WEEK OF DISASTER FOR THE ENEMY IN THE AIR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16896, 8 July 1918, Page 5

WEEK OF DISASTER FOR THE ENEMY IN THE AIR.

RAIDS ON RHINE TOWNS CAUSE UNIVERSAL ALARM. BRITISH SERVICE ASSISTS IN CAPTURE OF HAMEL. Australian and N.Z. and Reutor, (Reed. 6.5 p.m.) LONDON, July 6. The Press Bureau states: During the past week the air fighting has been intense, and an abnormally high percentage of German machines destroyed by British. An increasingly menacing portent is furnished by the British air raids over Germany, whose large and more distant cities are now in constant fear of attack. This is occasioning rapidly spreading anxiety and alarm throughout Germany. The new British independent fighting force has been especially conspicuous by a series of heavy telling blows against the large industrial centres in the Rhino provinces. Naval airmen are also vigorously carrying out daring offensives against vital enemy sea stations on the Belgian coastSir Douglas Haig's aviation report states: Our aeroplanes cooperated in the successful attack on Thursday south of the Somme by heavily bombing German positions throughout the previous night, using their machine-guns and dropping bombs from a low altitude on enemy troops and transports during the actual operation. We destroyed 11 machines and drove down 10 out of control. Four British" machines engaged in that area are missing. All those engaged on other parts of the front returned. We dropped 33} tons of bombs on Thursday night, and Friday. Sixteen tons were dropped on the railway junctions at Lille, Courtrai, and elsewhere. All our machines returned.

■ The Air Ministry reports: On Friday morning our aeroplanes heavily and successfully attacked the railway stations at Coblenz and Saarbrucken, where we brought down two enemy attacking machines. All ours returned.

INSTANTANEOUS SUCCESS OF AUSTRALIANS ON SOMME TANKS MOVE AHEAD UNDER EFFECTIVE SMOKE SCREEN Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. LONDON. July 6. Mr. Philip Gibbs writes: A surprise attack by Australians resulted in an advance of lj miles on a four miles front, capturing the village of Hamel and the trench system beyond, south of the Sommo. Tho Australian losses were astonishingly light. When I visited the Australians it was difficult to believe an attack had taken place. There were none of the usual signs of battle, the casualty clearing stations were almost empty, and there were no lightly wounded men. The enemy was utterly surprised, and the attack was so perfectly carried out that it was completed in an hour, when hundreds of prisoners were being sent back under escort. Tanks, co-operating with the infantry, were the main cause of the German surprise and overthrow. German officers confess that up to three o'clock in the morning they had not the faintest idea that they were going to bo attacked. Our artillery is very strong in this sector, and its fire was BO planned that it neutralised the enemy's guns directly the infantry advanced. . When the bombardment opened at eight minutes past three oVock, with intense drumfire and concentrated counter-battery work, the German artillery reply was so feeble that the Australians were well on the way to their last objectives before the first enemy shells fell on the old German front lines. When the brigades assembled for the attack at dead of night they were careful that no sound crossed No Man's Land. The infantry moved at 11 minutes past three, drumfire beginning two m'nutes earlier. "The roar of the guns reminded mo of Pozieres," said an Australian officer. Under a widespread flight of shells the tanks staged forward. The smoke screens sent before our tanks made dense clouds, which lay low on the ground and hid the tanks from the German anti-tank guns, so our tanks nosed their way forward steadily, the crews within working the engines, and three or four men sitting on top of each tank, fully exposed, with legs dangling over the sides. Thus they rode into seeming hell-fire. The infantry followed in waves, loose open lines of men extending forward. As they came close to the barrage rolling slowly ahead, the Australians chose to risk # wounds from their own bullets rather than give the German machine-gunners time to get to work. The German machiners were only able to open fire at a few places. One was in the rear of a trench where a tank could not get into position, and there the enemy fought stubbornly, the firing of his machine-guns making a persistent tattoo, until they were rushed elsewhere. German anti-tank artillery put three or four of our tanks out of action for a time, but most of our tanks were successful in rounding up a large number of Germans. Manoeuvring all over the sector, they attacked with infantry following in their wake, and dawn was just breaking when the Australians made their final charge, shouting to the enemy to surrender. Many aeroplanes participated in tho battle, swooping low to drop bombs on German positions and making Hamel a hell. Most of the Germans were wearing gas masks, under the belief that the smoke screen hiding the tanks was a poison gas cloud. There was so little German artillery fire that the Australians were able to wander over the captured ground with the greatest ease. SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CAPTURE OF MEL. SUDDEN OUTBURST OF A TORNADO OF GUNFIRE. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. LONDON, July 6. The correspondent of the United Press at British headquarters says that the battle fought at daybreak east of Amiens is destined to occupy a special place in history. Not only have we signally defeated the enemy, but we have taken 1500 prisoners, and reached all our objectives with exceedingly few losses to' the attackers. Absolutely no artillery fire preceded the attack, but two minutes before the troops went over the British guns began a bombardment of thb German front and support lines, and a smoke screen soon covered the battlefront from the Ancre to the Luce. Suddenly, in the centre, large numbers of tanks, which had been secretly brought up, emerged from the smoke. The enemy was so terrified that he scarcely fought, many holding up their hands and begging to surrender. Behind the tanks came tho Australians' moving towards Hamel Village and Vaire Wood and Hamel Wood. In a short time every objective was gained. The village, woods, and trenches beyond fell into allied hands. Three German divisions lost heavily. Local operations between the Somme • and the Ancre kept the enemy guessing and enabled us to improve the situation. The prisoners admit that they were totally surprised. They spent the night in cellars and dug-outs dodging British bombs from aeroplanes which circled all night over them, dropping scores of 25-pound bombs on Hamel. AUSTRIANS ON PIAVE ATTACKED FROM LAND AND SEA DESTROYERS DRIVEN OFF AND COAST SHELLED. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. LONDON. July 6, • Early this morning Italian warships attacked the coast between Revedolu, on tho banks of the old Piave and Caorle, in conjunction with an attack by troops ashore. The whole objective was to drive the v;nemy from the area between tho two Piaves. The first flotilla headed for Pola, and detected a force of Austrian destroyers coming south-west. The Austrians made oS at full speed towards Pola, and a 20 minutes' running fight at 2000 yds • range ensued, Austrian tracer shells falling accurately around the pursuers. One of the Italian ships had her funnel shelled and her engines injured. The largest Austrian warship was directly hit, and flames belched from below the bridge, her speed being reduced. The Italian flotilla gave up the chase in order to protect another flotilla which was bombarding the coast. This force steamed up and down the coast, firing at the Austrian shore batteries and encampment. At six o'clock the auxiliary cruisers, towing rafts, lay in toward the coast, while destroyers issued clouds of smoke, masking the movements of the whole group of ships. This mock landing produced wild fire ashore. Simultaneously a great attack by the Italian anny started from Chiesa Saunova to the coast by night, driving the Austrians from most of the ground between the two Piaves, Nearly 2000 were taken prisoner, mostly Bosnians, who resisted vigorously. The Italians set fire to small bridges with floats sent down stream aflame, fed with petrol. The Italians, under heavy fire, built eight canal bridges on the battlefield, which iB seven miles long and two deep.