OVERNIGHT NEWS.

Mataura Ensign, 18 April 1917, Page 5

OVERNIGHT NEWS.

OM THE WESTERN FRONT. GjREAT FRENCH OFFENSIVE. *'(L 0N 23-.MTLE FRONT. PRISONERS-TAKEN. Jhe i'rench communique states:— Between St. Quentin and the Oise artillery fighting has continued. South of the Oise we further progressed on the plateau east of the line iJarisis-Qu yicey-Ra ssee. After artillery preparation la stint: several days we. attacked in the morning between Soissons and Rheims the German line on a front of- about -It) kilometres. A desperate battle ensued along the whole front, where ,the enemy had collected the largest forces and numerous guns* Everywhere the French overcame the enenly's vigorous defence and carried i the first German position between Soi.s-! sons and Craonne. j East, of'Craonne we carried the second German positions south of Juvincourt. Further south, we- carried a line as far as the western outskirts of Beimericourt, and as far as the Aisne Canal between Loivre and Conrcy. Repeated vioientcounter-attacks north of la Ville aux Bois were broken by our fire", with,considerable enemy losses. Tho prisoners so i'ar counted exceed 10 000. We captured a considerable quantity of .material. Artillery lighting continues in Champagne and an intermittent cannonade on the rest of the front. GERMANS - NON-COMMITTAL. LONDON, April 16.. The German official message states: been' little fighting on the Arras jjrea. A French attempt, with the far-reactiing object of,hreaking through on the Aisne, commenced after 10 day of massed fire. A bitter fight is proceeding around our foremost positions, |, a frontal attack being delivered on j' front 40 kilometres lyide. j i

' BRITISH ENTHUSIASM. LONDON, April Ifi. Renter's Headquarters' correspondent says that the news 1 that the great .French offensive had started this moniingxran through oar army like wildfire anxj "evoked the greatest enthusiasm. THL LAGNICOURT SUCCESS. GERMANS IN A \ TRAP. , SHOT DOWN IN HUNDREDS. j LONDON, April lfi. ! Describing the counter-attack at| Lagnicourt Renter's correspondent says, that the Germans were caught in their| own firo which had not Jicen cut in \ the direction in which they were forced back. While they ran wildly un and down, trying to find a passage, oiu- men, firing with deliberate aim, shot them down in hundreds. The intensity of- the ride fire was unequalled since" the days of t}ie Marne Many of our men fired a hundred rounds. The desperate Germans doubled right up to the attackers, holding jip their Jiands. PRUSSIAN GUARDS' « BLACK DAY. A GRAPHIC ACCOUNT LONDON, April 17. Mr Philip Cibbs gives further vivid details of the Australian success at jjaginomirt. It was one of the bloodiest ejoisodes of a long tale of slaughter, enemy before daybreak heavily attacked iu masses and achieved a ttriejf success agin.st the Australians. The charging waves of the. Prussian Guards ' drove a deep wedge into our position. Australian Wtafi Officers swiftly prepared a counter-blow, and at 7.30 the' Australians, with irresistible spiiit, swept "forward, forcing the Prussians! to retreat obliquely. 'J hey were painc-i stricken under a shower of shrapnel,] resulting in greatest disaster because; they were cut off by. their own broad belts of entanglements. * The most appalling slaughter follow T ed, corpses being piled upon corpses along the -lines of the tangled mass of spiked wire. The cries ofthe .wounded, itt long tragic- wails, rose high above the roar 'offtlie rifle fire and bursting shrapnel. '.- ..The* Australians, quiet and grim, shot and shot continuously until over 1500. Gfrman corpses lay before the position. ], ' '.-■■' Dii-e fate has followed the Prussian Guard throughout the war: but this massacre is the worst episode in their history, and' will be remembered in Germany as a black and fearful thing.

SEVEN DAYS' TALLY. 14,000 PPJSONERS; 194 GUNS. "LONDON, April 16. s\r LVmglas Haig reports that upward of 14,000 prisoners and 194 guns havo been taken since the morning of the'*sth Inst. Hetf-w rain has fallen all the afternoon, ayicl nothing of special interest has occurred. GREATEST SINCE THE MARNE. AND MAY BE DECISIVE. » i*EW YORK, April 17. FjWLnk Sinimonds, the 'Tribune's' cor- ' resident, says that the Arras battle i is W Q £ reJlt pt offensive since the| "Marae-,-and may he. the decisive battle of the war. The British success has already surpassed" anything in trench svar. -'tv \ .'..•■' ■-.■•■ EMPLOYING GERMAN GUNS. "LONDON, A\v\\ Itf. Rerrfcpr's eorfcespondont . states 'that the captured 'Cm naval gun. mentioned jn the communiques, is being employed effectively against the .Germans. Other bootv included great quantities of Bin shells, 'bombs,-: high explosives ' and steel rails. ) REPRISAL B&MBARDMENT. 31 ANY ROMBF: I OX FRTERUPG. LONDON. Aoril IH.' Thes -Admiralty announces that owing to (Jerir.fin submarine, attacks on hosnitai ships in direct; and flagrant contravention- -of the Higue Convention a largo squa(T»nn Y>f Apglo-Fioneh aeronlanes carried out a reprisal bonihardSent on .FriehV« on S-trirday M.ny bombs were dropped at ,ih good results. Despite many air flights all our machines returned safely except three. GENERAL t|EWS. INDEPENDENT DEMOCRATS. TO '-.OPPOSE THE GOVERNMENT. AMSTERDAM, April 17. ■ A new twrtv, called the Independent Social - Dernoerntb Party of Germany, has been foumled under the joint- pre■SncvV Herren Haase and LedcW to oppose Herr Soheiclemann's Socialist party and the Government.