SITUATION MORE HOPEFUL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 28 March 1918, Page 5

SITUATION MORE HOPEFUL.

IBUT STILL EXCEEDINGLY GRAVE. SOUTHERN ADVANCE A RACE AGAINST TIME. OVER SEVENTY GERMAN DIVISIONS ENGAGED. FRENCH HOLDING STRONGLY ON OISE. HUN CLAIMS OF CAPTURE. 963 GUNS AND 100 TANKS. GERMANS USING TANKS WITH EFFECT. LONDON, March 27. The latest news reveals the danger point has been drifted from the north to the south, between Arras and Noyon. The situation is more hopeful, but •till it is exceedingly grave. The northern advance is held. *. The southern is clearly a race against time. Everything depends--upon the aext_ few, hours. Wednesday and /Thursday -will be highly critical days. Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. and Renter. ; LONDON, March 26. Sir Douglas Haig reports: Fighting died down at night. Our troops estab-! lished themselves in a new position eastward of Roye and Albert. i A continuance of fighting northward of the Somme is expected, but it hag not yet developed. Attacks were reported to be developing this morning against the AngloFrench southward of the.Somme in the neighborhood of Roye and Chaulnes. The enemy losses in the western 'theatre are severe. Over seventy hostile divisions (over 700,000 men) have now been engaged in the battle. LONDON, March 27. Sir Douglas Haig reports: There has Jbeen local fighting at different points north of the Somme. Hostile attacks «outh of the Somme, have pressed us vigorously since the morning with fresh , divisions against Noyon and Roye. There was a new attack this afternoon in the neighborhood of Chaulnes .and between Chaulnes and the Somme, also to the north. The; battle is continuing on the .whole front south of the Somme. Our troops at all parts of the battle ..front for the past six days have shown the utmost courage, the following divisions having displayed exceptional galJantry: The Eighth, Eighteenth, Thirty-first, Forty-first, Sixty-first, .Sixty-third and Sixty-sixth. ' Aeroplanes on Monday were almost exclusively employed in bombing and anachine-gunning the troops and transport behind the battle front. Twenty--1 two tons of bombs and a hundred thousand rounds of machine gun ammunition were fired. All pilots report .ground targets were of an unsurpassed description. They were able to drop bombs accurately and fire into thits -centre of the infantry battalions in •close formation, and columns of cavalry and transport. The air fighting was less intense than on the previous day. We downed thirteen enemy machines and ten others fell uncontrolled. Eight of ours are missing, mostly due to the fire from the ground while flying low. During the night we continued to ibomb and machine-gun the troops in the forward areas, and the transports upon the road. PARIS, March 26. A French communique says: Noyon ■was evacuated at night time in a most -orderly manner. We are strongly holding the right bank of the Oise. The battle continued violently on the evening of the 25th. The enemy at night time multiplied his attacks along the entire front from Noyon to Chaulnes. Our artillery is well established in the region of Noyon, iand effectively ■supported the infantry, whose resistance and frequent counter-attacks are retarding the thrust of the Germans, . nvho are suffering very heavy losses. LONDON, March 27. A French communique states: Our ■troops are solidly holding their positions on the left of the Oise. Above Tfoyon fighting continues with undiminished violence on the Bray sur Somme, Chaulnes, Roye and Noyon front.

Wireless German official: We yesterday achieved fresh success. We defeated the English divisions brought from Flanders and Italy, and the French thrown against us "in desperate attacks.

General yon Bulow and General yon der Marwitz finally retained Ervillers, after a hot, fluctuating battle, and are advancing against Achiet le Grand. We captured Bihuoourt, Biefaillers and Grevillers, and also captured Irks and Miraumant, and crossed the Ancre. Freshly brought English troops attacked us violently on a wide front, from the direction of Albert, but were driven back after a bitter struggle. A later German official states: We crossed,, the Ancre and crossed the Albert-ißapaUme road, near Courcelette and £ozieres.

v LONDON, March 27. Wireless German official: A new phase nasset in in the tremendous battle, the enemy retreating on a wide front astride the Somme. We crossed at many points to bur old positions before the 1916 Somme battle. We are now before Albert.

We have captured Lihons, Roye ard Noyons. General yon Hofacker forced the pass age of the Somme south of Peronne^ storming and capturing La Maisonnette height also Biaches and Barleux. Strong counter-attacks wore themselves out before our lines. General yon Hutier, after hard fighting, drove the enemy back near Marchelepot and Hatteneourt, across the Pe-ronne-Roye railway.'...-'. We wrested Ibalon from the AngloFrench, who tenaciously defended it We defeated the French at Fresnes and Bethanoourt, and captured Bussy. We are standing upon the heights north of Noybn. We have downed 93 enemy aeroplanes and six balloons since the beginning of the battle. Our captured guns have reached a total of 963, and over 100 tanks are lying in captured'positions. Artillery battles continue- on the remainder of the front, with increasing great strength. In Lorraine we continued our bombardment of the fortress of Parifi.

The Press Bureau announces that there were no further attacks last night north of the Somme, but local engagements, in which the enemy was repulsed. He did not attempt a serious attack. '

Our line north of the Somme now runs as follows: Bray, Albert. Beaumont Hamel, Puiseux, Ayette, Boiry, Henin, Wancourt, just west of Monchy to the Scarpe thence along the original front. The Germans have been attacking heavily south of the Somme this morning, and captured Roye. The line here runs: Mericourt, Rozieres west, of Roye, west of Noyon. Fresh German divisions have been identified, including two of Guards and two of Brandenburgers. The English, French and Americans are fighting shoulder to shoulder. French reinforcements are rapidly coming up. The enemy has been checked west of Roye and west of Noyon. COPENHAGEN, March 26. The announcement that a gun was bombarding Paris surprised Germany. The Vorwaerts' war correspondent says the German losses are great, but below expectations. He adds that the Germans are using many tanks. AMSTERDAM, March 26. The Kaiser is at headquarters at St. Quentin.

(Times Service.) COPENHAGEN, March 26. The Germans are using a large number of a new type of tank, which is claimed to be powerful and markedly mobile.

A semi-official message states it 's mainly owing to the attacks of these tanks that the British lines and ma-chine-gun nests were easily destroyed. The tanks returned undamaged. The Vorwaerts correspondent states that the captured British tanks are be. ing used to reinforce th« Germans.

LONDON, March 26. The War Office announces that the Germans captured Roye this morning.