BRITISH VALOUR ON HILL 60

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2446, 27 April 1915, Page 5

BRITISH VALOUR ON HILL 60

, A THRILLING STORY AWFUL ORDEAL OF SHELL FIRE '(By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.) fi witli British Headquarters, statesSerai"'mmS' were fired simultaneously at Hill 60 on April 17. Trenches, parapets/and slndwt disappeared, the ground was torn, and huge craters aLmed strange shapes iNothmg -was left of the_ occupants of the enemy's line. An extraordinary sifene ' Xi - .benches. . Many Germans were surprised .while in their shirt-sleeves. They were without equipment, and 'stunned and 'bewildered by the explosion and subjected to a ram of W-gren™ thev became panic-stricken, cursing and shouting and falling over efch other in a frouVof them? ° terror " stnok en men bayoneted comrades in ' British Bayonets at Work. » • British,.with the bayonet, buret through the maze of- tr» nn w poured into the orators, and pressed on till hauled up by the barricades wMci n v . were defended by bomb-throwers. The first of the trenches was canturS in a few minutes; then the,real struggle began. The Germans quickfrWerS ImS-J ihe . lr , sur P. r i ße , and the whole of our position was soon obscuvsd by the Bmoke of bursting shells. Meanwhile onr batteries supported the attack' bv terrific artillery, firebar into the mght. Whilst our men were throwi™ no - end / r th ? P° sltl ° n defensible, the Germans threw hand-grades , . over,the I ,barricades,; also'on the crater sides, to which the British werocKn" .- wg in an endeavour to .obtain a foothold. were cling- ' Hillside Plied with Corpses. , ' is iiFf'" fighting the night,' and-culminated-early 0 n April . 18 in two German massed .attacks, which were beaten .off. -Though the Mtlm Jknla f C Gerl ?.? n cor Pses, the enemy continued his pressure during the whole of Sunda,y, . until we wero gradually,: driven off the Northern S Reinforcements arrived at 6 o'clock m the evenine and sweot g . from the edge. ■ Onr' position was now, mora swure P • 6ermßM ,■ it • j mgnt was comparatively quiet. There was a severe cannonade from on Monday, the Germans \eavily shelling all round Ypres fir* wtlwSTv, Mll r \T a a formidable concentration of artillery • Vnr'J liff io ? r & hour. Forty-two 35-centimetre guns bombardS , ca^alties^vereTsmall™ m . slree t 17610 killed; otherwise the Yet Another Attaok on the Hllb, . . German infantry advanced on Hill 60. at 6.30 in the «vL ; ' m,r macWgunsapw did tremendous execution, beating off the enemy Another ssssa ""™" d * tab " j -» a fzus ' N Asphyxiating dases from Enemy's Shells. „ On" Wednesday morning we had the position'' except' for one point Bv 3,0 clock in the afternoon only a few German bomb-throwers w°ro left on 'If northeastern edge. The bombardment of the hill continued, projectiles explosives qn an area only 2ooyds. long by 200vds. deep. At times the hill v top .waß wreathed with poisonous fumes The infantry stood firm under a fire G ■ O JV- s r e ?L °f W M 6 sectlon s and filled the trenches with corpses. The anjsSAStftar ™ i "" *«* ■"« GLOWING TRIBUTES TO THE CANADIANS. •m. ' i .. , London, April 25. The newspapers pay glowing tributes to the Canadians' marvellous dash.

VAPOUR OF DEATH' FROM THE ENEMY'S TRENCHES

GHOULISH TACTICS BY THE GERMANS

(Reo. April 26, 9.30 p.m.)

. The "Daily Chronicle'' says that the Allies are no longeV'fight'ng a'natfon, wit a scourge like cho era. - A curtain of asphyxiating gas advanced like the yellow wind of Zsiorthem China, and rose to a heieht of sixteen feet, "Evidently the Germans placed big reinforced bottles full of gas ' compressed at high pressure, on the top of the trenches, and opened, them when the wind was certain to carry the gas m the direction of our trenches.. Manv of the French soidiers not knowing their danger, attempted to escape anil . at .their posts. .Corpses turned 'black, and those who escaped spat blood owing to the chlorine attacking tho mucous membrane. > 01 effeots were felfc over an al ' ca of six kilometres bv two (roughly 3i miles by 1J). Elsewhere'the gas had bccome too diluted by the air toW though it suffocated many. ' In the Wake of the Fumes. "After the gas had escaped .about fifteen minutes, masked Germans took possession of the arms of the dead men. They made no prisoners. When they saw a soldier whom tho fumes had not quite killed, they threw his riilo ;into the Yser, and ironically advised him to lie down, and thus die better. "When the reinforcements arrived, the French opened a terrible and simultaneously the Canadians thrust out their tvedco. cuttlnc off ma&,y of tte

Germans -who had advanced too far in order to play their infamous trick on a party of Frenchmen. One German column was threatoned with decimation, owing to the French fire, and held up their rifle-butts, and waved in the air a ; white flag, calling: 'We surrender 1! When near the French trenches they opened fire, killing many, of the Frenchmen, whom the Canadians were able to avenge.

"The floods north of the Ferryman's -house prevented the use of chlorine, as the trenches, were too far apart. Here the Germans, four abreast, and preceded by three machine-guns, advanced along' the road, crossing the floods regardless of the Allies' big guns. The Germans did not use their machineguns until close to the Belgian trenches wften they poured in a liot fire, and charged with the bayonet. They were able to ■ cross owing to their great number. The Belgians fought gallantly until reinforcements arrived, which enabled them to throw the Germans back several points over the Yser. Fighting North of Dixmude. "The Germans north of Dixmude attacked many times in serried ranks, particularly at Chateau de. Come, which is a small country house, with a garden, situated among a number of peasants' cottages. A bayonet fight resulted for the Germans, many of whom were taken prisoners. "The Germans continued their massed attack on April 23, and the Belgian Grenadiers performed many deeds of bravery in preventing the Germans from passing the French left wing, which had been weakened as the result of the poisonous gas. The Germans, by mid-day on April 25, were driven back over the Yser. The Germans throughout used' many explosive bullets." ANOTHER PICTURE OF THE DEATH FOG. (Rec. April 26. 10 p.m.) ' Paris, April 26. ' Witnesses of the German attack say. that the Germans did not use any special asphyxiating shells. They believe that the vapour emanating was chloric gas, projected from the German trenches by some unknown means, the Germans availing themselves of a favourable wind. The French troops 'were amazed to see thick clouds of blackish fog moving towards their trench, and taking advantage of their momentary confusion,' the Germans came out, supported by their artillery, and wearing masks. ' '

Thanks to numerous reserves and the support of the British, the German advance was checked north of fhs Canal.

CANADIANS FIGHT FOR THEIR LIVES

THRILLING ACCOUNT OF THE GREAT BATTLE

(Rec. 'April 26, 11.40 p.m.)

1 Dunkirk, 'April 26. The capture of Hill 60 upset the German calculations, and they were Forced to disclose their hana in a premature attack on. the French lines north of the British section. Three German army corps were flung on the Yser from Roulers with orders to gain tho Ypres and Fumes Road at any cost. I

A north-easterly wind was blowing on Thursday evening, and a sulphur chloride product, a heavy gas about the same consistency of afterdamp, with an acrid 'smoke singularly painful to the eyes, came down. As the smoke arose in front of the German trcnches the enemy evacuated their own trenches, giving the French the impression of retiring. Many of the French sprang up,, and charged into the poisonous cloud. They were blinded and stifled by the fumes. Some regaiued the. trenches, but the bursting of shells containing the same fumes scattered poisonous ga.ses aud formed another wall of smoke behind the bewildered Frenchmen. ' - In one spot the Germans themselves were caught by the poisonous cloud, - and fought until they could not distinguish friend from foe. A French sergeant managed to escape, and told the Belgian commander of the gravity of the situation. The Bolgians retired in good order. The Canadians had no time to get their 4.7 guns across the water, and the Gennans, who had brought up a quantity of ready-made bridges, thirty feet long, despite the destruction of the first bridge, crossed the canal, and occupied Lizerne. ■ v Canadians Between Two Fires. This left the Canadians in an untenable, position, but within four hours they had turned the advance. • The met men who were retreating, terribly sick, half-blind, and weak'in the limbs from the fumes. Nevertheless the Canadians faced' shrapnel, rifle fire, and machine-guns in country lacking cover. French troops assisted, and in the growing darkness they retired to their positions on the Canal banks,' still disorganised. At dawn a large number of the troops were still poisoned. Indeed, men were being brought into Dunkirk on Sunday in a state of stupor. Enemy's Main Attack. The main German attack was directed at the Dixmude-Ypres Road, at a point where it crosses.the Canal. After the Germans stormed Steenstraa'te they made i'sweeping movement to the left. The French made a valiant defence and were driven back, abandoning four batteries of "seventy-fives.'' The German engineers on Thursday night enlarged and strengthened the temporary bridge at Steenstraate, enabling their - reinforcements to entrench on the western bank before dawn. Supported by heavy artillery throughout Friday the German infantry tried to capture Zuydschoote, but were repeatedly repulsed. The attacks were renewed on Friday night, when they held half a mile of front west of the bridge' head. : -j The Belgians meanwhile had done their-full. share of the fighting, holding the line of the Yser, the flooded area, and the dunes. The German artillery everywhere searched .their 'lines, but they fought with splendid courage and gallantry, co-operating with the French. They combined forces to recapture Lizerne, and threw, the Germans across the Canal. _ The Final Soene. After the Germans poured over the Canal they attacked the Canadians in the rear. The.Canadians were facing both ways, and fought for their lives with their bayonets:- British supports, with Zouaves, fell upon the Germans and out their' way to the Canadians. Then the whole mass charged the enemy in one glorious onrush. Whole companies ; of Germans wero wiped out. The Canadians at last drove the Germans from Pilkem in disorder by means of two bayonet charges, delivered with magnificent dash and spirit. The Germans! excessive confidence helped the Canadians to establish the whole Allied line. ■ ' "> The Gharnel House. The' Duke of Wurtemburg'/ army, with a number of Hungarian regiments, carried out the attack. There were many rumours that Field-Marahal Von Hindenburg was in' chief command. ; • • The Germans are now burying near the battlefields, owing to the railways, being congested with troop trains, preventing the conveyance of tHe. dead to the cremating furnaces at Borinage. Great piles of corpses, mostly manglid' and unrecognisable, have been collected west'of Routers, where , tiie wagons bring them from the banks of the Yser. The burial pits are fifteen feet deep, and dug by German civilians, assisted by Belgians compulsbrily drafted from the villages. •. .

CANADA THRILLED BY THE NEWS

ANXIETY OVER THE CASUALTY LISTS

(Rec. April 26, 11.35 p.m.)

™ ~ , , Montreal, April 25. The exploit of the Canadians at the Yser was bulletined by tlie newspaper offices. The public rushed the special ed itions, and was delighted with the unusually warm language employed by the War Oifice dispatch. H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught in spec.ted the Montreal Home Guard and congratulated the oflicers on the gallantry of their brothers, in arms in taking the guns, which was specially welcome and recalls the exploit in South Africa when Major Holland won the Victoria Cross. ' There is great anxiet.v over the casualty lists, as the j Canadians had already a thousand casualties at Hill 60 and around Ypres. The Toronto 'Star" 6ays: "It is no fault of the Canadians • that they yielded ground; annihilation or retreat was the only option, and they did weil to extricate themselves without more Serious loss. Such a situation is the 1 severest test of discipline." ■'

SEVERE FIGHTING NEAR POELCAPELLE AND

LANGEMARCK

HUGE CEMETERY NEAR MOORSLEDE.

■ . Amsterdam, April 25. The Roulers correspondent of- the newspaper "Telegraaf" says the fighting near Poelcapelle and Langemarck was of the most severe character. Thousands were buried in a'huge cemetery near Moorslede, and the churches are filled with wounded. German artillery is posted south of Moorslede, and horses are attached to each- gun, ready to move,- owing to the Allies' frequent successful air raids.

The German plans embrace a strong attempt to cross the Yser and force a way to Fumes and Dunkirk. .

The Allied airmen have made daily raids between the Yser and Bruges, their objectives including the airsheds at Gits,. Lissewege, and Cesthel, Many Germans were killed.

The Germans heavily bombarded an airman at Gontrode, east of Ghent. The airman allowed his machine to fall rapidly upside down, and the Germans ceased fire, believing the airman had been hit. Suddenly he righted the machine and dropped bombs; damaging the airsheds, and then escaped. '

THE OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUES

CONTINUED PROGRESS OP THE ALLIES,

London, April 25. Official.—The'Allies continue to progress in Belgium. The British held all their positions.

; - Paris, April 25. A communique states"The'counter-attacks of the British, French, and Belgians in Belgium continue successfully againit two German army corps. Tho Germans continue to use asphyxiating gases. "\Ve progressed considerably northwards on the right bank of the Yser Canal. The British repulsed tho counter-attack mentioned in the last communique, and held all_ their positions. A German division, on a front less than a kilometre (five-eighths of a. mile) in extent, bent back the French line at Colonue, on the Meuse heights, but a counter-attack. swept back tho Germans." [The High Commissioner's report is to the same effect.]

/ HIGH COMMISSIONER'S REPORT

Tho High Commissioner reports:—

London, April 26, 1.20 a.m. "To the north of Ypres the combat continues under favourable conditions to the Allies. The Germans attacked at. several points on the, British front, hut sained! Hp srniiiid. Tho Allie? litns pfOHnwe'<J on tJia right bank of the ,can#T by % vigorous coiwtw-attacli.

DAILY UST OF BRITISH CASUALTIES. The High Commissioner reports:— Killed. Wounded. Missing. Officers 7 12 < — Men 86 194 5 23 Canadians— Officers ... — 1 — Men 3 18 — Total 96 225 23 GREAT REJOICINGS IN BERLIN ' SUCCESSES CLAIMED. ... Amsterdam, April 25. lhere are great rejoicings over the German victory in Flanders. A communique from Berlin states'We had further successes near Ypres. We maintained the ground captured by us on . April 23, and continued the attack eastward. We stormed Solaert Farm, soutn-west of St. Julien, and stormed St. Julien, which is three miles north-east cf Ypres • also Kersselwere. "We advanced victoriously _ against Grafeastefel, taking prisoner ono thousand Englishmen and capturing seven machine-guns. We repulsed, a British, counter-attack on our position west of St. Julien, fbe British suffering tho most severe losses. " "British attempts to attack West Mill were stifled ,at birth. "The French suffered a severe defeat south-west of Combres. We broke through several lines. .Nightly attempts to recapture the ground miscarried, we captured 24 French officers, 1600 men, and 17 guns." PROJECTILES WITH POISONOUS GASES. i , • , ' Borl| n> April 25. . . .A report-from Berlin states that the journal "Frankfurter ZeitiW," re. joicing over the _ German successes at Ypres, states: "It is probable "that w6 employed projectiles emitting poisonous gases. This was a reply to the treacherous British and French projeotiles the German army haa had to contend with already. It was stated that German chemists would produce considerably more effective gas bombs than those of the enemy."