PROGRESS OP THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 187, 27 April 1918, Page 6

PROGRESS OP THE WAR

Very violent battles are reported to-day, botli in Flanders and soutli of the Somrac. In the first-mention-ed area, as information stands at time of writing, the enemy's attacks totally failed. He renewed his attack on the slopes of Mont Kcmmel on the northern flank of the Lys salient, but nowhere gained a permanent foothold -.in the Allied lines. The position south of the Somme is.not at the moment clearly defined. The Germans have occupied the village of Hangard, in the Luce valley, after a desperate struggle in which it changed hands three times, but,in regard to the still more important position of Villers Brcton'ncux, which they were, reported yesterday to have captured, a degree of uncertainty obtains. The serious issues at stake on this part of the battlefront arc made fairly plain in current cablegrams. Admittedly ■ the Allies have here very little in the way of a margin to work upon in defending the approaches to Amiens. They are grimly contesting. the enemy's advance, and striving to win back what he has gained.

Villers Bretonseux is a big village standing on a ridge which overlooks a fairly wide tract of lower country to the west-and north-west. According to Mn. Philip Gums its capture would enable the enemy to advance four or five thousand yards, a material proportion of the ten miles by which it is separated from Amiens. Hangard stands about ■three'and a half miles south of Villers Brctonneux. It is obvious that an extension of the enemy's advance in this region would seriously intensify the threat to Amiens, in spite of the fact that the northern flank of the German advance on that centre, north of the Somme, is still firmly held on the line of the Ancro. As has been said, however, the position south of the Somme is at tlie moment ill-defined except' at Hangard. The French .are holding the western outskirts of that village. In regard to Villers Brctonneux one message states that the Australians have recaptured the place, but this, meantime, lacks official confirmation. Other messages show .that at one stage, of tlie battle the Germans advanced a mile or more west of Villers Brctonneux, but were subsequently driven back. It is evident that great efforts are made, to recover the village, but whalOmeasuro of success has been attained has yet to appear.

A notable event reported to-day is a battle in which tanks fought tanks. The encounter took iilac/Tin the critical area south of the Somme, and the result was an unqualified victory for the British machines. No doubt this queer battle, the first of its kind ever fought, witnessed some strange manoeuvring, but the strangest feature of all is that the tanks were enabled to engage. The guns carried by the tanks are of no groat"power, and it might have been supposed that the use of supporting artillery would 1 give one side or the other a' decisive advantage. Apparently, however, the tanks fought their own'battle! The event holds attention, not only because of its unprecedented character, but because sensational reports have credited the Germans with poscssing tanks greatly exceeding the British machines m power and capabilities. Evidently t> o s „ c h claims can be made for the tanks which were compelled to beat a retreat, leaving the British machines to mow down the German infantry.

Further references to the daring naval attack on the enemy liases on the Belgian coast show that it was nopetl to'seal up the canal which reaches the sea at Ostcnd 'as well *s Bio stop canal at Zccbruggo Both canals run to the coast from Bruges, but the Ostcnd canal is smaller, and for a number of reasons is probably much.less valuable to the enemy than the ship caiia-3 'to Zeehruggc, which has been so' effectively blocked that, according to one message, months of labour may be needed, to again open it for traffic It is pointed but to-day that sub-

marines leaving Osteiul are exposed to greater -risks than if they Bet out from Zecbrugge, and there is no doubt that the, latter place has taken hitherto a much more important place than Ostund as a basa for underwater piracy.