GERMAN LINES PENETRATED ON FRONT OF TEN MILES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16511, 11 April 1917, Page 7

GERMAN LINES PENETRATED ON FRONT OF TEN MILES.

IFIMY RIDGE CAPTURED BY CANADIANS EARLY IN ATTACK v TRENCHES AND FORTIFIED LOCALITIES EAST OF ARRAS. SECOND ADVANCE ALONG DOUAI AND CAMBRAI ROADS. TOTAL OF 5816 PRISONERS COUNTED EARLY IN AFTERNOON. By Telegraph— Association—Copyright. - ■ 'A. »nd N.Z. Cable and Eeuter. LONDON, April 9. ~:.'. -General Sir Douglas Haig reports: "We attacked at 5.30 this ;. -morning on a wide front, and penetrated the, enemy lines everywhere V;. from'southward of Arras to southward of Lens on a front of over 10 v ■ miles, making satisfactory progress at all points." .-V (Received 7.15 p.m.) LONDON, April 10. '-■,-. Sir Douglas Haig reports: "Our operations continue successfully ■'.in accordance with plans. Our troops everywhere stormed the enemy's '",," defences from Henin-sur-Cojeul to the southern outskirts of GivenchyX'- en-Gohelle to a depth of two to three miles,, and the advance con- .-.'_- tinues. - "-The enemy's forward defences on this front, including Vimy :,;'Ridge, which the Canadians carried, were captured early this morning. /■', They comprise a network "of trenches and the fortified localities of :■;.-• ■ Neuville-Vitasse, Telegraph Hill, Tilloy-les-Mofflaines, Observation <]' Ridge, St. Laurent, Blagny, Les Tilleuls, and La Folic Farm. '■''•' "Subsequently we advanced and captured the rearward defences, • including, besides other powerful trench systems, the fortified localities /. of Feuchy, Chapel de Feuchy, Hyderabad Redoubt, Atheis, and . Tholus. - "Up to 2 p.m. 5816 prisoners, of whom 119 were officers, passed the collecting stations. Many more have not been counted. Of these prisoners, many belong to Bavarian divisions. " Our captures include guns and numbers of trench mortars and ■; machine-guns." 'V The points, mentioned as defining the attacking front lie about 13 miles .apart.'. Henin-sur-Cojeul is five miles south-east of Arras, and Givenchy-en- ... Gohelle about two miles south-west of Lens. ' .•' : .. The first group'of positions named arc mostly in the vicinity of Arras, •''defining a curve to the east of the town, Neuville-Vitasse it nearly four miles :- -to the south. Almost due north of it is Telegraph Hill. Tilloy-les-Mofflaines ; '.is on the'Cambrai road, two miles from Anas. St. Laurent lies to the north- ". West of the town, of which , Blagny is a suburb. Les Tilleuls and La Folio . Farm are in tho vicinity of Lens, the former a mile east of Neuville St. Vaast, while La Folic Farm is on the crest of the Vimy Ridge. Feuchy and Athies are both about two and a-half miles east of Arras. •The' Chapel de Feuchy is a cross-roads shrine a mile and a half beyond Tilloy on the Cambrai road. A larger number of prisoners has been taken in one day than on the .whole ; of the British front during January, February, and March. Sir Douglas Haig I --recently reported that the total captured in those three months was 4600.