THE WESTERN FRONT.

Otago Witness, Issue 3330, 9 January 1918, Page 15

THE WESTERN FRONT.

SIR DOUGLAS HAIG'S REPORTS.

Sir Douglas Haig reports as follows: The enemy, made powerful local attacks at dawn of the 30th ult. on a two-mile front against Welsh Ridge on the spur southward of Cambrai, which we repulsed in the centre. The enemy effected a lodgment in small salients on our right, northward of Le Vacqucrie, and on the left southward of Marcoing, but counter-attacks ejected the enemy from a portion of these positions. ,We repulsed raiders in the neighbourhood of Connelieu. As a result of successful counter-attacks we regained the more important parts of the positions on Welsh Ridge, taking prisoners. The enemy retain a portion of the front trench near Le Vacquerie, Southward of Marcoing. We advanced our line a short distance astride the YprosStaden railway. The enemy on January 1 renewed their attaok on Welsh Ridge, along a I'2oo-yards front. The "troops on the southern portion of the attack temporarily, with the assistance of liquid fire, entered the trench, but a counter-attack drove them ?>ut. The attack on the remainder of the ront was broken by fire and completely repulsed. The enemy attempted a raid early oa January 1 north-eastward of Loos, but were repulsed. The Germans taken prisoner during December totalled 1018. The enemy attempted a raid in the neighbourhood of Oppy, but were driven off before reaching our trenches. Enemy raiders were driven pff before reaching our positions eastward of Epehy (Somme area). We have advanced our line slightly on the right south of Lens. We repulsed raiders in the neighbourhood of Hoflebeke. An enemy party rushed a post eastward of Zonnebeke; a few of our men are missing. As the result of local fighting on the Canal du Nord, four of our advanced posts were pressed back a short distance, and a few men are missing. The enemy made a strong local attack against positions on the Hindenburg line eastward of Bullecourt. A small party occupied a sap before a front trench. The enemy were repulsed on the remainder of the front before reaching the positions. ATTACK AND COUNTER-ATTACK. Router's correspondent at the British Headquarters reports: The enemy's attack on the 30th ult. north-west of La Vacquerie was carried out after a fierce bombardment. The attack was concentrated upon a halfjmile front. Waves of storming troops advanced under cover of flammerwerfers, and parties swarmed into short-length trenches on the right. Elsewhere they were unable to rush the parapets in face of the heavy machine gun and rifiV fire. Whilst our supports were organising a counter-attack our gunners put up a fierce barrage, driving the enemy to cover. As a result, wo took the whole of the trenches the Germans had carried. It was a very straggling remnant of the original storming companies which got back across No Man's Land. Reuter's correspondent at the British Headquarters writes: The -whole front is under snow, and the German artillery is firing a very large proportion of gas shells. Undoubtedly the enemy now have very largo supplies of guns and ammunition, but our replies aro effective. Winter training is in full swing in the back areas, and the health of the troops is wonderful. There is abundance of recreation to keep them in good spirits. "A HAPPY NEW YEAR." The New Year was ushered in according to oustom. At midnight the groups of batteries put over salvoes of high explosives, }vhich burst a dozen times, intimating that it was 12 o'clock. The other gunners E'ned in punctually, the firing indicating > numerals 1-9-1-8, after which a uquet of gas shells was sent speeding to bid "Fritz" "A Happy New Year." This jform of greeting was resented in somo places, a quarrel between the heavy gun batteries blazing up. GERMAN OFFICIAL REPORTS. German offioial messages state: We captured some of the foremost trenches between Marcoing and La Vacquorio. We gained possession of trenohe3 southward of Marand northward of La Vacquerie. British counter-attacks recovered part of the lost territory. British attacks eastward of Yprea and northward of La Bassee Canal broke down. We penetrated lines westward pt Bezonvaux and captured numerous prisoners. GERMAN ACTIVITY BEHIND THE LINES. A Paris message eays that the passing of troops behind the Gorman line 3 is proceeding uninterruptedly. Day and night trains pass Mczieres, near 'the Kaiser's yvestern headquarters, at intervals of six tolnutes. Guns formerly used in Italy have been reassembled in tho Verdun region. The German nigh command is vainly ({training every nerve in an attempt to

attain numerical superiority of guns over the French.

All 'the villages in North-east Flanders are packed with German soldiers feverishly constructing fortifications. Mr Philip Gibbs writes: The enemy at this moment are not doing much; they are snowbound and icebound like ourselves. There is little activity behind their lines, and their gun fire is still fierce, with sudden bursts of fury against Passchendaele and the back areas of tho Ypres salient, and also Havrincourt and Cambrai The opposing armies are waiting for .the snow 'to melt, and after that there will be another little wait until the thaw is complete, and until the mud, ooze, and slime which fill the trenches will have dried. Prisoners say that the enemy will strike a blow in 'the ovent of the peace efforts failing. Wo cannot ignore the menace of tho possibility that our armies, when the ground has hardened, will bo put on the defensive against a great concentration of guns and men, moving for- 1 ward in massed attacks in a last desperate attempt to gain a decision at any cost. My personal opinion is that before that happens the enemy, knowing tho strength of our defence, will make a desperate bid for' peace. Germany cannot face the utter and permanent ruin of tho race which would follow that pouring out of a river of blood from tho last reserves of her manhood. THE CAMBRAI REVERSE. M. Marcel Hutin, in the Echo de Paris, says that the lesson of Cambrai has been of tho greatest value to the British high command. Von Ludendorff has now been forced to admit that the famous storming troops from Hanover, Brunswick, and the Rhine provinces have been compelled to relinquish most of the ground they had taken. The chief mistake of General Byng's a'ttack was that the cavalry did not _ intervene in time to push home the preliminary British success.. Later on the British Guardsmen held their own against the whole German army. The British Guardsmen, unaided, freed a great number of prisoners and recaptured most of .the guns and all 'the tanks which had been left behind in tho British withdrawal. M. Marcel Hutin adds: The spectacle of the Germans, powerless to obtain any success on the British front, is extremely comforting. The inquiry into the Cambrai reverse has been completed, and several officers have been retired from responsible positions. i A YEAR'S CAPTURES. During 1917 the British captured 73,000 | prisoners, 149 heavy and 382 field guns, 648 trench mortars, and 2639 machine guns on the west front. j