BRITISH OFFENSIVE SOUTH EAST OF AMIENS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16925, 10 August 1918, Page 7

BRITISH OFFENSIVE SOUTH EAST OF AMIENS.

GEEMAN POSITIONS CAPTOEED ON FEONT OF 20 MILES. ': ••".'■"• '•' ■.'■ '.■ ' ■'-■ ■■'■-. '•■.''' •' :'' '■'." "'■■'':'"' •''• '■"■.. "V. ' ''■■'■■ ... - '■.->•.'' ..'."* .; ■; •.'..■ .;..'• •■■, v •'. .'".' .'■'.,' ,)'"■'. '" '•' ,' •:•.', , V ■■~:.;■■. LARGE NUMBER OP TANKS ASSIST THE INFANTRY. |g| '- ; ' . : y,:. , ..; ~«'•, THOUSANDS OF PRISONERS AND MANY GUNS TAKEN. Wm -• ; >^'- -''■■'? •■■■'■'•■ '■ ■'•■■ ; :"■ • ■ • ■ -•- " WM x'. y. , • - By Telegraph— Association—Copyright.J <'• •: ■ [■m Australian Mid N.Z. and Banter. , (Eecd. 18.10 *.in.) LONDON, Aug. 9. kj.h Sir Douglas Haig reports: Operations were begun .this morning : •;- on the Amiens front by the _ French • First Army, under General de Beny, and the British Fourth Army, under General Rawlinson. They are proceeding satisfactorily. The allied troops were assembled under cover of night, unnoticed by the enemy up to the hour of the assault. ) ;,.) French, Canadian, 1 English, ; and Australian divisions, assisted by a , "large number of tanks, stormed a front of over 20 miles,? from the Avre at Braches, to the.neighbourhood of Morlancourt. ' The enemy was surprised. We made rapid .progress* at all points, and ait an early .'' . hour.our first objectives were reached on the whole front. During the morning th« infantry advance continued, and was actively assisted by British' cavalry, light tanks, and motor machine-gun batteries. The German resistance was overcome iat certain points after sharp fighting. A later report states: In to-day's attack north of the Somme, the greater .part of the final objectives wore gained during the forenoon, "'■V but there was!heavy* fighting in the neighbourhood of Chipilly and ;:t south of Morlancourt. Ultimately the objectives were gained. South of the Somme the final objectives were gained on the whole battle-,-:'front, cavalry participating. The Allies have 'reached the general

line, Jtozainvillers,: three miles south-east of Moreuil; Beau- ■-'■■■■. court, two miles 'east' of Mezieres; Caix/, five miles east of Demuin; • Framerville, a mile east of Villers Bretonneux;Ohipilly, in a bend .i of the Somme, north of Harbonnieres; and. west of Morlancourt. Many guns and thousands of prisoners have been captured. p A French communique says: At five o slock this morning we, in

■'.'•.. conjunction with British ; troops, attacked outh-east ; of Amiens. The :yi attack is eloping; under favourable com itions. • y ; ; '' H ■';.' The correspondent of the United Press on the French front reports

that the attack, following three minutes'' /ombardment,.; surprised the -.;■■ Germans. The advance continues fron • Morlancourt, between the ;jj;j: Somme and the Ancre, to Moreuil, on th'/ River Avre,lo miles southeast of Amiens. Tanks led the attar'.. Many prisoners and some guns have been captured.