HEAVY FIGHTING IN THE WESTERN THEATRE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2595, 18 October 1915, Page 5

HEAVY FIGHTING IN THE WESTERN THEATRE

BRITISH POSITION FURTHER IMPROVED POWERFUL GERMAN ATTACK IN TIE VOSGES By Telegraph—Presß Association—Copyright The High Commissioner reports:— ' / $ London, October IS, 4.50 p.m. "There has been) a general and violent bombardment along the whole of the Western front." London, October 16, 1.35 a.m. General French, repojts: ''To-day the only change in the situation was south of tho La Bassee Qmal, where we further improved our position at tho Hohenzollern 1 redoubt, holding all the ground we gained on October 13," Londoni October 16, 2.5 a.m. "There is a' violent bombardment from Loos to En Hache, and at Givenchy. ! "In the Champagne region, after_a bombardment yesterday, an attack by the enemy gained them a footing in tho old trenches on the left wing positions, w-hich we captured recently. "In the Lorraine district, we captured parts of the trenches, where tho •enemy has been established since October 9, taking fifty prisoners. "In the Vosges, a powerful Gorman attack, on a front of five kilometres, between Rehfensen and Sudelkopf, after a bombardment with shells of all kinds, and petrol bombs, was repulsed everywhere, except on the summit of Hartmanns-Wielerkopf. "At Violu. our artillery fire destroyed the enomy's trenches, and two of his blockhouses." London, October 16, 4.10 p.m. "Several counter-attacks by tho enemy on the trenches we captured in Lorraine, north of Reillon, yesterday, were repulsed during the night. "Li tho Vosges the eneni}' attempted an attack in force between Lingo Kopf and Schratzmaenelle, preceded by an intense bombardment, and accompanted b.y a curtain of fire, on tlio second lino of trenches. Tho attack was completely repulsed."London, October 17, 2 a.m. "On the Western front we completely repulsed the enemy's attacks on tho wood of En Hache, and west of tho valley of Souchez. "There is a general bombardmeut on the whole of our front. "In tho Vosges we counter-attacked and regained possession of tho trenches we lost at Hartmanns Wielerkopf; We also captured a fortress which had formerly been in tho enemy's hands. "Our aeroplanes dropped bombs on the station at Metz. There wore some explosions." FRENCH OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE • . Paris, October 15. A communique states: there was a violent reciprocal bombardment last night at Loos and north-eastward of Souohez. Lively grenade fighting occurred southward of Bois en Hacho, and there was an intense cannonade at Lihons. "Our batteries energetically replied to tho enemy's concentration of artillery against our positions eastward of Auberive, in the Champagne, and we checked violont artillery machine-gun fire before Lericourt. We directed a hurricane of )jre upon the German Works northward of Reillon, in Lorraine. "A violent struggle with trench engines occurred at Ohapelotto, kopf, and' Barren Kopf in Alsace.' • GERMAN OFFICIAL' COMMUNIQUE. (Rec. October 17, 3.40 p.m.) > Amsterdam, October 16. A Berlin communique states: "We havo again driven the British out of our positions north-east and cast of Vormelles. They now only retain a small portion of the trenchos on tho western fringe of the gravel quarry. '"The Saxons east of Auberive havo captured tho French Place d'Armes from which an attack could bo mado on our positions. We took prisoner threo hundred and several machine-guns." IMPORTANT BRITISH SUCCESSES (Bee. October 16, 7.55 p.m.) Paris, October 16. An important British success between Ypres and Loos on Wednesday night, after most sanguinary fighting, is roported. After a temporary check through a German counter-attack, tlio British, aided by excellent artillery preparation, attacked north-east of Vermelles, capturing several trenchos. GERMAN REINFORCEMENTS FOR THE YPRES-ARRAS FRONT (Rec. October 16, 7.55 p.m.) Rotterdam, October 16. Tho Belgo-T)utch Frontier lias been dosed. German reinforcements wire arriving at tho Yprcs-Arrus front. GOOD NEWS FOR ZEEBRUCGE AND ANTWERP (Rec. October 17, 3 p.m.) Havro, October 16. , Bslijlati B.v!«torj> fanbrusgs timl ami and nemwers announcing tho Allies' successes on tha Western frqat,