GREAT SWEEPING MOVEMENT.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 21 October 1918, Page 5

GREAT SWEEPING MOVEMENT.

THE HUN CRACKING UP,

REPORTED EVACUATION OF BRUSSELS.

FRENCH CAVALRY NEAR GHENT

ENTIRE BELGIAN COAST BEING ABANDONED.

BUT OUTSKIRTS OF ZEEBRUGGE STILL HELD.

LONDON, Oct. 18. The great sweeping movement that is progressing in Belgium is crowded with dramatic ©vents, particularly the re-entry of Ostend on the anniversary cC its. surrender four years ago. Admiral Keyes was the first man ashore.

The people were wild with delight and shouldered the French airmen who landed as the German rearguard hastened from the town. ■ ;

The British marines met with a, stirring reception. They witnessed extraordinarily pathetic scenes when the inhabitants later welcomed the Belgian infantry, who were flushed with pride in their mission of liberation.

Meanwhile the Belgian cavalry, who were pressing on to Bruges, saw the .Germans hurrying towards Eecloo. The whole Flemiish coast may be regarded as in the Allies' hands.

Shortly after daybreak, in consequence of the inhabitants' signals to the airmen, our patrols rapidly pushed through Haubouram into the city.

It is impossible to give an adequate summaxy of to-day's stirring events. The Hun ie cracking up. His retreating armies from the Channel to Valenciennes show greater signs of demoralisation. Only the machine gunners "are holding out.

Courtrai town &as not been bombarded. The enemy's high explosives search the road® in the British-held quarter, but display almost an ostentatious care to avoid the destruction of buildings in the town. Women and children,, bo far, are safe, those within the British lines having evacuated, but others are caught in the screen of the German rearguard covering the .retreat from Lille—a novel position, al-

most unparelleled in war. They remain in the cellars and move behind the shattered windows listening with, feverish impatience for the sound of British voices.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

NEW YORK, Oct. 18. It :s reported that the Germans are evacuating Brussels.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

The British are six miles east of Douai.

Mazingheim, south-east of Le Cateau, has been captured. It is reported that the French cavalry has reached the outskirts of Ghent, and that the British have captured Wiassigny. British warships off the Belgian coast are shelling the retreating Germane. The British entered Eecloo, Bur-; rounding 6000 Germans against the ; Dutch frontier.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. j General Marsh states that the British are approaching Suis, in Holland. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

LONDON, Oct. 18. _ The Germans have evacuated the entire Belgian coast. The United Press correspondent states that., instead <s2 entering Lille on Thursday, 'the British passed beyond on both sides, as part of an apparent unwritten agreement that Lille is not to be used for military purposes, thereby remaining exempt from German shelling in the future a>s from tine British shelling in the past four years. The only soldier seen there after the German withdrew was Captain Charles Dosolle, an aviator, who flew from Dunkirk in the afternoon to visit his/. father, the Mayor of Lille, whom he tad not seen since the outbreak of the war.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

LONDON, Oct. 19. The British in Flanders continue to clear out strong rearguards, and are advancing gteatlily. The British have known for a fortnight that.the retreat was in progress, the Germans going out of their own volition.

They still have haix a, mil Eon reserves, apart from the 1920 class, but prefer to cut their losses and use the half-million to defend the new' line rather than bolster an untenable longer line.

The enemy, apparently, has not quite evacuated the Zeebrugge area, as Ostend ha® been labelled irom there

Although Bruges is not yet occupied, our troops have reached its western and southern outskirts.

British: patrols, after traversing Roubaix and Turcoing 3 reached, the outskirts of Mouseron.—Aus. Cable Assn. So far Zeebrugge has xnot completely fallen. The Germans are holding the outskirts also the southern and western outskirts of Bruges. The Belgian® have reached some points of the Zeebrugge-Bruges canal. We reached the Oise on a wide front west of Guise. We are also approaching the Sanibre canal. This is an important line, because it gives the enemy a waterline through Maubeuge to Namur, and we may be sure the enemy will hold it with all the strength at his disposal. In the region east of Vouzieres the French made a big dent in the German line, and captured Vandy. A general view of the situation is that in Flanders, as Scaor as the Scarpe, the enemy's retreat is continuing under cover of strong rearguards. Further south the Germans are executing a small local retirement under extreme pressure. They cannot relinquish much ground south of the Sambre and the Qise without risking vital points seriously their strategy. It might mean the cutting of their armies in two, and materially altering the whole situation if the Allies advance from twenty to twenty-five miles. We hold Hannapes. Lupigny, Noyales, and the majority of places bordering on the oanal. Since the opening of the battle in this* region on October 17 we have made 3000 prisoners, and captured 20 guns and a considerable number oif machine guns; also important war material,! including an entire munition train. j On the Aisne front we cleared the enemy between the canal and the Aisne! to west of Attigny. , captured Le' Haaitj taking' prisoners.—Aug.-N.Z:I Cable Assn. and Reuter. ! There ia no oonfii-mation of the re- \ port that the King and Queen of the Belgians had entered Bruges. I It is reported that there is com- j paratively little damage at Ostend. i King Albert flew over the town before; its evacuation. . . j A striking feature of the situation is the enemy's inability to replace the last three months' losses. The Germans do not attempt to dispute the British general superiority, but are content to concentrate their strength in 'particular sectors. General yon Bulow. in a recent army order, said the numbers ox the German air scouts could never equal the enemy's strength. In fighting these machines troops in quiet sectors must rely on ground defences.—Aus.-N.Z. Cabl« Assn. and Reuter.