TWENTY-FOUR HOURS' FIGHTING

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 28 March 1918, Page 8

TWENTY-FOUR HOURS' FIGHTING

SUMMARISED BY PIRRIE

ROBINSON

GERMANS RAPIDLY REDUCING THEIR RESERVES.

(Times,) (Received March 28, 9.35 a,m.) LONDON, March 27. Mr Pirrie Robinson, summarising twenty-four hours' fighting, gays: On the whole, the Germans made headway and we fell back. It is impossible to visualise fifty miles *js a single entity. and the great conflict seems more and inbre to resolve itself into detached incidents of thrust and counter-thrust at ] scattered points. Our guns and aeroplanes are incessantly bombarding' . Nesle and Bapaume, and giving the incoming infantry a bad time. In the old Somine battlefield, towards Perojme, the Germans on the north side of the river ar© a trifle further west than yesterday.in the Longueval and Montauban region, and between Clery and Mericourt. but we hold the river line and fighting is in progress no the north side. The enemy made additional crossings of the river at Brie and Voyennes, and we have fallen back behind Nesle. There is evidence that the German ' troops are getting beyond their, guns, and the5 jKerman artilery is thus unable to play anything like its earlier part, but FRESH MASSES OF TROOPS are continuously thrown in, and their | numbers are now enormous. At the* beginning of the battle there ■were probably 85 German divisions in reserve On the West front, of which . ;n 35 were' tised on the first day y and' ' approjant&tely 10 on each succeeding day, so that their reserves have now been reduced to 30 to 32 divisions. Since then new troops have been thrown in each day. How many reserves are left is impossible to say, but this is obviously a hopeful feature of the situation. On the other hand we have now reserves available, and the spirit of our whole army remains superb. Our , , • AIRMEN'S PRODIGIOUS EFFORTS are badly hampering the enemy, and .the French assistance has been most valuable! All these facts prove the ultimate importance of immediate territorial gains. The British troops were very hard pressed in the struggle at Nesle, the Germans having thirteen divisions to ■our four. The latter, nevertheless, held the line of the canal from Bethencourt southward all day, checking the enemy till, by overwhelming strength, he forced a passage at Voyennes with the bloodiest losses. The enemy advanced at Ruy le Grand, though we still held a line running through Morchain, Mesial, Ruy .le Petit, Meyencourt, Libermont le Blesses, and Villesleve, but it was an awkward line, and only exceeding valor enabled us to cling to it so long, therefore during the day a new line was prepared west of Nesle. and we fell back at nightfall.

Our line still continues across the enemy front, but though the troops were everywhere outnumbered they nowhere yielded except to overwhelming ■pressure. The division defending ErviL lers and Mory

FOUGHT FOR 36 HOURS, beating off three divisions, including the se'xmd Guards reserve. The beaten enemy threw' his weight further south against Gommecourt, and here the Lan_ cashires heat off repeated attacks, fight. ing so long that the officers were hardly able to stand. Finally the Germans •withdrew, and the Lancashires and Yorkshires, full of fight and glory, had an opportunity to rest. Despite the most intense strain on physical endurance, the weary Tommies clung to the line to the last) with but one idea, that their business was to go on fighting and kill Germans.

Prisoners declare that this is Germany's supreme effort, and she must Jiave peace whether she wins or loses.