FRANCE AND BELGIUM.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 27 March 1918, Page 5

FRANCE AND BELGIUM.

THE OFFICIAL REPORTS. VERY SEVERE FIGHTING. 2NESLE AND BAPAUME OCCUPIED . BY ENEMY. FIERCE AERIAL BATTLES. i iFRENCH TROOPS HELPING ON BRITISH FRONT/ GERMANS CLAIM 45,000 PRISONERS. AND RECOVERY OP GROUND LOST IN 1916 SOMME BATTLES. .Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. and Reuter. LONDON, March 25. Sir Douglas Haig . reports: , The ■tattle continues with great violence -along the whole front. We heavily re■pulsed powerful attacks yesterday morning and last evening northward | «f Bapaume. The Germane only at K>ne point Teached our trenches, from? they were immediately thrown" -out. Our fire stopped attacks , elsewhere before reaching our positions. • - The enemy is being driven back\with .great loss. .Fresh hostile attacks developed last night and this morning in this neighifoorhood, also south-west of Bapaume. Our counter-attacks couth-west of -Perbnne drove back enemy parties, : . who had to cross - the river between Xioourt and Brie. LONDON, -March 26. Sir Douglas Haig reports: There las been the severest fighting all day on a wide front south of Peronne and { south of Bapaume. The enemy at-1 /tacked our positions in great strength .and with 'fresh forces,'and, despite a gallant resistance, we were forced to •give ground.; The enemy occupied Nesle and Bapaume.- Heavy fighting toontmues. The activity in the air is very great, the day being remarkable tor the weight of bombs dropped and the hum- . her of fights. Many thousands of rounds were fired from low altitudes pupon the enemy's troops. Our aeroplanes reported the progress of the battle and informed the artillery of • suitable targets. Low flyers bombed and machinegunned masses of troops in the battle :\area, over 1700 bombs being dropped :in the daytime on different targets, including the Bruges docks, Aulnoy* railway station, a large> camp south--east of Cambrai, high velocity guns •and hostile reinforcements. The , fighting was the most severe that has been experienced. We brought' * -down forty-seven enemy machines and ■drove down twenty-two uncontrollable. Ten «f ours are missing. After dark •our aviators continued • bombing and .machine-gunning enemy troops opporsite the battle fxont. They also bomb•ed the Bruges dock and the aerodrome between Touraai and Mods used by ;night fliers, over fourteen, tons being dropped. All our machines returned. 'One large enemy machine was bombed and landed behind our lines. Following .the successful daylight .-raids, Mannheim and other objectives :in Germany were attacked at night itime. We dropped half a ton on rail-s-way stations at Cologne, starting a -fire. Over a ton was distributed on Xuxembourg railway stations, where a ifire was started, and on a railway station eastward of Metz. Two tons were dropped on Metz railway station, direct hits being obtained on bridges .south-east of the town and on a Btarfcionary train, which was set afire. J A large fire was started at ALson. A ton of bombs was dropped on Thion--ville railway station, where a moving rtrain -was derailed and a fire caused. All ours returned. A French communique reports: Trench troops began on the 23rd to intervene in the battle on the British front. They ? relieved a part of the "British forces, and took up the on their own account. They .are at present heroically fighting in the region of Noyon, disputing the heights on the right bank of the Oise ■with important German forces. There were violent artillery actions an the region of Courcy and Loivre. north-west of Rheims. Two enemy coups de main east of Suippe river, .in the Champagne, broke down. ... . There is great artillery activity between Arracourt and. the Vosges The enemy at dawn attacked east of Blemery and east of Badonvillers, but was repulsed with heavy losses.

A French communique states: The enemy is ceaselessly bringing up reinforcements. . Our troops are obeying < orders and yielding ground foot by foot, delivering vigorous counter-attacks and inflicting heavy losses.%. | A desperate fight occurred> round Nesle, which changed hand* several 'times. ■' ' ';■'■■■ ;'■ -■ '•';"■ ■ .y- ■ ■ ■:■-. Rheims received 1375 ehelkin the past 24 hours. LONDON, March 25. A wireless German official message states: We again defeated the enemy in a tremendous struggle near Bapaume.' We broke through a strong enemy position north-east of Bapaume, after bitter fighting. Mean- J while our forces from the east and south-east drove the enemy back via Ytres and Sailly, the"enemy's stubborn I resistance, which was reinforced, being .broken.- ■ -■■■': ■■' ;■ . "'■ ',■■:"'■ .-.'..> ■ ■ -• ■. Theire ,we*e violent battles, in which fresh divisions and numerous tanks vainly opposed our advance on the roads from Bapaume towards Cambrai and Peronne. ■ During the night of the battle Per' onne fell into our hands. Hot fighting developed for the possession ojf Combles and the height westward^, but the enemy were defeated. English cavalry attacks broke down. We are now standing in the middle of our former Somme, battlefield. The Crown Princfe, with General yon Hutier's" army J,'* ascended, ;in' .bitter fighting, the heights westward of . the Somme. Violent English infantry and cavalry attacks broke down sanguinarily. •;.'■•', . We captured Nesle after crossing the Crozat canal, and threw back the English, French and American's via Luneville, Villequier and Aumpnt: French infantry and cavalry divisions were Brought up for a opunterthrust, but were sanguinarily defeated. We captured Guiscard;and, Chauny. 1 The prisoners' taken now amount to 45c000. j Bapaume has fallen. After hard fighting between Peronne and Bapaume we drove.back the enemy to the positions he held before the : 1916 Somme battle; Our troops are fighting their way forward between the Somme and the Oise.

We are now standing in the middle of our former Somme, battlefiejd. The Crown Princfe, with General yon Hutier's" aririy J,'* ascended, • in' .bitter fighting, the heights westward of . the Somme. Violent English infantry and cavalry attacks broke down sanguinarily. •;.'■•', . We captured Nesle after crossing the I Crozat canal, and threw back the English, French and American's via I Luneville, Villequier and Aumpnt: I French infantry and cavalry divisions were Brought up for a counterthrust, but were sanguinarily defeated. We captured Guiecard; and Chauny. 1 Th« prisoners' taken now amount to 45:000. j Bapaume has fallen. After hard fighting between Peronne and Bapaume we drove.back the enemy to the positions he held before the 1916 Somme battle. Our troops are fighting their way forward between the Somme and the Oise.