PROGRESS EAST OF THE OISE.

Timaru Herald, Volume CVII, Issue 16611, 21 August 1918, Page 7

PROGRESS EAST OF THE OISE.

BRITISH ADVANCE IN FLANDERS.

AFFAIRS IN KUSSIA.

H.M.B. BEAKE TORPEDOED.

5* tl

Australian and N.Z. CaMe Aasn, and Keuter. ;.

Received 10 p.m., August 20th

LONDON, August 19.

Sir Douglas Haig reports:—The •enemy--this morning strongly attacked our positions on a mile ?front between Lihons and Herleville. They succeeded in penetrating our line,a?-two points, tut our counter-attack drove them out and the situation was completely restored. We inflicted many casualties and took a few prisoners.

AN ADVANCE CONTINUED.,

Our advance in the Merville ; sector,' was; continued, and considerable gross was made on a front of ten thou. ?and yards. We entered Mervillo and? reached the road through -Mervillo from Paradise to Les Pures Becques. Ift sharp fighting wo took some prisoners and machine-guns. Our total prison-' era in the neighbourhood of O.ulfcerB>eene i is now 676, including eighteen officers.

AVIATORS' HELP, Sir Douglas Haig's aviation report says-.—r-We brought down six aeroplanes ; one Britia\ is missing. "W'-J dropped sixteen tons of bombs by day and by night. NEW FRENCH OFFENSIVES.. „ AN ADVANCE OF TWO KILO- " METRES. Australian and N.Z. Cable Aero." LONDON, August 19 (4.25 p.m.)./ The operations of General Mangiu's Tenth Army have bepqine an offensive promising important developments. At. six o'clock «n Sunday evening the Tenth Army attacked between the Oise and ■the Aisne on a front of fifrac-a kilometres and penetrated a ridge south of Andignicourt and Nanipoel, to a, maximum depth, of three kilometres. T.y half-past ton we had captured five hun-' dred prisoners. An important factor is the seizure of n. high ridge south of Andignicourt, threatening German positions and lines in -tho vicinity of Sois-s-ons, which may even be turned. The ne\y capture has given them on the enst of the Oise what the Laasigny massif has given them on its west. ■ The French line now runs from Fcntenoy to Ncuvion-Vingre.

At six o'clock .last evening, between iho Oise ana the Aisne, our troops re(v tified our front on a stretch of about fjftseu kilometres between south of Carlspont and Fontenoy, reaching on the whole line an average advance of two lulometres. Wo occupied a p!aieau west of Nampoei and reached the southern rim of tho Andigtncourti ra--vine, capturing Nouvion-Vingre, and taking prisoner seventeen hundred. Another French army attacked -n the neighbourhood of St. Mar de Beuvi-aignes also north-easti of Nevnny-sur-Matz Little progress is reported, but 350 prisoners were taken.

MORE PRISONERS CAPTURED. A French communique reports:—Violent artillery fire prevailed during the night north and south of the Avre. We tool: prisoner yesterday four hundred.

BRITISH NIBBLING TACTICS. Heuter's Telegrams. Rcuter's oorrespondtent at Britis!'. Headquarters reports:—Sunday's attack on tho northern portion of the Lys s;il. : enb. was a large scale repetition of iho nibbling tactics by which tho Australians havo hitherto penetrated from the northern edge of Niepo Forestthrough and beyond Merris. We have now obtained a. footing on a ridge eastward of Merris. and look right into Bailleul, which is only three miles from our advanced nosts^

CAPTURES OF PRISONERS. Australian and N-Z. Cable Assn. . and Eeuter. .Received 7.20 p.m., August 20th. LONDON, August 19. Tho United Press correspondent states —During the\ pasts' twenty.four hours the Allies have netted nearly three thousand prisoners in various operations, Tho.JTrencli gathered in seven. 1 teen hundred-by -their mil© advance as far as NaratpoeV including a divisional staff officer and Jhre o . -battalion commanders. . Hearf fighting 'at . Beuv-i-aignes J-esulted prisoners,- -white the 'French took another! thirty-three Aorning' %J^ : . s of Roye. *s>*. Bofodmßniquement Jonf-the second time iri twelve hour? ;St^?-.a mWentrarily successful German! ;I >Tcounteriiattack. Prisoners taken by the' Rritash. near Oultersteer.e totalled 669.,. v -.,j ',', ; THE GERMAJf* WITHDRAWALS. TO SAVE MAN POWER. at British -Hoa,dquaitrers, Writing bn the evening | -of tho 19th, states—Fran north of HcbuternG to south of Albert the Ger-niansH-ontinue slowly 'and niethodicil iy. to niovo"back/ There are now signs! of retirement iri'.tihe,Scarpe ValJey (?outh of Arras) where our patrols-have established contact; with the enemy o n both banks and progressed on the.south bank. , s Prisoners..eta.te,that "tho:objects of T lO -. are tp secure irnproveu positions before the, winter and; conserve xn:ui power.V GERMANS SIIOKFOF HORSES. In'a captured document Ludeidorff bemoans" the ! shortage of horses. v Ho urges the necessity f or the strictest cnre, as horses cannot be replaced. Tho shortage .is so prions that officers', am-: mals are ruthlessly requisitioned. ; ' GERMAN REPORT Admiralty—Per Wireless Press Received p.m., August 20t"b. A German official message says:—We repulsed British attacks "between Motoren and Morris. We advanced our lines locally northward of the Ancrc Ait Australian attack at Harlevillc broke down. The enemy penetrated the western part of;-Beauvraignes. We •withdrew to tire eastern edge of tho village. An enemy assault between Carbpent and south-west of Alt, -Murvron broke down after a bitter struggle, lasting many hours. GERMANS MOVING BACK. BUT NOT "RETIRING." Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn. ileceived 1>.40 a.m., August 21st. Mr Percival Phillips states—Four out of five German armies facing the British arc now occupied with a backward ', movement, not- a general retirement, j but the front involved is sufficiently, wide to cause further disquiet among' the German troops concerned. Yestc:-' day the- German Sixth Army was the ! fast remaining on iho high ground' overlooking tho Lys plain. SMART SURPRISE ATTACK. When the Scots and Welsh took Oultersteeno spur by a neat surprise tii e > Germans were expecting an early morning attack, but wa launched a smoke screen at eleven o'clock in the morning and attacked from tho north instead of the west, therefore the Germans were surrounded before they could rally. LATEST FRENCH REPORT. RELATES A DAY'S SUCCESSES, Received 1.40 a.m., August 21st. A French communique stales; —iJeIwcen the Matz and the Mise we con-1 tinned to progress. Wo captured! Frcsnisrcs, and notwithstanding desper-ate-resistance we reached -the outskirts of Lnssigny. Further south we sue-' cocded in debpueiuug from Tlii'.-seourb I

woods. On our right wc- captured Pimprez and peished as far as the southern outskirts of Dreslincourt. North of the Aisne, compacting our successes between Carleiiqnt and Fontenoy we cap. 'ured the village of Moreaii. Tin number of pinVoners wc have tak°n m this reg.on iincfc vc-sterdav reaches 220. GERMAN REPORT DIFFFRS Admiralty.-—Per Wireless Press. German official .—A vigorous daylong hs-ttio has occurred "between tho Avre and the C'ise- French attack-; on a wide fron'* "oroke down, with heavy losses.