THE FRENCH LINES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12067, 24 July 1917, Page 5

THE FRENCH LINES.

DESPERATE BATTLE AROUND CRAONNE. THE FIGHT FOR THE PLATEAU. Australian and Cable Association ami Renter. (Received. July '2l, 10.30 a.m.) LONDON, July 23. A French conimunioue states:— German attacks, accompanied by a violent, bombardment, continued last, night- on the plateau before. Craonno to tlie. Casemates. After tlii"- finish of the shelling extremely violent/ enemy attempts succeeded in penetra;' ing our first, lino, but immediate vigorous counter-attacks ejected t lie Germans from all but a small portion. Tho struggle nn the Californie Plateau only ended late at niglit. Despite all their efforts t.hn enemy were, unable to drive us off the plateau. (Mr Gerald Campbell, telegraphing to the London "Daily Mail" at the end of May from the Aisne front, said : f examined the ground from tho wooded slopes .1 little to the soTith of Craonne, and I was able to get a, clearer idea of the enormous strength of the position the Germans held a. month ago and of the gallantry of the French troops who carried it. Until iho Craonne Plateau wa.s take'!, theGermans bad, as far «'is their glasses (ould reach, a, complete view of everything the French were, doing, at, all events above ground, over the entire district, and they commanded the. French trendies north of Yiile-aux-Pois, not, only from above, but from tho rear. That, of course, was a tremendous pull fo r their artillery, as well as a grievous handicap for our Allies, and tlie value of tho French .success is measured not only by the fact that tho Germans have lost this advantage, but that the tables havp actually been turned upon them. Tho general plan of the operations was an attack all along the lino of the hog's back towards the whole length of the C'lieniin-de.s-Dam.es. But here, at the eastern extremity of the promontory which juts out into tho plain, a preliminary manoeuvre was necessary. Craonne, in which the French had gained a precarious footing n+. two points only, had to be cloaied of the Germans, who belt) the greater part of it, thanks mainly to an elaborate system of shelters in tho collars of houses, and those ugly cliffs behind had to lie scaled so as to bring tho troops detailed for the asault, in lino with th> rest of the force- 011 their left. This was done. The concerted French advance carried them to tlip.ir present position 011 the opposite side looking down into the valley of the Ailette. Once again it is only common sense to recognise that the enemy's new positions are strong and well defended. Farther west the space available for the enemy's lines of defence gradually narrows with the valley of the Ailette To counteract this drawback they have arranged their position at right angles to the other lines, so that they will be able to enfilade tho valley of the Ailette. But that is noh going to stop the French.")