THE WAR.

Western Star, 30 August 1918, Page 3

THE WAR.

FRENCH PROGRESS NOT STAYED. LONDON, July 26. French communique: Last night we captured Viliemoutoire after a clcsperato struggle, capturing 200 prisoners and twenty machine-guns. Further south Ouchy le Chateau fell into cur hands. We advanced east of the town and captured four guns. We took prisoner several hundred south of the Ourcq yesterday. CLEARING THE MARNE. LONDON, July 27. French communique: South of the Ourcq there lias been reciprocal artillery activity, but no infantry fighting. We captured north cf the Marne on Thursday evening Previl Savants, farm, and drove back the enemy to the southern outskirts of Benson, south oi Chatillon. Altogether 700 prisoners were taken on the 25th at Villeraon toire and Ouchy le Chateau. Local attacks undertaken in Champagne after breaking the enemy offensive resulted, notwithstanding enemy resistance, in our advancing a mile on a front of thirteen miles east of the Snippe, and north of ,a general line St. Hilaire lo Grand—Souain —Hindus. We recaptured the whole Main de Massiges, and reoccupied our old first lines in that region. We captured in these operations 11,000 prisoners, and 7 guns. We brought down seven, enemy aeroplanes, and the British brought clown 18. On the ,25th we dropped 38 tons of bombs during the clay and night on stations, roads, hangars, and dumps near the battlefield. The British chopped 4 tons on Bazoches, Fere- en Tardeuois, and Mont Notre Dame. BACK TO OLD FRONT. PARIS, July 27. General GourancTs army in many places has taken the original line occupied before the German, attack. Main de Massiges is the most important gain of the series, which was secured by a nibbling process. CLOSING THE NET. I PARIS, July 27. The Allies are slowly closing upon Fere en Tardeuois, They are now barely three miles away, and meanwhile the artillery and .airmen are inflicting heavy losses rate the German troops. AMERICANS MAKE PROGRESS. LONDON, July 27. American official; We captured. le Channel between the Ourcq and the Marne on the 25th.

THE POSITION AT SOISSONS. The French have made little progress round Soissons, where the German resistance is strong. The French situation here is rather unfavourable owing to the enemy being able to keep up an enfilading fire. Still the French can maintain their position on the heights overlooking Soissons. There is good reason to think that the enemy made up his mind on the 19th to undertake a general retirement to. the Ardre 'and the Vesle, but later cancelled the orders and may now try to hold the present line at all costs or straighten the front between Soissons and Eheims. His object in hanging on may be a desire to save the enormous accumulation of •stores and reduce the confusion of the congested transport. Should he fall back on the Ardre or the Vesle it would he an admission of complete failure and would seriously affect the Central Powers’ morale. The Crown Prince’s reserves have been entirely used up, and Prince Rupprecht’s thirty fresh divisions are all that is left on the western front. The prospects of another attack are less apparent than a week ago. The enemy appears to be disinclined to stake everything on an isolated attack on another front. Another season is that the man-power situation is not as good as ho would like, but he cannot expect an improvement until the 1920 classes are ready to take the field, two months' hence. PREPARING! GERMAN PUBLIC. AMSTERDAM, July 27. German military critics are preparing the public for a withdrawal on the front at Soissons and Rheims. The Lokal Anzeiger states that a change in the present line is probable. It is a matter of indifference whether the troops move forward) or backward provided the adversary’s aim is impeded . The Tagehlatt warns the public not to get excited if Hindenburg sees fit to retire to the Aisne, or even further north. It will mean nothing more than a strategic movement which codes no German ground. We may have to retire in order to prepare new blows.

ATTACK AGAINST NEW ZEALANDERS. The Germans last night attacked the Near Zealanders’ left flank at Hebuterne under the protection of a heavy bombardment, but were vigorously thrown back, leaving prisoners. Elsewhere there- was mutual shelling, the Germans using mostly gas. The British heavily gassed the Germans west and north-west of Albert, simultaneously using machine guns and big artillery liberally. Judging by the feeble response the Germanls must have suffered considerably. POSITION SUMMED UP. WASHINGTON, July 27. Summing up the situation on the

French front General Marsh, American Chief of .Staff, says that the Allies have forced the Germans, back eleven miles, and the Germans are retreating towards the centre of the Salient. The British gains are especially dangerous to the enemy because they have placed the southern Germans in an awkward plight. MARNE FRONT ABANDONED. LONDON, July 28. French communique; Under continuous pressure by French and Allied troops for several days past the Germans to-day retreated on the whole front north of the Marne. Our troops, pressing their rearguards, reached a line Buyeres-Villneuve-Courm.ont-Pas-sy-Grigny-Cuisles La Neuville-Chau-mu/.y on the right bank of the Marne. We cleared, a wide front and continue to' progress, and have reached more than fifteen kilometres north-east of Chateau Thierry. GERMAN PLANS CHANGED. NEW YORK, July 27. Mr Durauty, the New York Times correspondent on the French front, learns from 'a. French staff officer on the Marne sector of a dramatic change in the German plans, explaining the recent fluctuations of the battle. The officer said that on the night cf 17th July the Germans recrossed the river protected by strong rearguards and heavy shellfire. By 20th July the south bank wafe in Allied: hands- On 21st July the German, artillery had greatly decreased, and French troops crossed to the north bank and reported that the German lines were held by machine-gunners only. Air observers reported that guns, supplies, and troops were in the greatest congestion behind the enemy lines, and were moving northward, while outran,sportable supplies were being burned. On 22nd July a terrific German bombardment commenced at dawn, and air-observers reported that the German army was! now moving south. Germans taken prisoner on the 22nd July said that the retreat/ bad been abandoned and the troops had been ordered to hold on to the last man. The assumption is that Von Boehm, or the Crown Prince, decided to retreat, and the Higher Command counter-mandecl the order. The French advanced north of Ponta Benson, but otherwise the advance has been stayed. The fetal captures during Foch’s present offensive are 30,000 Germans. A FUTILE EFFORT. LONDON, July 27. Mr Philip Gibbs writes; This morning a futile attack on Meteren was made by six companies belonging to a German division which has recently arrived, in the line, relieving a division which the Australians and Scottish almost destroyed. The Germans advanced resolutely after heavily bombarding the Scottish positions, but were racked by our fire from the start, and never reached the road through our position, which, was their goal. They made some progress on the right, but the Scottish infantry drove them back with severe losses, the enemy only gaining a small outpost. SEVERAL BRITISH RAIDS. LONDON, July 27. Sir D. Haig reports: We raided in the neighbourhood of Sailly, Neuvilles, Arleux en Gohelle, and Lens, and took several prisoners. Hostile artillery lias been active between the Somme and the Ancre, and there has been a reciprocal duel in the Lai Bassee canal sector. LUDENDORFF RESPONSIBLE FOR REVERSE,, BERNE, July 27. Hindenhurg disapproved of the recent offensive and his name figured improperly in the official cotanmuniques, but after the German defeat he insisted on Ludendorff’s name being substituted, holding him X'eally responsible.

AMERICANS CROSS THE OUROQ. LONDON, July 29. American official: Wo continue the pursuit northward olf the Marne, despite determined rearguard actions. We crossed the Ourcq and captured' Scringes, Sergy, and Rionoheres. ENEMY RESISTANCE BROKEN. WASHINGTON, July 28. General Pershing reports; Between the Ourcq and the Marne the American and Allied troops are pursuing the Germans, whose resistance has been broken down. HINDENBURG IN EXCELLENT HEALTH. AMSTERDAM, July 29. A Berlin official message states that Hindenburg is in excellent health. PACIFISTS’ PROPOSAL. COPENHAGEN, July 28. International pacifists propose that die Germans provide Mr Lloyd George, vith a free pass to Berlin, where he could discuss the situation with Hertling and Hintz.