NEW BRITISH VICTORIES.

Timaru Herald, Volume CVII, Issue 16617, 23 August 1918, Page 5

NEW BRITISH VICTORIES.

THE BATTLE FOR COUJICELLES

ADVANCE ON NINE MILES FRONT. NEW ZEALANDERS TAKE PART. GERMAN LEADERS PEAR FOR ARMY'S MORAL. CZECHOSLOVAKS PACE HEAVY ODDS. Press Association — By Tel. — Copyright.

(High Commissioner's Cable.) LONDON, Aug.. 22 0 a.m.}. British official.—On the whole front" we penctrr.ted deeply into enemy positions. English and New Zeal.inders accompanied by tanks ■ stQrnied the enemy's foremost defences, aided by mist; capturing five villages. We reachi ed the neighbourhood of the AlbertArras railway, after severe fighting at different points. Strong enemy coun-ter-attacks wero renulsed. I

ARRAS-ALBERT SECTOR. BATTLE BEGAN IN MIST. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Assa. Received 1.15 a.m., August 23rd. , r XT . LONDON, August 21. -Mr Ncwmson writes:— Von Billow's Seventeenth Armv, with probablv fifty battalions, opposed today's British ad.r;:nce. The enemy's front line was thin, but deep, arranged aot in continuous trenches but in isolated outposts and machine-gun positions, one behind ihe other for a considerable, distance. The railway between Albert and Arras, consisting largely of cuttings and embankments, both equal'y serviceable for checking an attack, formed the real Mnc of defence. Ael coidinglv, along this railway the heaviest fighting was expected, and so it turned out.. Aceiet lo Grand, upon tho railway, and Achiet le Petit just westward of it, and towards Mirnnixmnt en the Ancre were regarded as the central points of the first day's attack, ns likely to be the strongest points of resistance.

FIGHT FOE ANCRE CROSSINGS. 'lhe Germans fought desperately before permitting the crossing of the Ancre and railway near Beaucourt. Tha combination of the railway and river made this gain more costly thnn the town itself where our casualties are said tfa be only three, though we took ninety prisoners. Some of tho hardest nuts were cracked by tho afternoon. Logeast "Wood has apparently yielded, but Miraumont still holds out, the defences thereabouts forming a marked salient in the British line.

. "We attacked in two sections the northern with a ten-thousand yards front, and the southern with a * iivethouand yards front, the latter coming into action an hour after 1 the former, probably because the northern was nearer to a railway. The. Command did not expect a strategic surprise, but hoped for a tactical surprise and so it proved. Suddenly the still night) air was shaken by an outburst of gunn, and orange tongues of flame flickered in thick mist. The torrent of f-moke and fire of death continued for three hours, like an incessant, throbbing, gigantic mill. The men advanced in waves under a barrage, not ieaping out of the trenches, nor rushing on wildly, but walking quietly across No Man's Land. the wounded began to tricke back. It is stated that the tanks led the first line of assault by about a hundred yards.

Tho immediate rear of the fighting lino affords odd contrasts with soldiers harvesting in tho wheat fields, whilo the zone of women farmers ends a couple of kilometres further back. Meanwhile fresh troops, headed by cheerful bands, swing past towards tho front.

FRENCH CONTINUE ADVANCES. Australian and N.Z. Cablo Assn. and Reuter. Received 7.40 ]>m., August 22nd. LONDON, August 22 (4.40 p.m/>. A French communique states.—Between the Oise and the Aisne the cnemv made no attempt at reaction. Our troops this morning continued thenprogress on the whole front. "\Ve have taken Carlpont and Cuts. "We gained ground, after lively fighting west of Lassigny, and repelled several raids in Champagne.

The Germans, except machine-gun-ners, did not stay long in their positions. Some, of our infantry walked, straight forward, ever a mile without seeing the enemy. Certainly the resistance was slight until tho railway was reached. Here opposition became a very different matter, and the wounded increased directly our lines approached it. During the afternoon tanks and some infantry got across the railway, which means success for the whoie movement.

A RESULT OF. OPERATIONS. WASHINGTON, August 21. General March states that the battlefront has been reduced in length by fifty ;>,i.lea as a result of th o Allies' recent operations He also stated that tho "United States is still dependent on British ships lor the larger portion of the oversea trar-s- ---' port. A SIGNIFICANT ORDER. "FATHERLAND IN GREAT DANGER." Australian and N.Z. .Ca'/le Assn. Received 7.15 p.m., August 22nd. PARIS, August 21. A captured German order instructs battalion commanders to emplov their smartest men in the front lino with the greatest mobility, in order to prevent the enemy knowing that the linoholders are reduced. The ordor adds: '"The Fatherland is in great danger. Wo must make the greatest efforts to avert same."

It is always impossible; to learn the details of an engagement immediately, but the inevitable perplexity was increased this morning by a dense mi.-t and the smoke ol the 'barrage. From Iho high ground outside Bucquoy one could not see more, than fifty yards in any direction Tint.il eleven, when Hie mist dissolved, leaving a hot and cloudless autumn day. The mist was .it first to our advantage, but. it led to some confislon among the infantry nt'A tanks. - Happily tho Germans were withdrawing their guns, and only now and then shells came splashing our lines. "Unfortunately one splashed into the very thick of an advanced dressing station.

GERMAN SOLDIERS. TALKING Renter's correspondent at British Headquarters writes:—A captrred order signed by Ludendorff reads:—"lt. lias come to my knowledge that men on leave have spoken publicly of a revolution in Germany after tho war. On" soldier* from Rhenish Westphalia declared that with this, object the men ot ins district when going on leave w.>iv talcing weapons with th»m, namolv cap tured revolvers and hand-grenade's 1 desire that tho kits of men fioin-* on leave be searched, as a test case when occasion offers. Officers who are detected must be severely punished. Above all I wish to impress upon superior officers who hear such talk, or hear it. through others, that they 3 nu*t deal with it immediately. Tho home authorities and the Director of Railways will take corresponding measures." "

It is reported that there arc about a thousand unwounded prisoners. T\v.> hundred were taken in one clutch outside Oourcelles. Everyone- is pleased with the results so far/ If ivo hold the railway ivc may possibly see Bapaume tigain before long. .

Received 3.5 p.m., August. 22nd. The United Press correspondent cGn-' tinning his story, says:—Before the end of fifty minutes parts of the <>ld line wore, passed The Germans who were lightly holding the. northern end. were identified as a section of the Guards Reserve Division and Fourth Ha varian Division. The latter v-"-- recently hard hit. and was incfirible of resisting. The resistance at Moyennevillo was weak, and two hundred prisoners were takeit there. Ponm of them state that the British attack had been expected for a week past. The British casualties were few. Ten min. r.tcs later Courcelles was captured with equal ease. The German company strength was TOvealed as only fifty men. A]together the conditions for the attack were ideal. Our smoke barrage even equalled in effectiveness a fog. So far ;,'- the tanks were concerned the c v ovs wire ;>hl' % to see ns far as was necessary, while the tanks were hidden from the Germans until too late.

HINDENBTJRG TO RESUME COMMAND. ( A Berne trilogram states that Hindon- i burg has returned to the front, re-1 i placing Ludendorff. at the Kaiser's re- ■ . quest. , J CROWN PRINCE "RELIEVED OF COMMAND. 'An unconfirmed report, states tfliat the' Kaiser, in order to placate, popular opinion, has given the Crown Prince six months leavo of absence. , GERMAN OFFICERS. ' . LIE TO "THEIR MEN. NEW YORK, August <U Mr James, New York "Times" correspondent iit the American front, states: —German soldiers are told by their officers thnt when captured l>V Americans they will bo well treated at the beginning and then shot. A Pius. f-in.it officer who was captured wliei :<sked by an American officer regard in:; the accuracy of the story, replied' "Ve--. Don't you tell your men :Ue same thing about the erntaus?."' [