincare, accompanied by M. Painleve] (Minister of War), M. Malvy (Minister of the Interior), and Bourgeois (Minister of Labour), with membors of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, visited Noyon, Guiscards, Ham, Nesle, and Roye. M. Ribftt (Premier) has announced that .the Government is collecting evidence in order to protest ;to neutrals against Germany's barbarous aots in. the evacuated territory.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. . , SYSTEMATIC RUINATION'OF FERTILE LANDS (Reo.' March -26, 9.55 p.m.) ' _ - ' ■ Paris, March 25. It is officially announced-that Franco is protesting to the neutral Governments that the_ Germans havo unjustifiably and barbarously devastated the evacuated territories, their aim being .tho ruining for many years of one of the most fertile regions of_ France. The neutral Governments ars requested to warn tho banks against dealing in seourities stolen by the Germans from the recaptured districts, as thn Allies will not recognise the validity of »uch dealings.r-Reutor.

, BARBARITIES BY OIIDER OF VON HINDENBURG,

' , Paris, March 25. Throe hundred women, children, and. aged men have died in consequence of the hardships, brutality, and starvation immediately preceding and during the German retreat. There aye 150 vie tims in Chauncy alone. The destruction of property-in the largo towns lasted for throe weeks. Somo of the Gormans admitted that the work sickoncd tbo ni, but that they were carrying out von Hindenburg's orders. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.