BLACK DAYS FOR GERMAN ARMS

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

BLACK DAYS FOR GERMAN ARMS

WONDERFUL CHOP OF AITTFD SUCCESSES. iy^ll-u

GREAT NORTHERN DRIVE,

MAINLY QUESTION OF KEEPING CONTACT.

I LONDON, Oct. 18. j .Keuter's French headquartetrs corres<pondent wrote on Thursday eveningIlia Anglo-French attacks which began this morning between La Cateau and the piss are_the culmination of the colossal battle which began 011 August 8 Generals Rawlinson and Debeiiey are advancing along the railway connection' ot the enemy front between Bethel and the great junction of Hirson, and thereby wit!h Germany. Th Q Germans were., in strong force on the^ whole front, resisting tenaciously. 1 The American headquarters corresponj dent, writing on Thursday, says the captune of Grandpre. yesterday was accomplished without artillery preparation. The Germans, with a view to i-endering the pursuit more difficult, destroyed the bridges over the Aire, and, instead of bndgmg the river, the Americans forded the shallow stream at four points, under a murderous fire, and, after bitter hand-to-hand fighting, drove the Germans out of Grandpre and took possession of the important railhead. Keuter's British headquarters correspondent, writing on Thursday evening says: Thia has been a black day for German arms. Whilst between Lille and the sea a wonderful crop of most brilliant successes was being garnered by the Allies, the Fourth British Army struck hard between Le Gateau and Bohain, aiming in, the direction across which the enemy was trying ito effect his main retreat. The fighting has been heavy, but the progress is satisfactory the principal tactical objectives being reached at an early hour. The heaviest resistance was encountered around Le Cateau. Our prisoners at mid-day numbered 1800 from six different divisions. The British landing party under Admiral Keyes, which occupied Ostend, was given an enthusiastic reception. _ The Allies are. advancing along the Bruges-Thourout road, and axe* within fiv€' miles of Bruges. T.:e situation at Oourtrai is interesting. We hold one->tthird of the town wLjr&n are 5000 inhabitants, the Germ:;as retaining the • remainder containnig 80,000 civilians. "We are virtually aii round the place, and the enemy's tenure ia decidedly precarious. He attempted on Monday night to evacuate all the civilian males' from the age of 17 to 55.

t The Allies had made prisoners over 13,000 in Flanders up to* last night.— Reuter.

LONDON, Oct. 19. Rteuter's correspondent at British headquarters, writing on the evening or the: 18_tih, states tSbat the great northiern drive has become mainly a question of keeping contact. Appreciable progress by the AngloFrench, pivoting on'Le Cateau, wotild leave the Germans' exposed flank fraught with possibilities of a rout, hence the strenuous resistance encountered, by the Anglo-Americans under General Rawlinson. The enemy's counter-attacks at Lar deri and Molan, west of Ribfeiauville and ;La "Vailee Mulatre, led to th© fiercest fighting. ; This morning, with lessened resistance showing, the enemy's defence was broken, and we progressed satisfactorily. '■■ The infantry gained the line of rail- . way west of Quesnoy. Patrols are re- : ported to have gone through Quesnoy j itself. W© are also on the west bank of the Deule and made a good advance in the Le Gateau region, being well beyond t2ie Selle.—Reurfcer. NEW YORK, Oct. 19. Mr James, with the American Army, cables that prisoners say that the Ger- : man Notes, with President Wilson's re- ;■ plies hay© been posted at all German headquarters. I Captured orders tell the German sol- : diers that they must fight their hardest I now for the purpose of getting better i peace _ terms and guaa-d the Fathei-land I from invasion. ! Mr James continues: I saw a do^ti- ; merit which was circulated among the | German soldiers, saying, "France, America and Italy wanted peace," also a leaflet saying that when the Germain armies werp withdrawn from France and Belgium, the American and British aimies would br> withdrawn from France.— Aus.-N.Z. Cable Association