AUSTRALIAN ADVANCE.

Marlborough Express, Volume LI, Issue 85, 12 April 1917, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN ADVANCE.

FIGHTING BEYOND BAPAUME

The following messages from Mr C. E. "\V. Bean, official. correspondent with the Commonwealth forces, are published in the "Australian papers: —

M.arch 20. Early yesterday morning,, and during the night .before, the Australian inrautry rushed, the Germans out of villages .five miles beyond Bapaume— in some cases before the Germans had time to, destroy the place as thoroughly as "they intended. Yesterday afternoon some of us ; walked through these places. -. The\little village of Beaugnatte had been blown down by placing explosives under the walls, and was destroyed more completely than by shell fire. The same1 method had, been employed in Bapaume. ..<

The village of *Caux-Vraucourt, however, ihad been less , completely ruined. There had been a short fight there during the night. Later the Germans attempted to reconnoitre into the village and -yere driven off by our troops. . < ■ During the afternoon we could see the Germans quite clearly retiring in extended order over the far hills beyond Norenil. Lines of them were moving up the distant slope, forming into more compact bodies, and disappearing over the skyline. Near by, at one time, stood a railway train, in whiclv/probably some of their stores and baggage had been packed. Our cavalry and infantry patrols have been in touch with the Uhlans, and the old interesting forms of warfare have, all returned. The green country around us was hill of traces ot .German encampments, of which every hut and stick had been removed, only paths and scrap heaps remaining. THe Germans had recently yawn down hundreds of great trees along the roads, and had blown many craters at the cross-roads. . The villages', on the horizon were all burning.

The German army before this section of.-the front is~^iow, with the exception of rear parties, entirely behind n$ great double line of defences, which stretches from before Cambrai, to the. uctti'.-west. ;-.;•''

The -.-.^Australian and British ad- ■ vaiu'ed troops this mdrning came upon a portion' of the German rearguard in the villages about n mile in front of the line. There was some sharp "fighting between the outposts, tho Germans hitting back harder than at any time since the retreat began, with the exception of the first stiff

fighting near the Bapaume road at the beginning of the month. J The Germans' have been poisoning | the-wells with filth and dung. One ! typical German jest just reported is j the discovery in the captured German trenches of a cat, crucified, with a cigar in its mouth. This is probably a sneer at the crucifixes which ai'e common along- the French roads. ■,■•■'■ March 21. The Australian tre-ops advanced about a mile in some parts to-day. They are in touch with the German rearguard at every part, and now no great distance from the German line of tranches. A German aeroplane was shot down to-day. The pilot was severely wounded, fie is reported to be Prince Frederick Charles.of Prussia. It has been snowing intermittently throughout the day. To-night the ground is white. . '