THE GREAT BATTLE IN FLANDERS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2447, 28 April 1915, Page 7

THE GREAT BATTLE IN FLANDERS

' GERMANS CAPTURE ST. MIEN , CANADIAN SOLDIER'S STOEY OF THE FIGHT The High' Commissioner reports:— - London, April 26, 2.35 p.m. "At Notre Dame de Loretto the French repulsed an attack." ' London, April 27, 12.25 a.m. ■ \ _ Sir John French reports that sev ere fighting north-east of' Ypres still continues, the_ general situation remain iug_jmchanged. • "The British left ilank, in readjust ingots line to .meet the altered conditions due to'the original forced- retirement of the French, were compelled to - face north, extending west beyond Saint Julien. This extension weakened fhe line temporarily, and after a gallant resistance by the Canadians, against superior numbers, St. Julien was captured by the enemy. Our lino now runs south of that place. "Our'troops cast of Ypres bore the brunt of repeated heavy attacks, which they stubbornly opposed throughout tho battle in an entirely unexpected situation, demanding the exercise of gallantry in men and quick resource in officers. "The Germans attacked yesterday east of the Ypres salient, but in spite of the use of asphyxiating gaees, were repulsed. Officers and men were cap- ' tured. ■ - , "There have been heavy German casualties during the last three days, and the British losses were also- heavy. "The German wireless report that lour English,heavy guns were captured 16 untrue. _• "An aviator from our lines destroyed the railway junction at Courtrai .Station." . London, April 27, 2.15 a. m. North of lpres tho Allies have made very sensible progress on the left of their fighting line, repelling the enemy, and inflicting great lose. The Ger- ■ mans again used asphyxiating gas, but . the means of protection we have taken show good results among the French and Belgians. "A lively infantry comhat north of Cliaulnes (20 miles north-west of Soissons) for the possession of a hollow caused by the explosion of a German mine .resulted 111 the enemy being dislodged from the position, which has been maintained by the Allies in spite of two counter-attacks. 1 "In the Champagne district an attompted German attack near Beausejour was immediately stopped. "On the heights (if the Meuse, German attacks on our front at Les Eparges, Saint Remy, and the trenches at Caloime were completely checked. Notwithstanding the extreme violence of the enemy's efforts, the Allies remain masters of the whole position at Les Eparges, whose slopes are covered'with German dead. ( "In the Vosgcs, the enemy, after a violent bombardment, sucoeeded' in gaining a footing on the summit of Hartmalinswieler Kopf. The Allies occupy those poditions_ <i hundred metres around the summit, from which they set out on a previous day (March 25) to carry the'summit by assault in seven minutes. , ' ■ . ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO REACH CALAIS YSER BATTLE RAGING FIERCELY. (Bj Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright) (Rec. April 27, 11.40 p.m.) Dunkirk, April 27. The battle for Calais continues to rage fiercely. The Germans have brought up large reinforcements, and there are now at. least 100,000 in their fighting line. They made repealed efforts to break through between Boesinghe ana ZuydschooteIt is not true that the Germans captured many guns. Thirty were abandoned by the French in the marshes, and remain between the lines of the French artillery, frustrating the German efforts to capture thpm. It is believed that tlie Germans have tho largest concentration of artillery during the present yar, including 16-inch guns and 17-inch howitzers. The Allies have recrossed the Yser, marching to Bixehoote, despite terrible fighting. The enthusiasm of the reinforcing troops was irresistible. Tho French pushed forward chanting the "Marseillaise." The Zouaves greatly distinguished themselves by capturing I.izerne. A narrow river channel adjoining the village had been* lost and retaken several times. The bodies of Germans were piled a yard high, and an accumulation of corpses uneqna'led since the bloody battle at Dixmude in November, and the Germans already have had ten thousand casualties. ' Franco-Belgian Counter-attack. The Frenchandßolgifns began a combined counter-attack between Pilken and Saint Julien on; Sunday, and are still fighting. Prisoners state that prior to Thursday's attack the German officers told their men that the enemy's lines were very weak, and that it would be easy to get'to Paris. They made the men swear never to surrender. When the Germans first saw the result of the asphyxiation tactics they thought that immediate victory was in their hands. The Death Vapours. Tlie prisoners also state that the Germans were preparing for thoir asphyxiation tactics for th ee weeks. They laid a pipe-line from the rear trenches to convey the chlorine to metal cylinders, which were planted in tho front trenches. It was intended to plant these cylinders all along the Belgian-French-British front where the attack was contemplated, but the British attack on Hill 60 prevented the completion of this plan. Most observers agree that a greenish-grey iridescent vapour preceded Thursday's attack. Victims state that men dressed like divers used yard-long generators, to which hose was attached, while others sprayed the earth with the fluid, and afterwards ignited it. A third method was the explosive shells, containing a blinding chemical. Many of the rescued victims have since died. The Gallant Canadians. The Canadians' chief claim to distinction is that they held on in defiance of every tactical rule. They were left fully exposed by the French retirement, and the men in the rear trenches were forced lo face about. Tbey were thus assailed in fr6nt and rear, and also enfiladed. Yet they resisted for hours and made many prisoners, and' finally.retired in good order, conforming to their new alincment.

Wounded men state that during the retirement the Canadians left their wounded behind, and after the counter-attack found tliat all had been bayoneted to death. They took a terrible revonge, and made only two prisoners. BATTLE DEVELOPING ON THE MEUSE HEIGHTS . ATTEMPT TO BETAKE LES EPARGES REPULSED. London, April 20. The battle on the Meuse heights is developing. The Germans, after their repulse at Calonne, attacked towards St. H-omy, with the object of retaking . L'es Eparges, but were repulsed after a vigorous bombardment aijd a violent combat. Tho British stopped two attacks debouching from Passchendaele and Brodseiiidl. The Germans violently bombarded Ypres. [The High Commissioner's report is to the same effect.] CANADIANS' TERRIBLE ORDEAL TOLD BY ONE OF THEIR MEN. London, April 26. A Canadian, interviewed, said: "A ftor the line was broken on the left we were sent northward of Ypres. We sinned without food or water in wet equipment, each with four hundred rounds of ammunition. -We waited from early in the day until nearly midnight, when two battalions were ordered to chargo the enemy five hundred yards away. Their artillery mowed us down like sheep. "There were 2500 Canadians attacking 7000 Germans in a wood full of Maxims. Before the attack some few shells were tired thither. We expelled tho enemy from the trenches in front of the wood and went right through about 600 yards to the other side. Then when almost surrounded we retired to the captured trenches and dug ourselves in, and remained there overnight, the enemy us with shrapnel. "We filed out to make room for reinforcements, and in our advance wo were enfiladed by a heavy fire from both sides. The Prussian Guards in front of us ran like cowards. We recovered three French howitzers which we blew up, and next recaptured our 4.7 guns, surrounding at that point sixty Germans, of whom we bayoneted forty-five, » One German officer blew out his brains. It was a fine sight to see the Indian and French Lancers and crowds of British troops proceeding to hold the position we had won. "We were nnable to estimate the number of Germans slain. They were busy the whole night with searchlights, picking up the dead. The Germans continuously shelled the_ dressing stations, despite 'he Red Cro6s Hag. We were forty-eight hours without food; some of the men nent seventy-two hours. We lost the bulk of our officers, and the stations are full of wounded." PRAISE FROM LORD KITCHENER. London, April 26. Field-Marshal Sir John French informed General Alderson that he had reported the Canadians' splendid behaviour to Lord -Kitchener, and that the latter had replied that the gallantry and'determination of the Canadians in a, difficult position vero highly appreciated in England. . CANADA PROUD OF HER SONS. Ottawa, April 26. Thousands of messages have been despatched to France from the Dominion congratulating the Canadians on their gallant stand in Belgium. The Press points out that Canadians have proved that they are ready to die for the Motherland at all times, and prophesies, that recruiting in tha Dominion will bo greatly stimulated, although even now thousands are offering which the Government are unable to aocept. ■ Tho recruiting officers have been overwhelmed with applications from officers anxious to go to the front. , DAILY LIST OF BRITISH CASUALTIES (Rec. April 27, 7.40 p.m.) Ottawa, April 26. The High Commissioner reports:— London, April 27, 12.25 a.m. Army casualties: — Killed. Wounded. Missing, Officers 3 21 — Men. 88 109 46 (By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.) London, 'April 26. To-day's oasualty list shows thirty-seven officers killed ana sixty-one wounded, mostly at Hill 60. CANADIAN CASUALTIES. , London, April 26. Official: "One Canadian officer was killed, and four'wounded." . (Rec. April 27, 7.40 p.m.) i Ottawa, April 26. The Canadian casualties on Thursday, Friday,, and Saturday include 21 officers killed (including three colonels), and 69 wounded. "FOUL. FORBIDDEN METHODS OF WARFARE" GERMANS EXECRATED BY THE NEW YORK PRESS. G New York, April 26. The "whole of the Press denounces Germany's resort to asphyxiating gases, and retaliation by the Allies is freely anticipated, though its necessity is deplored. ; ' The "Tribune" says: "The first duty of civilisation after, the war is .to chain down suoh instincts of barbarity as Germany has 6hown, and create international treaties for arraying neutrals against any belligerent descending to foul, forbidden methods of warfare." FRENCH NEWSPAPER URGES REPRISALS. Paris, April 26. The newspaper "Debats" calls on the military authorities to discard all false sentiment, and adopt immediate reprisals against the use of gases. GERMAN COMMUNIQUE: LIZERNE STILL HELD. (Sec. April 27, 7.40 p.m.) London, April 27. An official message from Berlin states:—"Wo still hold Lizerne (on the weftern side of the iser Canal). We have captured forty-four guns."We continued our attack north-west of_ Zonnabeke, capturing over one thousand Canadians,' the total number of prisoners being over five thousand."