NOTES ON THE WAR.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17881, 29 August 1918, Page 4

NOTES ON THE WAR.

French and British were moving forward again on Tuesday on a front of something like fifty miles, „not rapidly, perhaps, but none the less surely. The enemy lost Roye and the ridge south of Crapenumesnil on the southern wing of the battle, and Favreuil, on the northern wing, was captured by the British. Oroisilles, Bapaume and Ohaulnes were still held stiffly, but both Oroisilles and Bapaume were in imminent danger of being turned hv the advances on either flank, and Ohaulnes was similarly threatened, though more remotely, by the French movement past Roye. Reuter’s correspondent has outlined the position presumably as it 6tood at midday on Tuesday. The French held Roye, and were well across the RoycChaulnes railway as far ns Liancourt. Thoy had reached Hallu, which is less than two miles south of Ohaulnes. In front of Ohaulnes, where the Germans are strongly posted on high ground, the British had apparently made no direct attack, the intention being to wait until the enemy’s position could ho turned from the south. From Lihons to Herleville the Allied front was just to the west of the line held prior _to the Somme battle of 1916. That line had been reached at Dompierre.

North of tho Sommo, Maricourt had been reached by the British, and between Maricourt and Bapaume the advance had reached Flers, in spite of repeated strong counter-attacks. At Bapaume itself there had been no change, for the enemy’s counter-attack had apparently driven the British hack from the southern edge of the town. The New Zealanders had fought their way to the northern edge. North of Bapaume, Favreuil had been held against a counter-attack, and the advance bad been pushed east towards Beugniffcre, from which point the new British line ran north-east to Vraucourt and Vaulx and then to Eooust St Mein, where the Australians were posted last year before the attack on Bullecourt. The Germans retained a salient at Croisilles, but the position was already turned by the advance to Ecoust and by an advance further north as far as Cherisy, so that it seemcch inevitable that the salient would immediately bo pinched out. The old Hindenburg line had been crossed and Cherisy had been occupied. From that point tlio line ran north to the fcicarpc approximately by the Hindenburg line. North of the Scarpe Gavrelle had been captured, so that east of Arras tho front had been restored to its preMarch position.

The capture of Roye calls first for comment. In ail probability tho Gormans had been preparing to evacuate the town, in view of the position further south, and the French capture of Fresnoy and St Mard made its fall certain. To the south it was covered by the powerful position on the high ground at Crapeaumesnil, but that, also, seems to have been stormed by the French, so that the approach to Roye from the southern flank was virtually open. It may bo taken foi granted that tho Germans have prepared a main defensive position well to the east, possibly on the Nesle-Noyon line, and it is therefore to be inferred that they will offer a strong resistance in the wood in front of Avricourt and on Hill 170, which ought to bo the points d’appui of their left wing. It is as well, under these conditions, not to attach too great an importance to the capture of Roye. The advance, however, will facilitate the operations against Ohaulnes, which may bo turned

from the south. The fighting in 1916 demonstrated the great difficulty o? turning it from the north.

Tho battle in the centre ca-lls for no special comment because tho position has been sufficiently indicated by Reuter’s correspondent. But the position on the northern wing has become intensely interesting. The attack is being pushed most energetically by Byng’s left. North of tho Scarpe both Arleux and Gavrelle have been, captured, and Fresnoy and Oppy aro presumably under attack. Theso villages represent tho extreme advance achieved by the British last year. It looks now as if the First Army would also be actively engaged in an attempt to turn Lens from the south. In tho valley of the Scarpo Roeux has been occupied and the advance is being continued towards Plouvain. South of tho Scarpo after passing Monchy the Canadians have carried both the Bois Vert and tho Boid du Sart, which were intensely fortified by the enemy a year ago, and would still bo held in great strength. At C'herisy, Vis-en-Artois arid Fontaine the British have burst across the old Hindcnburg lino and have already passed the positions where the great offensive south of Arras caino to an end last year. It is not merely sentiment that makes this advance so welcome, for the enemy’s retention of Oroisilles raises a strong presumption that ho had hoped once more to bring the British advance to a halt on the Senseo.

That hope has been defeated. Croisillea cannot be held if the British remain firm at Fontaine—even if they advance no further—and the probability is that by this time tho attack on tho next village to tho east, Ilendecourt, lias already been undertaken. Cherisy, Fontaine, Ilendecourt, Rieucourt and Bullecourt constituted the main buttress of what most people called the Hindenburg line, but which was, in reality, the northern extension of tho Hindenburg lino. Just, to the south of them the powerfully organised defence of Quennt guarded the junction of the front German lino with tho second defensive position, a trench system that ran north behind Queant. This was never reached by the British. The Australians captured Bullecourt at great cost, but got no further. Tho Third Army later attempted to turn Queant from the south in the course of the great surprise attack towards Cambrai, but the Germans again stood firm. Theso affairs of the past are recalled now in order to emphasise the importance of tho present series of operations and tho value of tho advance that is being achieved. The course of tho offensive now depends largely on the result of the fighting between Croisilles and Bapaumo. The Germans are resisting tenaciously, hut they have lost Beugnatre definitely and are probably weakening at Vaulx-Vracourt. If they break on this sector both Croisilles and Bapaumo will fall automatically.