GERMANS ATTEMPT TO REACH BELGIAN COAST

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2311, 19 November 1914, Page 5

GERMANS ATTEMPT TO REACH BELGIAN COAST

"ENORMOUS EFFORTS" \ VIOLENT BATTLE IN WEST FLANDERS Parle, November 17. Ml , communique states: "Tho Germans violently bombarded Nieuport, Dixmude, and Ypree. Artillery fire prevented the Germans completing works south of Dixmude to prevent inundation, and .their trenches were flooded. The Germans evacuated them. . . "German attacka south of Bixscbooto and Ypres failed Wβ have progressed between Bixschoote arid the Yser Canal. "The artillery contest, from Armentieres to La Basse©, is particularly .Violent. "The Germans endeavouring to cross the River Aisne, near Vailly, were destroyed or repulsed. £a Argonne we exploded a number of German trenches by means of mines, and advanced at several points south of Verdun. We seized a portion of ChaTivoneourt, which is the sole point d'appui held by the Germans on the left bank of the Msuse in this region.

'ALLIES' COUNTER-ATTACK PROGRESSING,

The Allies' counter-attack in the Dixmude district is -progressing. Fresh ■French troops have been strengthening some of the weak points, and some'of th© Bolgian troops, all of whom »hav© bosn fighting heroically, hav© beeu sent to Paris, and French troops substituted. . The High Commissioner reports :- ; -- " , • . <:• London, November 17, 4.25 p.m. The battle has been resumed with great violence in West Flanders. The ifenemy is waking enormous efforts to. reach the coast. . It .is Bemi-ofljcially stated, that the fighting in the Argonne has not appreciably varied during tho past two months. Some of the trenches are only fifty. yards apart, .and all the expedients of siege warfare are practised. The German losses greatly exceed the French. We occupy the district around Verdun, and have gradually advanced from three to six miles beyond tho lino held a month ago. ■■ GERMAN LOSSES IN FOUR DAYS' FIGHTING, ■■ London, November 17. Tho , Daily.Mail states that tho Germans lost nearly vono hundred thou(sand men during four days'; fighting at Ypres. ' An eye-witness at. Headquarters mentions the splendid accuracy and de■structiveness of', t'he British 'howitzers and the terrific effect of the French field artillery; . . , . ' ' n British and French airmen blew up two old forts at Lille used by the Germane as magazines. : ■ 'ANGLO-INDIAN CONTINGENT AT MARSEILLES. ; Kn important Anglo-Indian Contingent has arrived at Marseilles,GERMAN TROUBLES OVER BIG-GUN TRANSPORT. (Reo. November 18, 7.30 p.m.)' . „ , ■ Amsterdam, November 17. ' , .German deserters report that the Germans have great difiiculty fe moving their guns, and are unable to carry out swift and sudden concentrations at selected points. GERMANY CALLING FOR VOLUNTEERS. (Reo. November 18, 9.5 p.m.) . , j 3 ~v ; . London, November 17. Berlin is placarded with posters calling for volunteers, • '. "MORE OR LESS MARKED PROGRESS." \ ' (Reo. November 18, 11.25 p.m.) Paris, November 17, midnight. Official.—The enemy has renewed his attacks eastward and southward of Ypres, without modifying the situation. During the last two days wo made Wore or less marked progress at every point. .We have attacked on tho Yser, along towards the Meuse. • ' SIGNIFICANT STOP ON BERLIN-HOLLAND TELEGRAPH LINE (Rec. November 19, .1.20 a.m.) ( ~~C ; . , ... ■' Amsterdam, November 18. ' ' . Direct communication between Holland and Berlin has been suddenly,

interrupted. This is interpreted to mean, that a great movement of the German trobp9 is in progress. » . Paris, November 18.. 'A German spy about to be executed at Arras offered to give information if hie life was spared. This was promised if the information proved correct. Hβ asserted that the Germane had planned to rotreat during the next four days. . ' GERMAN LOSSES TO DATE. ■ (Red. November 19, 1.20 a.m.) • . . Copenhagen, November 18. ■':,■ Official lists of German casualties total 549,248, this being exclusive of the losses of the Bavarian, Saxon, and 'Wurtemburg Armies, which are estimated at over four hundred thousand..' ■ • HOW THE PRUSSIAN GUARDS WERE SMASHED; i-: . ■■ • . • ' ' . ; BATTALIONS LURED INTO THE JAWS;OF. DEATH. ;(Reo. November 19, 0.30 a.m.) \ ' Paris, November 18. The smashing of the , Prussian Guard at Zonnabeke was beautifully timed. The Germans shelled our trenches with lyddite and shrapnel for eight hours. It was impossible to relieve them until nightfall. The Germans massed their Prussian Guards, who' drove us back by sheer weight of. numbers, trench by trench, stubbornly defended, until they came within sixty yards of where our artillery was hidden. ■' ■ . ■ Suddenly the British lines dispersed on either Bide, leaving a huge gap through which the Guards poured, wildly cheering, into the jaws of 'death. There came the finest of the Kaiser's troops within fifty yards of our field guns, which belched hell- at point-blank. : The Black Watch savagely charged for a mile. 'A' thousand of the enemy were killed and. three thousand wounded. The artillery followed up and shelled the enemy's line a'mile further away.' (Roc. November 19, 1.45 a.m.) Paris, November 18. ' Many hundreds of the Prussian Guard were taken prisoners, at Zonnebeke, with four heavy, cannon, twenty-seven machine guns, besides some motor machine guns. ,