A FORMIDABLE EFFORT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14578, 8 April 1918, Page 5

A FORMIDABLE EFFORT.

* ENEMY .THRUST BETWEEN -SOMME- AND AVRE. NEW ZEALANDERS' DASHING '•■'*■ SORTIE. (Reuter's Telegram.) . LONDON, April 5. * Reuter's correspondent at British Headquarters, " writing oil the evening of the sth, says:- — - Fuller details reveal that the enemy thrust between the *»Sommo and the Avre 7 was a formidable, effort which' aimed at getting astride the Paris-Amiens railway I and developing a thrust against Amiens, Thanks to the stubbornne-*te of our rer sistance, the enemy success was limited to the creation of' a salient. 700^ yards wide- and with an extreme depth of" 2000 j yards. . •y ■ _ There is reason to bolievo that the Germans threw m 14 divisions of fresh troops, including some crack corps and three Guards divisions. The Fifth German Division, whjch bore a large share of tho early days of the offensive and was withdrawn to re> fit and rest, were again fighting. It is estimated that practically a hundred German divisions have been used m the present battles. . Although the enemy yesterday concentrated nil his f available artillery, the bombardment was relatively not heavy, and consequently he relied chiefly on preponderating numbers. The prisoners complain of the state j of the roads, due to our ceaseless shell- ' ing, .causing delays m getting up the heavy batteries amd adequate munitions'. Yesterday rifles and \nachine guns played the principal part m the defence. The weather is wet and misty and unfavorable for the offensive operations, and the . troops are welcoming the inclemency gleefidly. To-day the Germans have shown considerable aggressiveness. At 8 , o'clock this mornine: they attacked m the neighborhood of Dernacourt' on a front of nine thousand yards, with an estimated strength of six divisions. After desperate fighting they reached the railway. An attack m considerable strength m the direction of Ablanzeville was completely repulsed. We attacked from the sector of Fronquevillers and it is reported that we gained our first objetctive at Bucquoy. The Now Zealanders were m action again, aiid as a result of a dashing sortie, todk. prisoner four officers and 130 men. . . . . „ Fightine; is progressing on a considerable portion of tbe front north, of the Somme, but not on a. grand scale such as would ihdica'te a general resumption of the offensive.