MONTDIDIER OUTFLANKED AND TAKEN BY FRENCH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16926, 12 August 1918, Page 5

MONTDIDIER OUTFLANKED AND TAKEN BY FRENCH.

LINE CAERIED. TO SIX MILES EAST OF THE TOWN.

FRESH ATTACK DEVELOPED TO THE SOUTH-EAST.

SIX MILES ADVANCED AND MANY VILLAGES CARRIED. I -. . v By Telegraph— Association— kjjk .' " ■.<■<& "'"'''.' ' :•■ . ■ . ... • •. ,' • . .. Australian and N.Z. and Renter. (Seed. 12.5 am.) LONDON. Aug. 1112-30 a.m. '"/ Sir Douglas Haig reports: The attack launched on Friday even- - \ ing, in accordance with the allied plan, by the right of the French ;'First Army, south of Montdidier, was developed by the Allies during : the next morning with complete success. We enveloped from the '' north and south-east the town of Montdidier, which fell into the hands ,-' • of the French before midday, with many prisoners and ft quantity .: of material. The advance of the French First Army continued all '':-',* day long in co-operation with the right of the British Fourth Army, i ; ';-. ;';/' which was hard pressing the retreating Germans. South of Lihons • ,: we overcame the enemy's resistance, and made substantial progress. - *, The general line reached by the Allies now runs north to south from *> „,..'• Lihons, 13 miles east of the Avre, and seven miles south of the Somme, \\ to Fresnoy-les-Roye, six miles due south, to Ligniercs, 4j miles' orth- ' east of Montdidier, to Conchy-les-Pots, eight miles south-east of • -'"■ - Montdidier. The number of prisoners is increasing. -.:.' .';:,-■:. i A French communique states:— attacks on the Avre battlei ; front continued all day with increasing success. Montdidier was out- ;;.{"■•,: flanked from the east and north and fell during the morning. Continuing our victorious advance on the right of the British we pushed ' •'." six miles east of Montdidier, on the front from Andechy to Laboissiere to Feschamps. Extending the action south-east we attacked German positions on.the right and left of the St. Just-Roye road on a front of ' 12 miles. We captured Rollot, Orvillers-Sorel, Ressons-sur-Matz, ' '. Conchy-les-Pots, La Neuville-sur-Ressona and Elincourt, advancing six miles at certain points. The French in three days' fighting have . s'f • advanced over 12 miles along the Amiens-Roye road and captured over . 8000 prisoners. So far we have counted 200 guns among the enormous iy material abandoned.