119,343 PRISONERS TAKEN BY THE BRITISH

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3069, 3 May 1917, Page 5

119,343 PRISONERS TAKEN BY THE BRITISH

WHAT HAIG'S OFFENSIVE HAS YIELDED j ENORMOUS HAUL OF BOOTY (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright). (Rec. May 2, 6 p.m.) London, May 1. Sir Douglas Haig reports:—"Wo ..have captured 19,343 of the enemy, iiidluding 303 officors, 257 guns and howitw.rs—including 9S heavy guns—227 trench mortars, and 470 machine-gims. Our artillery destroyed many ether guns. • During the air-fighting on Monday and, Tuesday eighteen German machines wero hrouglit down. Nino of ours aro missing."—Aus.-N.Z. Cablo Aasn.-Reuter. The High Commissioner reports , > London, May 1, 12.20 p.m. Sir Douglas Haig reports:—"AVe carried out a successful night, raid nortliwards of Ypres, taking a few prisoners. . Elsewhere there k nothing special to report.'' . ARTILLERY ACTIVITY ON THE BELGIAN FRONT (Roc. May 2, 9.50 p.m.) • r London, May 2. • A! Belgian official communique reports violent reciprocal artillery firing north of Dixmude.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. ON THE FRENCH FRONT CAPTURED POSITIONS CONSOLIDATED. . London, May 1. A French official communique states:—A fairly, violent artillery struggle continues in tbo rcgionß of Troyon and Hurtebise. Wo consolidated tho captured positions in the Champagne. Four hundred prisoners were taken yes-terday.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable As'sn.-Reutor.. . ' (Rec. May 2, 9.50 p.m.) | London, May 2. A French official report states"There has been lively artillery activity . on various sectors of our front. At Moronvillcrs our barrage twice broke ; heavy counter-attacks against tho positions wo captured on April 30. Wo , took on that data 520 prisoners and five guns."—Aus.-N.Z. ' Cable Assn.-. . Router.- ■ S [ ■. GERMAN OFFICIAL REPORT ; ■ ' London, May 1. Admiralty, per Wireless Press.—A wireless German official ■ message states:—"There was minor fighting near St. Quentin yesterday. Tho Cathewas hit fivo times. : A French attack between Prosncs and Auberive 1 failed. A second attack on the front southward of Mauroy also failed. Wo wrought down twenty-five aeroplanes and five balloons yesterday.—Aus.-N.Z. ' Cable Assu.-Reutei'. ' ' ! " A FRENCH RUSE IN CHAMPAGNE (Rec. May 2, 8.50 p.m.) ' . ' London, May 1. Router's correspondent at French Headquarters, referring to the furious German counter-attacks in Champagne, says:— 1 "Tho French cling to their gams. .They aro greatly assisted by tbo ruse of sending up clouds of dense smoke to obscure the organisation of the new line."—Reuter. : • '\ IS THE GERMAN ARMY CRUMBLING? 0 - 1 ■■ PRESENT STRENGTH ANALYSED.' e - (Rec. May 2, 6 p.m.) „n •> /-,l •, , , London, May], "lie Daily Chronicles correspondent on the French front states, that the. estimate of one hundred thousand German casualties in the present fighting is far below tho reality—the actual number is probably double. When the offensive started there were 143 Gorman divisions on the West front, and seventy-six in Russia, Rumania, r.nd Macedonia. There was a general re-, serve of forty-four divisions on the West front, but each division was shout half its former strength, consisting of threo regiments, the infantry totalling .7500 men, five hundred in the maclfinc-gun section, two hundred cavalry . men, and nina to twelve batteries of artillery employing two thousand, and p eight hundred pioneers. Tho Germans in reserve on tho West front, therefore, did not exceed half a million between April 9 and 27. Thirty-two _ fresh divisions camo iuto action on tho Anglo-French front. More than half of these, thirty-two divisions wero so severely punished that they had,to • be withdrawn. The reconstituted German reserve now totals 130,000 men. Those figures—there is no need for common t—show that our men have not died in vain. Tho German army s still formidablo in numbers? ami It is ri fighting desperately, but it has fallen in tho quality of' its armaments and supplies, and is approaching the day when it will lib unalile to fill the gaps in the failing ranks. —Aus.-N.Z. Cablo Assn. !> P - enemy Shinning dow:< his battalions 10 ' \ ig Paris, May 1. li- The "Petit Parisien" reports that documents taken from prisoners show 3- that tbo Prussian Ministry of War is reducing tho number of tho effectives by 1200 per battalion.

INVOLUNTARY TESTIMONIALS FROM THE ENEMY TRANSLATED FROM CAPTURED CORRESPONDENCE. (Rec. May 2, S./50 p.m.) London, Mav 1. Router's correspondent at Headquarters, in a dispatch dated May 1, gives translations from correspondencc which lias been captured from the enemy. A German sergeant-major says: "The English lmvo been iiriug gas shells for days. Our trenches have been, shot to pieces. Tt is a gruesome sight.- We liavo had no food for two days." A Bavarian observation officer'writes: "The English fire is so well directed along tho whole front, and our communication trenches liavo been blown to pieces. Tiio enemy's aerial activity is extraordinary and fearless. Oiu observation machines are immediately ohased away." A private of the Prussian Grenadiers writes: "These damned Englisl: swine come two or three times a day and take our men away. Wo have hat; throe times the casualties that we sustained on tho Sommo! I certainly arr glad we no longer are compelled to hold the front line at all costs; but we cannot win the war in this manner." —Renter.