The sun., 1918-08-24
BYNG'SOFFENSIYE
Is PARTLY CHECKED
Expert Regrets the Official
Report Fails to Transmit
a Slight Repulse.
MIST AID TO BOTH SIDES
Morning Surprise North Of
Ancre Fails to Realize All
That Was Hoped.
~ II. sIDEBOTHAM.

By II. sIDEBoTHAM.
Oas q the Foremost Military Critic. m
SPECIAL Gable DespsfcA TO THK srx from hs
London Times Serrice
Copyright. 1918; all rights reserred
LONDON, Aug. 2a.-The offensive O.
Gen. Byng north Of the Ancre. II It did
not realise an the hopes OF the morning,
was on the whole a satisfactory AFFAIR
The details show that up to noon there
was no serious lighting. The enemy was
surprised in the morning mists and an.
parently was in inferior numbers ITO
be in inferior numbers In important
fighting Is usually the penalty paid b.
valor to bad leadership
Under these conditions the enemy was
unable to put UP very hard fight and
the number of prisoners taken. though
not large for such an important secto-
of the line. was we'll up to average. The
morning mist, however. which helped
US through the opening stages of the Ell.
gagement, was not an unmixed adyau-
tage. 1t served as a screen for the
enemy's counter attacks. and may have
led to the confusion in the alignment o.
attacks. There was delay in adjusting
this difYiculty.7 -...-.
At any rate. the afternoon and eve.
ming. did not fulfl the promise Of the
morning. Immediately east OF the line
reached at noon 10 a railway with high
entertainments. In the mist OF the
morning this Iline was crossed near
Achiet lie Grand. but whether becaus,
the troops that crossed were not sup.
ported on the tanks or for some other
reason the ground thus gained could no.
be held against the heavy German coun.
ter attacks. e. -..
Except those against the troops tina;
crossed the railway these attacks were
all unsuccessful, and the line reached at
noon was held In spite Of them. No fur.
thor advance seems to have been made
Lack Of Frankness Regretted.
So much depends upon the reputation
Of the British official dispatches for
complete frankness that il is TO be re-
GREETED this very local check has not
been mentioned in Ha!gs despatch as
issued. Haig Is made to say that all
counter attacks were repulsed That II
strictly accurate with regard to the
main positions reached through Cour-.
celles and Achiet lie Petit but II is no;
apparently accurate regarding the
ground temporarily gained beyond
Achiet lie Petit. where. as Reuters cor
respondent says. we were not everywhere
able to maintain our ground.
Tres discrepancies In the reports
censored at field headquarters and in
the reports published In London. though
not important II explained, are bad and
SHOULD be avoided. The st!ff resistance
Of the enemy at the line of the railway
embankment is very ineligible. Had
the advance done much the position q
the enemy at Bapaume would have been
unten8ble and we should In fact lave
won all the ground gained in the frs,
Somme battle without ever striking a
blow on the old battlefield. That was
too good a thing to hope for, and tie
resistance of the enemy on tAis north
ern flank is exceptionally stiff and c! ar
acteristic.
Because of the freedom OF the new
tactics this movement north OF tie
Somme was followed by n fresh attack
between the Somme and the Arcre by
Rawlinson's army. Here We are on
ground. or Just behind IT. which formed
| the right of our attack on July l. 1916.
auban that We gained our solitary sue
cess two years ago-success Of whcA
| the whole Somme battle that followed
| was the efYiorescence.
Key to Old Somme Battle Field.
Yesterday the object OF Rawnsors
attack was TO bring our lire toward the
| positions II occupied on the right wing
| at the opening of the Somme battle Nov.
| as in 1916. the key to the Old Sonms
| battlefield is the north side OF the An''e.
| The first Somme battle was fought
mainly south of the Ancre hut 'Adt
| was because We were required 10 coop
| crate with the French. who were then
! our Immediate fighting allies
We have since improved these wooden
methods OF cooperation. MeanWh'.e
! Margins rapidly improving positions
have reached Welette. These facts e''-
| dence the Reorganization Of the German
| army on this front. and strong as the
German positions are here the rapid re-
| treat of the enemy Ia quite out Of the
picture which he is drawing in his re-
ports.
1t must be understood that what We
| are witnessing now is new Style 20
| the voluntary withdrawal Gold s'''eH
| according to the German strategy Of ne
early spring OF 1917. we take this 10 Ne
the meaning; the slow withdrawal ~
the new Hindenburg line il being pre-
! pared and Is not yet ready !; Will not
hold rigidly to the line OF the old Ni"h'
| but will be extremely well fort!hr1.
The line has already gone 50 deep ne
| plan cannot be rushed so quickly HN
was in the forest All concentrate nv
the counter attack in this new de''uS''"
| zone is probably intended 10 begin 'a,
| mediately behind the Bapaume anu
Peronne positions.
Had our army brought of s'ra'eEe
| surprise yesterday and rushed - h"'
| paume It would have been a bigger w.
tory even than that Of July ! " Is
was 1t was apparently an au'omaN
| surprise only. The position on this NanN
was so dangerous the enemy made rreN'
sration TO meet the attack although NO
early morning mist enabled us 10 maze
\ a great deal of headway
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