SITUATION DESCRIBED.

Thames Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 18468, 7 December 1917, Page 3

SITUATION DESCRIBED.

BY MILITARY AUTHORITT. LONDON, Dec. 5. A high milita.ry authority says: There is little doubt the enemy's attack at Oainbrai was planned and supported by General Ludendoi-ff similar to our attack, which broke through the faniousi Hindeinibiirgi line, which Ludendorff had designed. The latter deciiared that if it ever was broken through h© would begin baittle manoeuvres which would be tiuooessful. Ludemdorff's plan was a tliorouigjhly good one, as most of the German plans were. He oarried out a. simultaneous! attack on both 'siidee of the salient, with a massed attack on the centre. The attack on Bourlom and IVfoeoiva-es fiont, and thd oeotre; failed com-. pletely. Although the enemy losses in these failures were extremely heavy, he ooaild not say the enemy had not made substantial giainis,' because a bit of otir flank having -gonie the supply to tiie men of our front became difficult, necessitating-, some adjustment ot' the line, and possibly a slight withdrawal on the: northern front may be necessary. The Germans may fairly claim to have checked our advance, The German claims of having captured a hundred guns and six thousand pns-; oners may be taken witli a ga-am of ( salt We'have captured altogether | 650 German guns, of w^ich 510 were in 1917, including 138 at Ganabrai. .Reading, .the Italian fromt: tihere- „.«.. 4««nf. +.nlk in the press of the- i

coming Germain attack,-bob he was unable to see any such immediate* intention. The enemy's advance had been definitely checked.—A. arnd N.Z. Cable. , „