WORLD'S RATTLE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14712, 18 September 1918, Page 3

WORLD'S RATTLE.

STRONGEST PORTRESSES STORMED LONDON, Sept. 4. Mr. Beach Thomas (Daily Mail correspondent) says : The attack on the Wotan line is a world's battle, split into a thousand fragments. Although pierced, and its five successive ditches captured, we have only penetrated its outer de-, fences, and the enemy is still defending the line to a great depth. We have seized the ridge along which the line is dug, and are looking across a narrow valley to a second ridge, where the Germans are massing every available man. We have stormed* the strongest earth and wire fortress m history, and have commenced a great battle, m which the enemy is forced to struggle man to man. despite his utmost ingenuity to avoid such a conflict. PRISONERS SCREAM AND QUAKE. In a later message, Mr. Thomas describes ihe subsequent advance through the breach as so impetuous and irresistible that prisoners were captured screaming and quaking with fear, their appearance suggesting that the- enemy is badly short of man-power. Many were young, small, weak, green troops, oddly dressed, with self-made j paper putties. This was their first ex- J perience m actual fighting, having been hurriedly thrown m to stop the breach. The< number of prisoners seems to bo legion,, and they ai'e, coming m everywhere. ' I The motor machine guns' dash on the Nord Canal was <i most wonderful feat. They traversed tho Arras-Cambrai rond. which was a corridor of death heaving and smoking beneath the shell fire, us though the earth was m eruption. j The motors careered along at such a • speed that they, passed the shells, and j then the doubled and trebled defences i on both sides of the roads, and reached the canal, where they held up the German reinforcements. MAY DECIDE HUN HOLT) (W FRANCE. Mr. Percival Phillips (Daily I'.xnreßS correspondent), says that fierce fightinc continues amonff the villages west of Cambrai, thei enemy making a supreme effort to hold up General Home's troops. and throwing m every scrap of available material. Divisions are bunched together indiscriminately, tired and fresh infantry, dismounted cavalry, pioneers, and headquarters clerks fighting with (the energy of despair. Everywhere the German war maohinf shows signs of lnck of discipline and determination, and thel defence m confused and disorganised, the Hun apparently realising that on the eutootrip »f this battle depends the duration of his stay m France.