The Star. FRIDAY, APHIL 26. 1918. THE OFFENSIVE RESUMED.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 26 April 1918, Page 4

The Star.

FRIDAY, APHIL 26. 1918. THE OFFENSIVE RESUMED.

Deli v ereor every weeing by 6 o'.c*.,. to Hawera, •Mt_...ait., Normanby, ' Okaiawa. Eltham, S_.ai.g_-.toki,' Kai-.nua, Awatuna, Opunako, Otakeho, Manutf-ti Alton, Hurleyville. 3?ate-_, Waverley.

After a short period of comparative j quietness on the West front the Ger- | mans are reported to have resumed the offensive, strong attacks taking; place near Dranoutre, a village situ- j ated on the north bank of the River j Douve, slightly north-west of Neuve j Eglise. The enemy's thrust at this i i part of the line aims ai gaining the ! high ground round about Kemmcl, in > order to force the British to give up i the Ypres sector. The French are holding the portion of line attacked, and are reported to have thrown hack the Germans, their ranks suffering severely from the British and French 'bat- | teries. The- second German attack has succeeded in the enemy gaining 'VSllerg Bretonneux, a place about ten miles

oast oi Amiens. Other enemy -efforts i failed. It seems that the Germans' have decided to continue their pressure j on Lhe Somme and Armentieres battle- J fields :*a'ther than open a battle on a j new sector. The Channel -ports and j Hindenburg's plan to paralyse the British army are attractive to the German i mind, and probably the initial successes gained in thft two battle areas make it easier for him to find .a response to i the call for greater efforts. The Allies should, however., be perfectly ready, j and, having caused the enemy terrible losses during the previous great attacks, and at the same time preventing the Germans breaking through, there is every liope that very little more ground will be given up, and that only after the utmost toll has been exacted from the foe. The Germans > will, it appears, have assistance from J Austro-Hungarian forces within a few I days, and there are indications that the Allied line will be subjected to the greatest possible pressure. That it will remain unbroken we have no doubt, but it is well to try to take a balanced view of the situation. By sudden and fierce attacks with great masses of troops, a plan which appeals to the Germans, it will probably be found that at some points the Allied line -will he hent hack, as the fierce assaults are made, though "with their backs to the wall," as Sir Douglasi Haig put it in his order, our troops will make the enemy's pro-! gress most difficult ■ and costly. The next few days may bring news of very important fighting in the j two battle areas upon which attention I has been fixed for the past month.) The desperate enemy is feverishly en-, deavoring to effect a- decision, and his whole strength will be brought to hear, i The Allied forces have become much I stronger since the great drive west of [St. Quentin on March 21st, and with ! perfect unity and a desire on the part of each army to do its utmost to frus- ;

trate the German plans, the nation can view with confidence the gathering storm, feeling that, heavy as the cost must he, the final result will he in our favor. We cannot do better than rememher General JFoch's definition of military wisdom: fThe true soldier is the man who ignores that sdience of geographical points which is alien to war, -which is the negation of war, and the sure proof of decadence, the man who knows and follows one vital purpose—to smash the enemy's field force." Let us "hope that the great generals-plans foi* a future countermove will result in the thorough destruction of t"he enemy hosts.