IHE GREAT OFFENSIVE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14284, 28 April 1917, Page 8

IHE GREAT OFFENSIVE.

ADDITION AL D KTAILS

(Special Cable Messages.) LONDON, April 16. Mr Beach Thomas (Daily Mail), describing the Battle of Lens, writes:— . "The Germans hold strongly a powerful line through the suburbs, behind which they are frantically digging ancl ] wiring, whilst destroying mines and buildings. '."I "Tlie British advance' through the suburbs entailed the elitnbing : o£ garden fences and wriggling along lanes. As an incident an officer and six men from tho Midlands crept along the attics of a row of houses until they found a window from which they could see German machine gunners holding up an important point. Tlie party sniped all the gunners, making good! shooting at 400 yards. "The capture of this position made the southern German posts - untenable, and gradually the fact dawned lipon the German garrisons. About 200 men from one post bolted across the open, but started late. We had already fixed 'machine guns, which killed several score of them. j "Fresh enemy troops are pouring m along the line. Our rapid progress is upsetting the enemy's plans. "He did not evacuate the relic of the civilian population from Lens until Friday, when he also began to call up his specially-trained artists m explosive demolition." --•Instances of shameless conduct on the par^^f the Huns are multiplying. Correftpiiiidents at French headquarters sufjply. stories from the liberated territory. ' In one town 80 girls of a superior class' kidnapped allegedly for indii^frial labor. In another the entire pdpTil_tjion was dragged out at dawn wlflhout warning for an unknown destination. '"* F&hiilies were broken up. 'V' TpE:: 120-MILE FRONT. !•• ;The "Anglo-French offensive now extends along a . 120-mile front*. During many daiys of unabated fighting Hinden- j burg's reverses "have been numerous, | -iktfrhave assured! us of the superiority of ; outf-.artillery. A most striking feature is i thai; the British and the French ai'e ] ruging plentiful barrages. The fire from "their l_in: guns is i-eaching German jCdncentratibns of men far behind the lines.. .'-' .,'"'' , The 'Petit Parisien says that the preparations for the push had been going on for. a considerable time. The bombardment.' of the German lines terribly battered the enemy, who fell back ail along the line. The French are fighting •m magnificent spirits. The advance ex-ceeded-two and a half miles at several points. M. Marcel Hutin (Echo de Paris) "says-.* "Since the Marne no battle has assumed such formidable proportions. FRENCH- FIND WEAK SPOT. A Paris semi-official message states that the Germans massed at least 20 , divisions andi all available batteries on j the,Soissons-Rheims front. Our advance reached' a depth of between 1| and 2£ ; miles- 'at certain points. Altogether the Allies have placed hors de combat 100,000 Germans m eight days. - It is now clear tliat General Nivelle put his finger on Germany's strategically weakest point. The Germans are also evidently aware of the weak point m their armor, for, as is revealed m the 'Communique, they have _been massing considerable' forces m the Champagne, which must have been badly wanted northwards : • OPEN WAY TO PLAIN. The Craonne region has always been a - dangerous zone, for the Germans. Fighting has seldom stopped there since ithe retreat on the Aisne. Coineidentally the region is most important for the •!BWiclr,' since beyond Berry au Bar lies the '.open way to the great plain encircling Laon. ' "The complete break of the German 'front <in' this -region, therefore, would jeopardise rot .only the enemy fighting force; at "Laon, but all the German armies m the Champagne. Laon standson a great mound m the centre of the plain, commanding the junction of fdui* j strategic railways, one of which runs direct towards the Belgian frontier. :'. The plateau east of the line from Paris to Qu'ncy Basse Avas the scene of the, bloodiest battles of Napoleon m 1814 against Bluchers invading Prussians, 'ilie plateau is covered, with orchards and Vineyards, intersected by splendid -roads. rt>>r rises gradually towards. Mezieres, whence the main road and the railway follow the Meuse direct to Namur. This is- < the possible explanation of the German anxiety m the Rheims region. _>■ SOUTH AFRICANS SUFFER, VVThe latest news shows that the South Africans, as well as the Australians, suffered somewliat heavily dui'ing the j "week-end fighting. An earlier advance) m which the .South Africans were engaged was nothing compared with the I later one through Fampaux, seven-miles j east,; of Arras, at a certain railway station, ari"^ -came under a* heavy raking , maehihe-gmt '-file; Again the ranks were thinned!, but the remainder went on bravely, finally taking their objective. v "" NINE MILES BY ONE. , I

"■"•Renter's correspondent at British Headquarters, reports that the offensive is being pushed relentlessly. The most violent fighting thus occurred. advance mentioned m Sir Douglas 'Haig's afternoon communique covered a. length of nine miles, with an average depth of a mile. We also gained considerable advantage at Vimy Ridge, '"''""""he correspondent demobilishes the German claim that we have not broken their front, showing that we fought our way down 3000 yards of the Hindenburg line, and! penetrated beyond the old German line to a depth of 8000 / yards .' A-rouhd Arras a considerable number ,of German gun positions are now practically isolated) by the concentric fire of ouri swarming artillery. A large addit^q*4' qf captured guns is expected. advan-oe north of Vimy Ridge endangers Lens, and threatens to outflank ithe enemy, who is clinging to the north slopes.

•Communiques indicate that the French (artillery fire is reaching its culminating point on a front extending for 50 miles from. Soissons to Western Champagne. The Daily Mail describes it as one of the greatest artillery ajtjfcacks >of the whole war. A BRILLrIANT ACTION.

Mr Beach Thomas, correspondent of the/Daily Mail, writes that the,captuz*e of Monahy by a force of infantry and cavalry, subsequent to „a cavalry thrust to the northward and southward, was one of the most brilliant actions of the i war. The enemy had gathered guns and had brought up reinforcements. He had: been ordered to hold Monchy till death, and if it was lost" it was* to be retaken.

Concentrating his artillery till the round peak of Monchy was burnt and smoked, the enemy attempted to storm the hurried fortifications of . the tired British troops, but the Britishers, although overwhelmed by sleep and weariness, continued fighting skilfully,

holding oii by the sheer -..force" of ri obstinate will' through, the-" worst payt of the battle. . - ;. Earlier the cavalry had formed up, re-?' gardless of shrapnelandy high explosives and swooping enemy airmen^ ap.d charged across the country.; on' both' .sides; of Monchy, holding im^oi'tarifc points of vantage m the .most critical Vliou'rs,. de-i spite heavy .losses, including" their bril-'. liant leader. Arras was a generals' battle. Tlie ingenuity with which large! masses of troops . and material were manoeuvred on the battlefield, complete-j ly bamboozled the enemy. • _ All y our mechanical and chemical • devices succeeded. Tho artillery could not have' been equalled m the war. They threw a'l curtain of fire just ahead, of the advancing infantry,- and >■ then "reversed their engines," bringing the curtain of fire back again when it was found that" some defences had. not been smashed.An inspection of tbeVbattlefield reveals the most 'excellent, quality > of' the am-; munition. The unexploded shells were 50 per cent, less tjhan in-the Sdmme. of-' fensive. The enemy hit only four of' our guns m a four days-b ombardment. 1 APPALLING LOSSES. Reuter's correspondent 'af headquarters, telegraphed :— "When th'e Germahsina&e' up their ' ' mindfe- to ' bease' *' attacking Monohy . le Preux their _' casualties-; will amount to an appalling' total. "Hie'liireis still strong upon them, despite" the most costly failuresT Rrisbners >siate if the* attack ih which, they 'were ''captured proved unsuccessful other' attempts' would' be made. 'We n-eted hot complain of the enemy continuing* to give lis* opportunities to puuißh him.; The heaviest and most determined German effort' to' retake the key position was made oh Saturday. - Rpeux, lying on the .north bank of; the * Scarpe, two miles from Monchy/ harbored many Gern)an .' batteries,- which were able to, sweep the intervening valley." ■ "The -country- is most favorable foxopen fighting; It affords good coyer for the concentration of troops; . ■ Sart .Wood lies to theY north-east, and Vert Wood; to the south-east, is no greatydistance away. Wo lay along this ground/ -on Saturday, -with other forces nortlnyard of Monchy, - preparing . for/ the '7 nut-: craoker advance. . The Huns could hot have timed their effort to retake the village more opportunely. At the very moment we" were ready to advance thd Germans, massing 'ih the two woods, were hotly bombarded. 'The. enemy advance for" the -south -'was Ijeaten ljack 15C| yards from our position.; "The Hun's, 'emergim? f rom V-eH -Wood and Sart Wood; were** caught' by a?bom-bard-ment of sliSls, which tore thei* ranks iii' the ' most devastating way." We subsequently' leirntihat tKfey Wert pick' ed troops'. - They' gained, our" fi'ont trenches before,' the village afterfierCe hand-to-hand fighting. „'' , ",, The- British M-ere oi-dercd to allow the Bodies td " enter, "a long' "narrow --tre-nch as thickly as they pleased; ' Then* 'they were terribly ehfilad-d; by Yen fire. They fled; m disorder. enfepiy lost 26d0 Ivilled alone.: One officii' claims that he shot forty Gerrhaais hef*di'e y they bolted. '' "■'■''" xX 'Pr BATTLEFIELD DESCRIBED. Mr. Beach Thomas, describing the battlefield, 'states': *'"I hayd, Tnoy^r seen evidenco'of howitzer fire' so diabolically accurate- a,nd deadly. The Vhowit2*3rs took a so-called impregnable place- tmaidod. Their tons of metal/ wero lobbed along the 40ft h'gh -eriibankni-ent of," the railway tuiangle witli amazing' accur\ acy, scooping out a trench below, v and filling tho triangle with Gferrtiah '". dead;. Tlio baUlefield is -the alpliabet'of atftil*-. lery accuracy. " . ! Mr. Philip Gibbs, after an inspection of the battlefield, wrote: "It i_* no wonder the Germans .lost ground. The effect of our bombardment wa^'ghastly.' It ploughed the counti-y wtlth gjreat shell cratters, tore fields of barbed, wil I ©' to tati-' tered sti*ands, and smashed trenches to-

i ditches. 7 VThe dead, lay about m 7ovory7 shape, ahd 7 shjj'pel^snes'S' -of death. I passed 7 "Devil's Wood; whiph, is ..well.". named,, because \ there was "hellish torture ttyere. .German aeroplanes ■; .,'ttied to fight .a way over bijr : lin es. : ; T^'^ 1 sky was filled with tlfe swish of '■' "machineguri' v bul"^te. ind : tfio whiniing of British archies. Iliiov-eftf tefore' saw such "a conflict 7in the y_kiewlHWo- gained the myxZy':Y^y~t'xAyr79<W .T^&TWAs encircled. , "M^ "J^rdi*ie "Robihsoh, correspondent of Ijh^r.Th-nes a-lv" British headquarters, 'de-. scribing the erich'clemerit of "Lens ;dn Saturday, said that- tho' two most formidable lines lwtWeenVLievih and Lens/ and; also tiwo extremely strong" lines .southVof Irfihs, were carriedV The men 'f6n*vht''yin' ; 'pl__'es7v'V^aist^deep'7 hi mud. 'JSeroi^; djeeds^eie^'n^hS^'dtis, especially times 30 Qerma*os; . were ;tajptured irTa dugoutV 1 Prbl6h|€d ' b^mbilig 'aWd ' bayonet ' w6rk w"(are^*rgqunred' at two ' *elabor-a^iy-f6':tifi^*! ; ;^oTibt^ called; "Crook"' and ;.' '.Cra,izy ,' ' Vaild; also at most formid-'ible''m^hihe-^rii^_|fe 'm the" "wood: : The .-atl^ck^aa^'made: ih beautiful sunshine-. '.■^e <^>wnßhi^j*'ls' ; buiilt of "red, 'bti'plcs. 7" _3v^*whe^7there : ' are "tall tiled Twfs/yichimn-e^Sj; ''gr^atr'^wers/ ; 'poppet ■hea'disj V'aind Tingo^slag- ' "heaps.;"- Every, l|&ck : ;'glowed*-ih'%^^ ■'-' '_ '" '•;: - v-TE'e Tda^thre^fef -.the '■' dfefehces surprised 'the-^enemjy, *''who t <<iaband6rted • quantities, ""of '•ek^lo-i'v^.''and'v';--truck'-- : k'ad_.'.of .bombs' d^"gh£d-*-to destl^' th'fr-lOtfality. Mahy big ••' • c ■ •-■'■ and hiige r cdlunins of-iyollowj^smOke mingled with the i'fetf bricks.'* Thovbeautif nl: countryV Bid<& lias been' (-rendered • desol-iite. < r • ' 1 lltopA*RAß*£% «* : DEy "ASTA^ONt ;* . ' Th© Times correspondent 'at French Headquarters . stfStes* : 'that* :'ss&? village 'from.'* the o Alsrie J 'tof^St. "Qfienftin 1 has' "beeii w"ip_'d 'out. V-Nbt' T a -_b_s©' or -a church' i*^a'"jrts.' ,i "'Cfem*ierftejS have 'b'eeny uproot' ;ed"7 j -the?*' lerM*^rk i -ff6m''-^i_ '■" eoffihs has been carried. -Off) "and (torpses hay© been 'thrown' : otit. ;* M :*___ '■■■ " wis'neij ■•■ thatf 'pacifists 'and s^fisli 1 ' shirkei-s 'could" see-' th©- tfrel 'paYable devasta'ti9ft* : ih-'Frart6e. i l Then, pe!rhaps, ■ they wo'tild* "r^-iise- -the depths of Germany's dehumanisation. and.^how comfpldtely'she ' ! ■X-:<x : Vi ':' • Thier Times- adviser- patJieiiOo duijiijg the - ■ inevitable- -lidl. : Pield-Marah^i ;Haiig, it says, 'has laid plans; aud.yihe announced that the operations' 1 are'Vprd:oeeding\- accordingly. The Empire must try i*to-.- realise,, the- nature of *-the tasks -ofjthoVarmyjwJw^h had to buy its-! ex} pbrience,-r-«^«tinijte ; d^arlyy •~SihCe-r-tak'--1% thv -^d'i'in -Freincej-tfte 'chief . -lesson •is- has - leaniedj *is that artillei*y ' l'egu,lat)e&; sustained f attacks V Any' attempt, toy force, -tho pace ; means -the over-. . w;helming sacrifice of.-' life. When the guns * have • replayed , thelir part, the storming lines - will again go^ .. f orwardr : .The ■ Germiins, did ,not A depend on the .positions already. ' captured, but they .made . the- whole vital Arras -region', a tangle of en U*enchmehts. •"'<-. TJ[ie;. .. best augury of our success is the stout retentfion of the advanced positions wk .have won. ■" : '' .- ""'-....'.'.,.' -; : . piercing the. hinden"burg ■< ; •*: .' .-■•■■ tline. ,-•• : 7 ■'•*'•'; .;• . The. correspondent of.. the "l^imeia at British -. Heaaquarfe's Writes :— v • ' . V We po^iiss s(p) yards of thoiiorth}. ." crn. .'. "fiijidenburjf-' 'line, and we 'have ■ pierced ft 'ait othei* pdints. The r . Enemy's Q"ueaAt;Di*od6drt^lirib ' is lesib j ' Strohgl 7 W^' ! ;dl'e: "Haff-waV7"tdWards'''it,-'we shall i*ach ! ana* br^ak it iix ,7'gdo'd, season. : * '" ; '"'^ "V ' .'ThO, iErerihan guns are nibre active, -and''a"re int_hst% shelling tlie whole 'off our . advanced . positions, especially The'lus'* ancl 'M^'cliy'. X)tir gains" are on k-•l2-mile''• froiit'.^'-b'efcweljh'" 4005 a'hd 5000 yards deep, including 'redoubts, 'fortified' positttnlsj *amd * ' defended *••t*vloods. , : W|a' liave-'taketi • IQO miles '.. o,f. trenches. } • i ' "Our- line now 1 Vuns below GiveNch**/, fsouth-easterly, -500 yards , south;, of i-Vimy **v.ill,age, theno© Tisouth-easterljl', east of Fampaux, MonQby, Guenapp4, and Heninel , (where it strikes- the Hiiidenburg line), south-east to St. Q.ueu- , tin. ' -■',; ..' ■'•',. ■'■ .-'■".■ '" *-.'"'; ' [• V.'l French-speaking Alsatian pi'.'sbhers [far© glad to be caught, and frequently

they want to don the French uniform - and fight the Germans. The battlefield- | is dotted with German dead; r The " battlefield is a featt'ful place. Every', yard is riven with shell-holes and minel " craters, encumbered by little uhexplod- , \ ed shells, bombs, splintered timber, ' \ broken rifles, blood-spattered helmets, \ and discarded equipment. '' ' J \