ENEMY ATTEMPTING TO STRAIGHTEN OISE SALIENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16876, 14 June 1918, Page 5

ENEMY ATTEMPTING TO STRAIGHTEN OISE SALIENT.

GERMAN LOSS MANIFESTLY VERY HEAVY. FRESH SHOCK DIVISIONS CONTINUALLY PUT IN. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. LONDON*. Ju ns 12. The German .advance at Ribccourt menaces the French holding Mount Renaud, which is the key to the Oise Valley, and endangers the whole salient marked by the Oise, Ribccourt, and Soissons. The German success in the centre is attributed to the unexpectedly largo number of tanks employed, some of which slipped through the French anti-tank ban-age. The success of General Foch's counter-attack in the. centre, recovi ring 31 miles of country, however, shows that the fighting qualities of the defenders is still unimpaired. The seriousness of the position must not be minimised, as von Hutier's present objective is strictly limited, namely, to straighten out the battlefront between Montdidier and Soissons. The German losses are manifestly very great. Such losses may be justified if von Hutier's objective be gained, or if General Foeh be compelled to weaken his high defence in order to hold the Oise Valley. All critics agree that if Foch is compelled to put in his reserves, Ludendorff will launch a staggering attack in the direction of the Channel ports. Tt is estimated that von Hut.ier has 25 reserve divisions, most of which he has already used once. The. fact that von Hutier is continually putting in fresh shock divisions in massed formation shows the German determination to carry the enterprise through. It is estimated that a hundred thousand fresh troops were thrown in during the last 24 hours. It is impossible to summarise French suffering and heroism, but this episode is typical. A party of dismounted cavalry, defending Plemont, beat off 14 assaults upon the hill. The latest German tanks are lightly armoured, and weigh about 40 tons. Their speed is nine miles. They carry a 2|in gun mounted forward, in addition to half-a-dozen machine-guns. Unlike the British machine, the caterpillar movement band is under cover, except when in contact with the ground. The village of Mery, seven miles southeast of Montdidier, was recaptured by the French at 10 o'clock last night.