WESTERN CAMPAIGN

Timaru Herald, Volume CVII, Issue 16618, 24 August 1918, Page 9

WESTERN CAMPAIGN

FRENCH CAPTURE LASSIGNY. ! TWENTY VILLAGES .LIBERATED.} Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn. ' LONDON, August 22. ! A French communique states • Between' the Matz and the Oise, the enemy,; despite his resistance, bent under our' vigorous pressure. Lassigny has fallen, and further south we secured a footing! at Le Plemont. We captured Orval; Wood and reached the outskirts off Chiry 'and Ourscamps. .j We continued to be successful east' b£ the Oise. We captured, Carlepont"' Woods and are on the Oise east of Noyon, between Sempigny and Pontoise.; • "Farther' east we passed the NoyonCoucy le Cliateau road. We. captured. Camelin, le Frcsne and Bleracourt and reached the outskirts of St. Aubin. Since yesterday we have liberated a score of villages and advanced eight kilometres at certain points. Forty-one. tons of projectiles were dropped .during the daytime on troop concentrations and convoys at the passages .of the Ailette, in addition to tens of thousands of cartridges fired by machine-guns. We continued to attack with bomb and machine-gun the Ailette passage during the night time, besides dropping -twenty-three tons of bombs on several' stations LATER FRENCH REPORT. ADVANCE PUSHED ON. LONDON, August 22, 4.40 p.m. A French communique reports: During last night our troops maintained contact with tho enemy between the Matz and the Oise and east of the Oise. We occupied Le Plemont and Thiescourt and reached the Divette. We are on the edge of the Oise east of Noyon, from Sempigny to Bretigny. . Further east wo captured Bourquig- . non and St. Paul aux Bois and are pushing northward of these villages. . W)i reached the Aitette at Quincy Basse. Between the Ailette and. th,e Aisne. -tliers lias been no f - change, except in the region of I'ommiers, of which we hold tho western outskirts. GERMAN ARMIES^SEPARATED. ! ; FRENCH ACROSS AILETTE. NEW YORK, August 22. The capture of tho line of tho Ailette means that Marshal Foch has successfully driven a wedge between Von Boehm's and the Crown Prince's armies. • /. The French have crossed the' Ailette i river. ENEMY'S NEW DANGER. NOYON OUTFLANKED. . DIFFICULTIES OF RETIREMENT. PARIS, August 22. general Mangin's thrust continues to yield «magnificent results, some thousands'more prisoners and considerable material having been taken. The pressure on the left, which' is forcing the Germans out of Carlepont woods and compelling their retirement towards .Sempigny, along the Oise valley, has created a new small, but dangerous, pocket, while it: outflanks Noyon from acress the river. Retirement from the narrow salient along the north bank of the Oise'. will be a difficult operation." Meanwhile General Humbert has seized Lassigny, further tightening his uold on Noyon from the west. ° BRITISH PROGRESS. ADVANCE. ON THE ANCRE. I LONDON, August 22. Sir Douglas 'Haig reports: At 4.45 this morning we attacked the enemy's position between the Somme and tne Ancre. By nightfall on Wednesday our patrols had progressed on the left bank of the Ancre southward and south-eastward of Bcaucourt. We maintained the positions gained yesterday northward of the Ancre against strong countor-attaeks in the afternoon and evening on the Miraumont and Achiet le Grand fronts. Fresh counter-attacks developed in the morning opposite Miraumout and Irles. We captured • 2000 to 3000 'prisoners "and a Tew guhs on Wednesday. We- made further progress eastward and north-eastward of Merville. Wc reached the outskirts of Nteuf Berquin and captured a strong point northward of Bailleul. We repulsed, after sharp fighting, a strong local counter-attack against Locre farm, iiorth-westwari of Dranoutre. Further fi iliting occurred at night in this sector. NEW LINE ESTABLISHED. A Paris message reports that the British have captured Achiet ic Grand. After encountering fierce resistance, British posts were established east of the Arras-Albert railroad. . The British freshly attacked between the Somme and tho Ancre. The British on Wednesday took 3000 prisoners. BRAY-ALBERT LINE. BRITISH MAKING PROGRESS. A .British new minor enterprise lias' been'launched—an attack on the high ground between Albert and Bray. It is progressing well, and tho first batch of 150 prisoners has been sent in. • : ALBERT CAPTURED. NEW YORK, August 22. It is unofficially reported that Albert has been captured. The British captured 1000 prisoners around Albert. THE GERMAN REPORT. ... _ .LONDON, _August_22 J A German official message states:— Between the Autre and the Avrc since j

August 8 our troops report that more than 500 tanks have been destroyed. A 1' rench attack between the Oise and tbo Aisne penetrated our front lines, but was broken on the line from Carlepont southward to Blerancourt, Yczapontin and Pommiers. Our coun-ter-attacks drove back the enemy, who was advancing on the Jusigny ridge, to Bieuxy. French attacks late last evening collapsed on the whole front. DAMAGED GERMAN ARMIES. SIX IN FIVE WEEKS. ATTACKING THE SEVENTH. The Allies havo damaged six German armies sinco July 15 and the British are now attacking tho seventh. GERMAN REPORT. Admiralty—Per Wireless Press. A German official message states: — Northward of the Ancre strong English attacks on a wide front broke down with heavy losses.