ENEMY GAINS INITIAL SUCCESSES

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 9955, 26 April 1918, Page 5

ENEMY GAINS INITIAL SUCCESSES

By Telegraph— Press Association—Copyright. Australian and Now Zealand Cable Association. LONDON. April 24. The German offensive has been resumed at Dranoutre, and also in the Albert sector. The Gormans were driven back. LONDON, April 24. Mr Perry Robinson writes:—The Germans are ’uncomfortably squeezed in the triangular corner of Aveluy AVoocl, between the Anero and the railway, two miles north of Albert. Last night they endeavoured to got elbow room. After heavy shelling, successive waves forced us back four hundred yards from the railway, and proceeded to dig in on tho other side. 1 After smart manoeuvring, our Lewis guns enfiladed them, inflicting sanguinary losses. Our counter-attack completely drove them back to their old uncomfortable positions. During the night we assumed tho offensive as far as Bouzincourt. driving back the enemy on a thousand yards front to a depth of two hundred and fifty yards, gaining a bit of the best position in tho Albert area. The enemy is heavily shelling the Kemmel-Ypres area. Dranoutre is five miles west of Alossines; Albert is fourteen miles east north-east of Amiens. u , ’ , ATTACKS ON IMPORTANT TACTICAL POSITIONS , ENEMY GAINS INITIAL ADVANTAGE, BUT SUFFERS SEVERELY. Reuter’s Telegrams. (Receive April £5, 11.50 p.m.) LONDON. April 24.-' Router’s correspondent at British Headquarters, writing this evening, says;—Two enemy attacks against important tactical positions on,parts -of our line widely asunder were launched this morning. Tho. first was against Dranoutre, at the foot of Mont Kemmel, which tho French troops have -been defending. The enemy gained an initial advantage, but suffered so heavily that he was unable to press tho attack, and the situation was restored, j The second attack was against Villers Bretonneux, and .was followed,by,.a, violent bombardment of gas-shells. Two enemy divisions assaulted fiom„tiio direction of the Bernard road and penetrated our lino of posts and gained,a footing in the outskirts of (Villers Bretonneux. Tho battle is still progressing. The) enemy's objective has certainly not been gained. Coinciding with this operation an attack was delivered against the French between Castel and Sallies, near Hangard. It failed to attain its known objective. This morning the enemy endeavoured to push forward Ms lino north of the Clarence. river, but was repulsed. So effective was our rifle and ma-chine-gun fire that the enemy was beaten back without giving battle. In the attack on Villers Bretonneux three German tanks were seen advancing along the road with infantry following. HEAVY FIGHTING BETWEEN THE SOMME & THE AVRE BRITISH POSITIONS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE LAWE SHELLED. , 1 Australian N.. ■ •■Vi,- Association.. , (Received April 25, 7.15 p.m.) ' . LONDON, April 24. The United Press correspondent states:—Reports following those ■ relating to the bombardment of tho, entire British front to its junction with the French suggest that heavy fighting is proceeding between the Somme and -theAvre. Moreover, almost: simultaneously, von der Marwitz’s artillery is- active east of Amiens. .... ’ _ . At dawn tho British’ positions on both sides of the Lawe and north ■of Bethune were deluged with high explosives. The linos north-west of Albert were similarly shelled. AVhen tho Germans leaped cut of their trendies and advanced, British rifles and machine-guns got full into them. The enemy, discouraged, darted back to their trenches. British guns scattered concentrations north-west of Merville. Australian and New Zealand Cable Association and Reuter, . (Received April 25, 7.15 p.m.l ’ (LONDON, April 24. A French communique suites: —Between the Somme and the Avre the hostile bombardment became very violent in tho night on the Franco-British front, (notably in tho region of Viller Bretonneux and Hangard on Santerre. Our artillery energetically,replied. ’ GENERAL ENEMY ACTIVITY ON WHOLE OF BRITISH FRONT LONDON, April 24, 1.55 p.m. Sir Douglas Haig reports:—There was increased hostile artillery action yesterday afternoon and evening on tho bulk of tho fronts particularly in tho Somme and Anoro sectors, tho Scarpa Valley, and tho sectors north. ot Bethune, and north and north-east of Bailleul. The Germans at dusk attacked north-west of Albert, but were met with heavy rifle and machine-gun fire and driven back. Strong hostile attacks later in the evening near Dranoutre were repulsed by tho French after sharp fighting. The French and British artillery inflicted severe loss. Tho enemy’s artillery was active during tho night, and a heavy bombardment was opened early this morning along practically the whole of. the British front from northward of Albert to the junction with the French, south of the Somme. Strong infantry attacks are in progress in the Albert sector, and between the Somme and the Avre. There was heavy hostile shelling early this morning between Givenchy and Robeoq. Our artillery dispersed concentrations in the neighbourhood of Merville. . SEVERE AND CONTINUOUS FIGHTING (Received April 25, 11.30 p-m.) LONDON, April 24. Sir Douglas Haig reports:—After a violent bombardment this morning the enemy attacked tho whole British front south of tho Somme and tho French on our right. The attack was repulsed, but was renewed later in strength on our positions in this sector. TTho enemy obtained possession of Villers Bretonneux, where tho fighting was severe and continues. We repulsed other attacks on tho ndrth bank of tho Somme and northward of Albert,’ taking prisoners! Wo re-oaputred a post north-west of Festubort which wo lost on April 252nd. The garrison strongly resisted and lost heavily. We took aomo prisoners and machine-guns. We repulsed a strong attack on our now positions eastward of Robecq and maintained our lino intact. Wo also* secured prisoners in minor enterprises eastward of the Nieppo Forest and in tho neighbourhood Of Mctorom. WHOLE OF AUSTRALIAN FRONT INCLUDED VILLERS BRETONNEUX TAKEN BY ENEMY. Australian and New Zealand Cable Association. LONDON, April 24. The new offensive includes the whole Australian front south of Albert. Heavy attacks are proceeding. Tho Germans have captured villers Bretonneux (ton miles cast, of Amiens). . " .. Reports from Vienna state that Austro-Hungarian troops have gone to the West front. > ’ WHAT GERMAN WAR MINISTER'CLAIMS BREAK-THROUGH IN WEST FORTY MILES DEER.' , ’ 120,000 PRISONERS TAKEN AND 1750 GUNS. Reuter’s Telegrams. AMSTERDAM, April 24. In the Reichstag, the War Minister (General von Stein) claimed that the Gorman break-through in the West was forty miles deep. A hundred thousand British prisoners and 1500 guns were captured. Moreover the Germans had thrown the French across tho Oiso-Aisno Oanal and had defeated tho British at Armentioros, capturing twenty thousand men and 250 guns. Tho Minister dwelt on tho difficulties of bringing up German iviinforcomonts. The enemy had again found vantage points, of which ho wa,s making use thereby necessitating the continuation of tho battle. , ’A wireless German official report states: —We stormed Vlongelhock Hill, north-east of Bailleul, and repulsed English attacks west of Bailleul. Wo frustrated Btrctog adyamjea .north-west of Betlivfno. ,