BRILLIANT FRENCH VICTORY

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3072, 7 May 1917, Page 5

BRILLIANT FRENCH VICTORY

CRAONNE CAPTURED VIOLENT GERMAN COUNTER-ATTACKS REPULSED • : Tho High Commissioner reports:— „,„.,_. London, May 5, 0.15 p.m. French official.—During the day brilliantly conducted operations made us masters of the.village of Craonne and several points of support eastwards and northwards. ...... North-west of Reims after lively artillery preparation we developed this morning, an attack, in the course of wwhich wo carried the German first lines ton a front of about four kilometres (2J miles), taking 600 prisoners. ~ (Rec. May 6, 5.5 p.m.) ■'.. ~ . ■ . . London, Mav 5. ■vA I'rench communique says: The Germans violently counter-attacked ihe. Craonne positions captured by "us yesterday. Machine-gun and artillery fire,inflicted very heavy losses on the assailants, who were unable, to reach our lines at any point. We also repulsed a strong attack south-east of Berry-au-Bac. The enemy north-west of Reims attempted violent infantry reactions after our attack of yesterday. The struggle was particnlarlv stubborn. Our troops several times repulsed, counter-attacks, carried out with a largo number of effectives. During the evening important German reserves were thrown in, but our batteries smashed them, causing heavy enemy losses. We have'identified two fresh divisions -on this part of the front, where w'e have made prisoners of 700 since yesterday. •In the Champagne,_ after an intense artillery struggle, a violent fight began towards evening in tho region of Mont Cornillet. We. have advanced east and on the northern slopes of Mont Blond. The enemy attacked with two fresh divisions, which we repulsed.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. v PROGRESS IN THE WOODS NEAR MONT CORNILLET. r London, May 4. 'A French communique, states: The artillery is active in the region'northwest of Reims. We made further progress in. the woods west of Mont Cornillet. We stopped an enemy attack west of Mort Homme. Five enemy aeroplanes haye been brought down.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.Reuter. SALIENT OF THE HINDENBURG LINE CARRIED BY THE FRENCH (Rec. May 6, 11.5 p.m.) ' London, Mav 6. ; A French communique says:—We were brilliantly successful north-east of Smssons and Chemm des Dames, despite the desperation of the Germans, ..who recklessly employed great contingents. We attacked the salient of the Hindenburg line (south-east of Vauxaillon and carried the position on a front of six kilometres (3J miles), inflicting exceptional losses. Many counter-attacks wore shattered. . German columns marching in the direction of Chearnszy and Chamomile' were caught and shattered by our heavy batteries. We captured the whole plateau in the region of Chemin-des-Dames from east of Cerny-en-Donnois to east of Craonne, and reached the ridges dominating the valley of the Arrette and the forest of Vauclerc. Hitherto over four thousand prisoners had been counted, and there was' an addition of a thousand yesterday—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. BRITISH FIGHTING THE HARDEST BATTLES OF THE STRUGGLE GERMANS SHOWING ORIENTAL RECKLESSNESS OF HUMAN LIFE. (Rec. May 6, 5.5 p.m.) London, May 5. Mr. Philip Gibbs reports: Ever since our great attack on the Vimy Ridge the enemy has fought desperately and furiously, flinging great forces into the battle in order to keep us away from the Hindenburg line between Drocourt and Queant. Frosh divisions of troops and! guns have travelled across Germany, including many recently fighting on the Eastern front. Specially- . trained storming troops havo been hurled at our lines. The losses are heavy Opposite Guenappo and Gavrello they are dying in heaps, but there are masses behind and other masses behind them, as the gruesome business goes on, and particularly around the Gavrelle windmill mentioned! yesterday, which * as I }°.«' changed bands tight times, and which at present we hold. 'Scarcely less bitt«r struggles occurred at Oppy'i and Roeux,"where picked enemy troop's hold the villages, suffering the bloodiest of losses under our bombardments. • feouth of the Scarpe the enemy's Josses amounted to a real massacre Inis is no figure of speech, but the utter truth. Yet other waves were ordered forward with Oriental reckless n6SS 0 f human life. The enemy has greatly increased hj s gun-power of all calibres, machinepuns and trench mortars. Thus our lnen aro fighting the hardest battles of tho deadly struggle. _ The enemy seems to bo fighting fo r his life, knowing that he must now .win or die His men are hard pressed, a nd he was obliged to send three pioneer battalions to tho fighting line until reinforcements of fighting troops arrived. Our shells are devastating the defences of the Oppy Wood, but the enemy is bringing up many new batteries, including long-range guns. Our aeroplanes are spotting the new gun positions, and already n- number have been knocked out by direct hits.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable. Assn. ARMIES AT CLOSE GRTPS ON THE WHOLE FRONT. London, Mav ■!. The war correspondents dwell on the extremely bitter nature of the fighting in the new battle. The armies are at close grips on the whole front. It is difficult thus tar to view tlir. si!u<r.r| o in perspective, but vivid incidents indicate its deadly character._ The mil) nrar Opnv. which changed hands four tinifs before noon, was practical!? is«J a tcd. while tho struggle lasted the Artillery on both sides looked on helpl 6SS) as tho observers dared not trust jfthe signals. Meanwhile the combatant 3 wero M mixed . up that tho British pvomn or were- sandwiched among tho enemy.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

A DING-DONG HAND-TO-HAND STRUGGLE. London, May 'I. Correspondents at Headquarters state that the war has seen no harder fighting than is occurring north and south of tho Scarpe. Tho Germans arc fighting as they nover have before. In spite of the most violent counterattacks, and a ding-dong hand-to-hand struggle, the situation is unchanged. Tho Germans are using artillery vastly more than formerly.—Aus.-N.Z. Cuble Assu. AUSTRALIANS FIGHTING GRIMLY AROUND BIJLLECOURT. London, May 4. The "Morning Post's" correspondent savs that the Australians are fighting grimly around Bulleeourt. The Australians and Canadians successfully attacked' the flanks of Bulleeourt <jfnd Fresnoy, while the English, Scottish, and Irish battalions were aligned between. The enemy's resistance at Bulleeourt was furious, and was assisted by the Hindenburg defences.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. DASHING WORK OF THE AUSTRALIANS AT BULLECOURT (Reo. May 6, 11.5 p.m.) London, May 5. Mi'. \\. Beach Thomas, correspondent at British Headquarters, savs there is open fighting on tho whole battlefront. The British are rapidly regaining this forgotten form of warfare, but find it difficult to shake off trench habits, numbers still preferring bombs to rifles. The Germans, while desperately fighting with storming troops, special machine-guns, and automatic rifles, their uuits at tho same time are digging hard over the whole breadth of a strong line four to five miles behind the present fighting. Correspondents pay a tribute to the Australians' dashing work at Bulleeourt against picked German troops. Though they do not yet possess the whole village.they hold the ground north and south, and the trenches on the Hindenburg lino front. They repulsed nino counter-attacks by fresh troops. German officers taken, prisoner admit the appalling losses, in some instances as much as fifty per cent.—United Service. ' THREE GERMAN COUNTER-ATTACKS REPULSED. (Rec. May 6, 5.5 p.m.) London, May 5. Sir Douglas Haig reports: "We made a: successful raid eastward of Lev-c-rgmer and progressed northward of Havrincourt Wood and the neighbourhood of Fresnoy. "The enemy thrice counter-attacked, iu the night time, our new positions on the Hindenburg line. The artillery broke the first attack and the infantry the others. We repulsed raids in the neighbourhood of Messincs." —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. OVER NINE HUNDRED PRISONERS CAPTURED SINCE THURSDAY. (Rec. May 6, 5.5 p.m.) n- T> , „ . ' ~„. London, May 5. Sir Douglas Haig reports: "We made prisoners on Thursday upwa'rds of nine hundred. "We strengthened to-day the position captured in the sector of tho Hindenburg lino and progressed eastwards along the enemy trenches. "In the air fighting on Thursday eleven onemv machines were brought down. Two, of ours are missing.'.'—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. BRITISH PROGRESS NORTH-EASTWARD OF ST. QUENTIN. r,- t> , tt • l v, London, Mav 4. Sir Douglas Haig reports: "Fresnoy and tho positions wo captured north and south of that villago were severely counter-attacked vesterdav evening. We maintained, all tho positions. There was severe fighting in the neighbourhood of Bulleeourt. The enemy heavilv counter-attacked eastward of the. village yesterday evening in tie sector of"the Hindenburg line we captured yesterday morning. The attempt failed with heavy losses. There was fighting also during the night near Cherisy, astride the Arras-Cambrai Road, and we wore compelled to fall hack from the advanced positions captured during the day.

"We further progressed north-eastward of St. Quentin and north-east-ward of Hargicourt, where we. captured Malakoff Farm."—'Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. ;'

A VERY SATISFACTORY MESSAGE

. Washington, May i.. Mr. Balfour has received the following cable message from London regarding Sir Douglas Haig's offensive: "Well ahead of schedule*."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. ESTIMATES OF GERMAN CASUALTIES SINCE APRIL 1 (Reo. May 6, 11.5 p.m.) ... London, May 5. It is estimated that the Germans since April 1 brought thirty-three'divi-sions against the Anglo-French, fifteen 0 f which wore shattered and withdrawn after tho battle of Arras, and at ] o ast twenty have been broken now. Allowing for the reduction of the strength of a division since the autumn, this means 150,000 men, of whom twenty thousand .are prisoners. The casualties behind the front lino must b e tremendous, owing to tho weight of our artillery. Other notable facts are the number of youths. Half the prisoners from two divisions are youths of nineteen, and their statements show that half the troops of nineteen years of age are already serving at the front. ; The_ Germans appear no longer to employ Guards in solid divisions, hut ' use regiments with which to stiffen other divisions. Apparently the Germans, despite the lavish use of troops against tho British, are employing every expedient to make the most of their available man power. On tho other band, the German artillery has been greatly increasing. The British artillery is as tremendous as before, but we are more economical in tho use of men.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. TEN GERMAN AEROPLANES BROUGHT DOWN. (Reo. May 6, 11.5 p.m.) n- r> , tt •, > ' London, May 5. isir Douglas Haig's message says:—"There is nothing to report. ' Ten German aeroplanes were brought down yesterday."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn - Renter. REPORTS OF THE FIGHTING IN GERMAN MESSAGES. (Rec. May 6, 5.5 p.m.) , . , „ „. ~ • London, May 5. A wireless German official message says: "The English attack on both sides of Bullecourt was repulsed. Tho number of English prisoners has increased to 1235. "Excessive artillery fire on the Aisne front continues. The fighting for the possession of Winterburg has not concluded. Attacks by four French divisions between tho Aisne and Brimont broke down. _ "The French temporarily penetrated eastward of Neuville, but were driven out. We made prisoners of five hundred. i "Several French divisions unsuccessfully attempted to take the heights northward ot Prosnes."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. (Rec. May 6, 5.5 p.m) . • , n m■ i London, May 5. _A wireless German official message says: "British attacks on both sides of Bullecourt, and strong French attacks between Berry-au-Bac and Brimont were repulsed."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. A GERMAN REPORT OF THE BATTLE ON THE HINDENBURG LINE. -a • i n jt • i . . London, May 4. A. wireless German official report states: A fresh English attempt to break through between AchieviTTe and Queant with sixteen or seventeen divisions failed. Repeated attacks from dawn until nightfall broke down Tho enemy only succeeded m entering Fresney. Small portions of tho trenches near Bullecourt remained in the enemy's bauds. Wp inflicted heavy losses and toofc. a thousand prisoners. The cnemv had assembled a strong force of cavalry southward of Arras. The battle continues .Several I<rench. attacks broke down near Braye and Winterbei'"- The enemy lost ten aeroplanes.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter.

A NEW BATTLE IN PROGRESS NORTH OP THE AISNE. (Rec. May 6, 11.5 p.m.) . n • ' a. • i . , London, May 6. A German evening official message says:-A' new battle is in progress on the heights north of the Aisne— Ans.-N.si Cable Assn.-Reuter. ( GERMAN AVIATJON CENTRE BOMBARDED. (Rec. May 6, : 5.5 p.m.) an i • • ~.i,- , • , London, May 5. A Belgian communique says: "Allied aviators bombarded the German aviation centre at Ghistelles."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. MANY BUILDINGS-DESTROYED IN REIMS. ' ' (Rec. May 6, 11.5 p.m.) ,„.-., „ London, Mav 5. A I'ans wireless-message states that during the bombardment of Reims tho Town Hall ignited, and fifty buildings in the vicinity wore destroyed.— Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.