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Show uu HUN PICTURE OF THE ALLIED OFFENSIVE ON WEST FRONT AMSTERDAM, Aug. 12. Presenting a picture of the Anglo-French plan of attack between the Ancre and the Avre. the German semi-official news agency, in a dispatch to Berlin,, says that it was the intention of the allies to overrun tho German defense system along this front which was only weakly weak-ly fortified. It says that there has been no time to construct permanent defenses. de-fenses. The dispatch reads: "Under protection of a short extremely ex-tremely intense bombardment, the Entente En-tente armies tried to cut lanes through the German infantry and artillery lines hy tank squadrons. Then the cavalry supported by tanks was to be rushed through the infantry lines in order to reach on the first day of tho offensive a high road between Peronne and Chaulnes. "Failure of this plan was due to tho heroic resistance of trench garrisons which at many points held their positions posi-tions until surrounded. In the hurricane hurri-cane of fire, all telegraph and telephone tele-phone communications broke down. Signal rockets were invisible in the thick fog and while the gunners continued con-tinued to put down a barrage Are be-foro be-foro them they, suddenly found tanks upon their flank and rear whose machine ma-chine gun firo laid terrible havoc in their ranks. "Quick as lightning gun after gun would be swung around and would blaze Into the tanks at short range, while other guns would continue to let down barrage fire to impede bringing bring-ing up English reserves. In other batteries bat-teries tho last surviving officers kept up machine gun fire for hours, even succeeding in fighting their -way through to the German line. "The English and French began tho second day's offensive with tank attacks at-tacks but weakened by tho losses of tho previous day they did not display the same vigor. CaughJ, in tho Are of German batteries, the shells ot which raised black fountains around their tanks, their attack wavered. Several tanks were hit and burst into flames. Others turned tail. The infantry did not follow up properly and the attacks stopped dead. "Only in tho afternoon were the English with the help of fresh troops able to renew the attack. On the entire en-tire front from Morlancourt to tho Avre waves advanced headed once more by strong tank divisions. "A smart parrying counter-attack by German infantry followed. The fight swayed this way and that but finally tho British, despito tho strong forces employed, were unable to make headway head-way on the banks of the Somme and along the great Roman high road. "Further south the Franco -British assault against tho high road from Rosieres to Arvlllers succeeded in gaining ground which was extremely unsuited for defense. "So eventually the battle ground on both banks of tho Somme which furious fur-ious British attacks could not capture, Avas given up voluntarily." |