FRENCH OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2524, 27 July 1915, Page 5

FRENCH OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE.

(Bee. July 26, 9.45 p.m.) • ' . Paris, July 26. A Frcnch official com.inmimio states: —"The number of the enemy made prisoners at Bandesapt has increased to 836, including eleven officers, The bulk of the captives are not wounded." GERMAN OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE. Amsterdam, July 25. A German- communique states: "We blew up ail enemy blockhouse in lb© Argonne. The enemy occupied a- small part of our trenches at Ban-de-Sapt. "We bombarded Dunkirk fortress with several shells." PREPARING FOR THE DASH ON. CALAIS GERMANS BUILDING STRATEGIC LIGHT RAILWAYS IN FLANDERS., {"Times"- and Sydney "Sun" Services.,) London, July 25. Tlia "Times" correspondent in Northern France states that tlio Germans have completed a system of strategic light railways behind their lines, built oil steel sleepers and laid at the rate of ten miles per day. Nothing heavier than a five-ton truck is used, and tho engine weighs eighteen tons. The line accounts for the wonderful mobility of the enemy. Vast reinforcements have been brought up, and it is believed a great effort to reach Calais i 6 impending. NEWS FROM THE BRITISH FRONT REPORT FROM SIR JOHN FRENCH. The High Commissioner reports:— London, July 26. Sir John Frenoh reports: "On Wednesday we'Tepulsed _a bomb attack on a crater which had been made by the explosion of our mine west of.Hooge (reported last Tuesday). Our heavy artillery silenced a heavy, trench mortar which was assisting in the attack. _ _ "On Friday wo a mine under a salient in the German lines south-east of Zillebeke, and destroyed the enemy> trenches there. Shortly afterwards tho enemy exploded a- mine further south, but little damans was done. Later, we made some ground by occupying a crater made by a German mine, linking it with our trenches. "Oil Saturday we repulsed another heavy bomb attack on our trenches round tho crater near Hooge." 1 DETAILS OF THE HOOGE AFFAIR. (Rce. July 26, 10.20 p.m.) London, July 26. The explosion of tho British mine near Hooge was of considerable local importance. The position lay across the Menin Road, east of Ypres, forming the apex to a dangerous salient, which tho enemy bad converted into a strong redoubt, and crammeS with machine-guns, making a direct infantry attack imposible. J ' Our sappers mined, itndsr cover or rv bornyfl.rdni6ivfc unci "tho lir<j or our platoon's behind the trenchcs. The mine exploded at seven o'clock in the evening. There was a frightful spectacle among the debris.. Five spreadeagled bodies shot up in- tho air. Prisoners later declared that a whole company of two hundred had been accounted for. . 'We easily occupied the crater, as tho survivors had been stunned, and did •not. resist. Wo took the bombers prisoners, and extended the gain until evening, holding on despite a heavy bombardment. A desperate counter-attack on 'Thursday completely failed.