VERY VIOLENT FIGHTING

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXVII, Issue LXXVII, 31 July 1918, Page 5

VERY VIOLENT FIGHTING

ENEMY RESISTANCE STRONGLY INCREASED. GERMANS ADMIT RETIREMENT FROM OURCQ. LONDON, July 30 (2 a.m.) A French communique states:—During the day there was very violent fighting on the whole front north of the Marne. The enemy, whose resistance strongly increased, disputed every foot of ground and attempted to drive us back by numerous counter-attacks. We repulsed all assaults, and.made further advance on the outskirts of the village of Buzancy. Thie Scottish captured the park and chateau and maintained their positions, despite repeated German assaults. East of Plessier-Hulen and Ouchy-Je-Chateau, we passed the Chateau Thierry road and captured Grand Rozy and C'ugny, also the Butte-d§>-Chalmont, after a brilliant action. North of Fere-en-Tardenois, we, extended our gains and entered Sergy. Further south,**_tonc_e_es fell into our hands. ' On the right we passed the DormansRheims' road. We gained ground west ;of Bligny and St. Euphraise. The German attack' in the Champagne regdon, south of Mount Sans Norn, failed. The German official report states:— There is severe * fighting beyond the Ourcq. Sergy, after changing hands four times, remains in ours. LONDON, July 29. Sir Douglas *Haig.*s aviation report states: —Despite low clouds on the 28th, we dropped 10 tons of bombs on dumps, railway stations, and billets .t Douai, Armentieres, Bapaume, and Chaulnes. We brought down nine aeroplanes. Four British are missing. We bombed, at night, the Bapaume active batteries north of the Somme. All our machines returned. —Aus.-N.Z. C.A. and Reuter. Sin* Douglas Haig reports:—ln a successful minor operation, on the night of the 28th, in the Morlancourt sector, we made many prisoners and gained all our objectives. We beat off three coun-ter-attacks, inflicting losses. —Aus.-N Z. C.A. and Reuter. A Avireless German official message states:--We evacuated on the night of the 26th and 27th July, ■ the fighting zone between the Ourcq and the Ardre, and shifted our defence to the region of Fere-en-Tardenois, and Ville-en-Tardenois unobserved by the enemy. Our fore-field guards, after fulfilling their task, fell back before strong enemy attacks, .south-east of Fere-en-Tardenois. Violent combats ensued, wherein we repulsed the enemy. —Aus. N.Z. Cable Association. A wireless German message reports: —In the evening severe attacks on our new positions west of Fere-en-Tardenois failed sanguinarily.—Aus.-N.Z. C.A. and Reuter^