GERMAN TRENCHES CAPTURED

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2352, 7 January 1915, Page 5

GERMAN TRENCHES CAPTURED

' STEADS' PROGRESS OF ALLIES , FRESH GROUOT GAINED IN ALSACE ByTelesrapli-PMM A««o6tali<!a-04iiy*t4M ' ~ '■ ; Paris, January 5. r A l: eommunique states:—Despite the condition of the ground the infantry, progressed on the dunes facing Nieupotfc. We won two hundred to'five hundred yards in the vicinity of St. Georges, banying houses and trenches, and silenced German batteries at many points in Belgium. ... Our.mortars and grenades stopped the enemy, sapping at Notre Da ma do J/orotte. - 'i'he Germans near Lille captured i trench, which we retook. - We entered Creus Argent, near Ortey. , Progress between Thann and Cernay. is being.maintained at a point fiveBigbths of a mile east of' Old Thann. . IRRESOLUTE LAND STRUM PUBLICLY SHOT. Paris, January 5. TheGermansshot,thirtyoftheLandstrumlfi_the public'square at Steinbach, liecause they were irresolute/ After evacuating Steinbach, the Germans threw Incendiary bombs, and had to abandon the first line of trenches, which were Bblazo, owing to the wind driving back the flames. GERMANS CLAIM MINOR SUCCESSES. 1 1 1 Amsterdam, January 5. 'A 1 Berlin communique claims minor successes north_ of Arras. French attacks in the Argonne were repulsed. The position is without change in East Prussia. In North Poland we are progressing in the Bzura and Rawka regions. ' [Unfavourable weather is impeding movements. . ALLIES CAPTURE A; QUARRY AND SOME TRENCHES, {Bee. January 6, 8.45 p.m.) . Paris, January 6. Official.—We captured a quarry on Monday night near the junction of the Eouvras-Saintmihiel-Maizey Roads, also the trenches in the vicinity. There has been no fighting elsewhere.' j ■ The'weather is bad. GRAPHIC ACCOUNT OF THE FIGHT FOR [STEINBACH EVERY LANE WAS AN AMBUSCADE, EVERY COTTAGE 'A FORTRESS. ■ (Rcc. January 6, 8.45 p.m.) Paris, January 6._ The German commander at Steinbach, replying to a French Parliamentaire bn December 31, said he did not regard himself as surrounded. The Cernay Road was still opten for a possible retreat in any case. The Emperor's troops taight be killed, but they would not surrender. The French approached the village in open columns at noon. A mitrail- . ' leu bo in tho church tower swept the edge of a wood, where there was a farm approached by cross-roads. It was necessary to capture this point d'appui at all costs. - . ..' . ' • The enemy used civilians as a shield, including a woman with hair waving and hands tied behind her back. The Bight inflamed the French, who used their bayonets, and captured the farm despite the heavy fire. The ventilation-holes of the granary wall formed perfect loopholes, from Vhich crack sbbts picked off the Prussian gunners one by one, enabling the . principal line to make a new advance. The German infantry tried to take the fallen gunners', plates, but through lack of knowledge lost valuable time, and at the end of the afternoon tho French column turned tho enemy's right along the brook. , The enemy's desperate counter-attack north of the village completely failed. The cavalry, who counter-attacked on foot, were thrown into the stream, a number of the wounded being drowned. The battle continued till evening. Every lane was an ambuscade, every feottage a fortress; the possession of a.wall or door became the object of a furious hand-to-hand fight. Exasperation on both sides increased, till night terminated the battle. A French volunteer, taking his life in his hands, ignited the stable where the Germans were sheltering. The flames enabled the mitrailleuses'to bo used with 'deadly effect on the flying Germans. Tho latter's incendiary bombs Blew up their own ammunition reserve, SMART CAPTURE OF A FARM-HOUSE. / (Rcc. January 7, 1.30 a.m.) ~ ' ' : Paris, January 6. 1 Forty Germans held a farm-house at an important point near St. Georges, almost surrounded by floods. Tho Allies were unable to shell it for fear i of hitting their own troops. Three Belgians and a Frenchman, on Saturday night, swam and waded and crept to the farm-house, choked three of tbe.ssntries while the rest of the Germans were asleep. A Belgian company thMi 'rushed the farm, two of the sleepers were bayoneted and the rest surrendered.