BATTLE LINE FROM ARRAS TO THE CISE NOW STABLE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16816, 5 April 1918, Page 5

BATTLE LINE FROM ARRAS TO THE CISE NOW STABLE

NO SEASON TO BELIEVE OPERATIONS FINISHED. ENEMY NEED TO REORGANISE CONGESTED AREAS. ' ..''••"• ■' • ' By Telegraph— Association— Australian and. N.Z. / <Baeehed.7 p.m.) , LONDON, April 3. *A high military authority writes:'. There has been no material change since, last report. We have somewhat improved our position, while the-whole front from Arras to the Oise has reached a pbsition of ..stability after the recent' series of gigantic battles. We still have the -1918 season in front of us. It is futile to suppose the operations have ended because the enemy for the time being has been checked. . The two main masses of the enemy divided by the Somme are greatly congested, rendering it necessary that the enemy should reduce the • situation to some sort of order. . This congestion is particularly severe in the northern-area, where the splendid work of the third army •» enabled our more, deliberate withdrawal, inflicting great punishment on the enemy." 'As an instance of how we retarded the enemy advance, we blew up two enormous mines, and as we fell back mined the road between the craters, It is now one enormous crater into which our artillery is firing day and night, preventing the Germans from bringing up supplies. Divisions with iron rations have been replacing exhausted divisions. It hag now reached "a point where the process is inapplicable, and he must devise a means to bring up supplies of food and munitions.from a greater distance. f * Although we, checked the enemy definitely, we must remember V he has employed so far only about half of his army on the western ' front. The enemy is probably sending up fresh divisions, and sending " down the tired ones, He may claim that he broke through the British prepared positions, and thinks he can now repeat the performance 'against improvised ones, but a readjustment of the battlefield is only - a matter of time. It is certain the German losses have been very 1 considerably heavier than ours. In our withdrawals many aerodromes - have- been destroyed, but we had improvised new ones further back. '' It might still be said we were a long way from having command of the air..

'* The authority adds there are indications of an Austrian attack % against Italy being prepared.