THE BATTLE OF ARRAS

Wanganui Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15198, 19 April 1917, Page 5

THE BATTLE OF ARRAS

SIGNIFICANT FACTSLONDON, April 12.As the details of the Arras battle are unfolded two significant facts emerge: Firstly, the supreme spirit and behaviour of the men ; secondly, the superb generalship of the leaders. As regards the first, the infantry talk with the utmost admiration of the artillery ; the gunners speak almost adoringly'of the airmen, who tell, in glowing terms, of the splendour of the infantry advance and the magnificent audacity of the tanks.. There is no complaint and no criticism among the lighting troops—only universal admiration and content. There has been no battle on this scale fought by the British Army hitherto in this war, in which every unit has triumphantly obtained its immediate objective. All this bespeaks hard work and tireless selfimprovement among all ranks of the Army. Monday's victory, indeed, is the result of a" perfected tactical method as practised by the French at Verdun and the British on the Ancre and at Arras—namely the method enabling the strongest field fortresses to be captured with less loss to the attackers than to the defenders. It discredits the theory once favoured that generalship days is less important in war, and that there are no great British generals. The tactical achievement of Sir Douglas Haij.< and his able staff, assisted by a remarkable group of Army commanders, is now thoroughly appreciated, and confidence is universal that their deeper strategical conceptions will be no less decisively vindicated before iong. It is now seen that it is the Germans who are being strategically outplayed on the Western" front. "WELL NIGH IMPREGNABLE." Reuter's correspondent ft British Headquarters, telegraphing this afternoon, emphasises the decisiveness of our supremacy in heavy artillery, which he said was strikingly illustrated at Vimy Ridge. Aeriarphotographs prior to the hammering revealed a system of defences which might have been deemed well nigh impregnable. There was row after row of wire, each line many yards deep, a perfect honeycomb of trench works, and countless dominating ma-chine-gun positions. Yet when the assaulting forces went forward they found many places where trenches and wire alike had been absolutely obliterated. A few charred stumps and an occasional rusty tangle of barbed stuff alone marked what had been formidable barriers- '