OFFICIAL NEWS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2266, 28 September 1914, Page 6

OFFICIAL NEWS

INCIDENTS OF THE BATTLE GERMANS WITHOUT OFFICERS The Prime Minister lias received the following message from the Higli Commissioner :— Considerable information about tho enemy has been gleaned from prisoners. ,Ou.r bombardment on the 15th produced a great impression. Our infantry made much good uso of the ground that the German companies are decimated by our rifle fire before a British soldier is seen. From an. official-diary captured by tho First Army Corps, it appears that one German corps contains an extraordinary mixture of units. If the composition of other corps is similar, it may bo. assumed that tho present efficiency of the enemy's "forces is in no way comparable with what it was when the war commenced. The losses of officers have been especially severe A brigade is stated to bo commanded by a major, and some companies of footguards are commanded by one • year volunteers. After the Battle of Montmirail one regiment lost 55 or 60 officers. Prisoners recently captured appreciate the fact that the march, on Paris has failed; and that their forces are retreating into closer touch with supports which have stayed too far in the rear Ollicers are endeavouring to encourage' the troops by telling them that they will be home by Christmas. A large number of the men, however, believe that they are beaten. A Cerman Letter. ' The'.following refers to the fighting on tho Aisno, and is from a totter found on a German officer: —"Our corps has' tho task of,holding the heights south of Cerry in-all circumstances till the Fifteenth Corps on our left flank can grip tho enemy's flank. On our. right are other corps. Wo are fighting with English Guards,- Highlanders, and Zouaves.- The losses on both sides have, been enormous. For the most part this is duo to tho too brilliant Frencli Artillery. Tho English are'marvellously trained in making use of ground. Ono never sees them, and one is constantly under tiro. The French airmen perform wonderful feats. We cannot get rid of them. As soon as an airman has flown over us, ten minutes later we get their shrapnel in our position. We' have little artillery m our corps, and without it wo cannot get forward. _ - "Three days ago our division took possession of- these heights and dug itself in. Two days ago, early in the moriiing, we were attacked by immensely superior English forces, one brigade and two battalions, and'were turned out of our position. The British took five.guns from us. It was i tremendous liond-to-hand fight. How I escaped myself I am not clear. I then had to bring up supports on foot. Then : came "up the Guard Jager Battalion, the -4th Jager, the'64th Regiment, a reserve regiment 13, and the Landweir Regiments' 13 ■ and 16, and with the help of artillery we drove back the British out of our position again. Our machine guns did. excellput work, and the English fell in heaps. In■. our battalion three Iron .Crosses were given.. During the first two days' battle.l had only one piece of bread and no water. If we first beat, the English, tho French; resistance will soon bo broken,' and Russia will bo very nuickly dealt with.' Wo have received, splendid help from Austrian heavy artillery. At Maubeuge they'bombarded Fort Cerfoyaine in such a way that there was not 10 metres of parapet which did not show enormous craters made by' shell, and armoured turrets were found upside down."

Airman's Adventure. « Recently a pilot and observer of the Reyal Flying Corps were forced by a breakage in their aeroplane "to descend in tho enemy's lines. The pilot managed to pancake his machine down to" earth, and the two escaped into some thick undergrowth in a wood. The enemy 'came up and seized and smashed the machine, but did not search for our men with much zeal. The latter lay hid till dark, and then found their way to Aisne, across which they swam, reaching camp safely. Numerous floating bridges have been thrown across the Aisne, and manent bridges have been repaired under fire. On the 20th, a lieutenant of -.the Reyal Engineers was unfortunately drowned whilst attempting to swim 'across the river with a cable in .order to open up fresh telegraph communication with the north side. Espiouage is still carried on : by tho enemy to a considerable extent. Recently the suspicions of French troops were aroused by coming across a farm from which the horses had not been'removed.' After a search they discovered a telephone - connected by an underground oablo with the German lines. The owner of the farm paid the penalty usual in war for treachery. A Treacherous Enemy.

,' It is reported by our officers that Germans have attempted to approach to close quarters .by forcing prisoners to march in front of them. That the Germans.have repeated the same trick on.a larger'scale against the French is shown, by a copy of tho following French order: :' "September, 1914.'—During a recent night attack .the Germans drove a column of French prisoners in front ofthem. This action is to be'brought to the notice of allour troops in order to put them on their- guard against such a dastardly ruse in order that every soldier may know how Germans treat tfieir prisoners. Our troops must not forget' that if they allow themselves to be taken prisoners the Germans will not fail to expose them to French bullets." On the 17th German ambulance wagons advanced in order to collect their wounded./ An order to cease fire was consequently given to our guns, which were firing on this particular section of ground. The German battery commanders at .once took advantage of the lull in the action to climb, up their observation ladders to locate our guns, which soon after -jame under far more accurate fire than any to which they had been subjected up to that'time. A.British officer captured by the Germans, but iwlio\'has since escaped, Teports that Iwhile a prisoner he saw men who 'had been fighting subsequently put on Red Cross brassards. Men in the uniform of combatant units have been captured wearing Red Cross brassards hastily slipped over the arm?

;■•'.% Activity AH Along the Line. ;• .' London, September 26, 5.45 om. "Official. —There has been much activity'on tho part of the enemy all along -the line. Some lioavy counter-attacks have been repulsed and considerable loss inflicted on p the enemy ;. London, September 26, 8.40 p.m. , . General Headquarters report the following casualties of officers, dated September 22:—Killed, 33; died of wounds, 2; wounded, 54; missing, 13. London, September 25; 12.55 p.m. . Mr. Asquith, in Ireland to-night, said that tho vast. Empire in every ■ quarter • of the globe was defending principles and maintaining interests vital not only to -the British Empire, but all worth having in common For the civilisation and'tho future progress of mankind. The Germans dropped bombs at Boulogne and Ostend. Little damage was done. The Russians are making progress in Galieia and occupying strongly fortified positions. : 'Mr. Lloyd George said that for every Belgian soldier lost on the battlefield thrso Innonont unoffending neoulfl had . been, ruthlessly killed.