IN FRANCE

Greymouth Evening Star, 3 May 1917, Page 5

IN FRANCE

THE BRITISH GAINS.

CAPTURES OF MEN AND OF NS

LONDON, May 1

Field-Marshal Sir' Douglas Haig >eports: We have captured 10,31 o pri. tamers, including HOT officers;, also 257 guns and howitzers, of which OS are heavies, and 227 trench mortars and -17(1 machine-guns?. Our artillery has destroyed many other guns'. During the lighting on Mdndav and Tuesday eighteen German machines were brought down. Nino of ours are

missing,

THE GERMAN LOSSES.

RESERVES DEPLETED

LONDON. May 1

The Daily Chronicle’s correspondent on the French front states that the estimate that there have been 100,000 German casualties in the present fighting is far below the reality. They are probably double. When the offensive started there were 1 -43 German divisions on tiro Went front, and 76 in Russia, Rounuuiia, and Macedonia. There avus iv general reserve of IT divisions on tho West front. Each division Avasi about half its former strength and consisted of three regiments of infantry, totalling 1500 men. Five hundred men O • *1 Avere in the machine-gun section, and there Avere 200 cavalrymen, and nine to tAvelve batteries of artillery, employing 2000 men, and 800 pioneers. The' Germans’ reserve on the West front therefore did not exceed 500,000.

Betwedn April 9th' and 27th thirty. tAvo fresh divisions came into action on the Anglo-French. fronts. More than half of the thirty-two divisions had been so severely punished that they had to withdraw to ho reconstituted. The German reserve hoav totals 130,000 men. These figures do not need comment, and show - that our men have not died in vain. The German army i s still formidable in numbers and isi fighting desperately, but it has fallen in tho quality of itsi armamentsi and supplies, and. is; now approaching the day Avhen it will ho unable to fill the gaps of the failing ranks.

ON BELGIAN FRONT. V 1 VIOLENT ARTILLERY DUEL, f A Belgian communique stales ; There is violent reciprocal artillery Juo north- t Avard of Dixmudc. M ARTILLERY DUEL. I .COUNTER-ATTACKS BROKEN. | LONDON, May 2. I A French communique states: There! is lively artillery activity in various | sectors. At. Moronvillers our barrage * twice broke heavy counter-attacks ag-’i aiust the positions captured on April I 30th. We took 520 prisoners and five! guns.were captured in the fighting uu| the 30th. IN CHAMPAGNE. DESPERATE GERMAN ATTACKS. LONDON, May 1. Router’s corresponded it at French headquarters, reforming to the furious German counter-attacks in the Champagne, says : The French cling to their gams and are greatly assisted by the ms© of sending out clouds of dense smoky to obscure the organisation of their neAv. lines.

GERMAN BATTALIONS.

DEDUCTION IN STRENGTH.

PARIS, May 1

“ho 'l’elit Parisian” states that documents taken from prisoners show t.liao (he Prussian War Ministry is reducing the number of effectives hy 200 per battalion.

HUMANE GERMANS.

P.RITISII KINDLY TREATED

LONDON May 2

Dir. Roach Thomas av riles: A seelion of Britishers captured a. Hun basement of a. fortress thirty feet deep under the second German line, and impervious to shell fire. It contained thirty-one Germans 1 . The British Avounded Avere provided with coffee by tire retreating enemy. The British responded to this unexpected humanity bv asking their comrades to treat kindly the prisoners and Avounded men from thisi particular regiment. RECENT OPERATIONS. A GERMAN REPORT[Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.] Received this dnv at 1 p-m. ■ LONDON, May 2Wireless German official— English ad vances Avesttvard of Lens near Monchy Fontaine failed. We repulsed the French at Corny and the Aisne- There was artillery intensity on the whole front- We repulsed French thrusts at Cliemin des Dames ridge. During the Champagne fighting on April 80th Ave made prisoners of over 400. The enemy yesterday lost fourteen aeroplanes- We repulsed Avitli lieaA-y losses Russian attacks northward of the Oitog Valley. Fighting continues in the Cerna bend or the Avest bank of the Yardar-