ADVANCE ON THE WHOLE FRONT

Waikato Times, Volume 89, Issue 13891, 17 October 1918, Page 5

ADVANCE ON THE WHOLE FRONT

IMPORTANT GROUND CAPTURED. LATERAL COMMUNICATIONS CUT. CRITICAL POSITION NEAR LILLE. EARLY WITHDRAWAL PROBABLE. (Reuter's Telegrams A Received October 17, 11.40 a.m. LONDON, October 16. The British have captured Menin. The Allies have advanced a mile on the whole Flanders front, capturing most important ground. The Germans southwest of Lille are retiring upon the Haute Deule Canal. We have reached the proximity of the enemy's chief lateral railway from Thourout, Thielt, to Ghent. Consequently the Germans have been thrown back upon the railway from Ostend to Bruges, Ghent and Brussels for lateral communications, which is awkward owing to the nearness to the Dutch frontier. The enemy's Lys line, north-east of Lille, is very critical, and an early with" drawal therefrom is anticipated. Reuter's correspondent lit British headquarters, Writing on Tuesday evenj ing, says that since Sunday morning eio ht r, crmaa divisions have been flung back broken, vvW!§t probably all pr more of the reserve divisions behind tbem have had a heavy gruelling. This has not been a battle of limited objectives, rather it has been a drive. The French light tanks have done extraordinary service. The Germans anticipated the employment of tanks, cavalry and armoured cars iu t|ie gvent of the Allies breaking through, for on all the roadsides the trees were felled i aiW laid athwart the paths and every i caflaf crossing was destroved.