EXPECTED ATTACK ON THE SALONIKA FRONT

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2744, 12 April 1916, Page 5

EXPECTED ATTACK ON THE SALONIKA FRONT

. ACTIVE PREPARATIONS BY THE AUSTRO-GERMANS / Br Telesranh—Press Association—Coprriarht (Rec. April 11, 5.5 p.m.) London, April 10. Mr. Jeffries (the British war correspondent) reports that an attack by the enemy on the Macedonian front ib expected' within (-lie npxt fortnight, in order to forestall the arrival of more reinforcements "at Salonika. convoys of Austro-German artillery have arrived near the front, and AustroGermans are appearing throughout the country. The preparations indicate an attack through the Demirbissar Pass, fifty miles north-east of Salonika. TURCO-GERMANS FALL OUT *' / (Rec. April 11, 10.15 p.m.) . „,, ~. , IUI , . Copenhagen, April 10. Messages from Berlin indicate that there, is a senous disagreement with Turkey, owing to the recall of Germans from Turkey. The difference is moro Rente because Germany has ceased to send gold towards Turkey, and banknotes are Valueless. THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA ATTACK ON SANNAIYAT POSITION FAILS TO PENETRATE. The High Commissioner reports: ,„. „ T , LL , ~, . , London, April 10, 3.30 p.m. "Sir Percy Lake reports that General Gorringe's preparations for an attack on the Sannaiyat position are well advanced, though floods have curtailed the frontage on which the attack can be delivered. "Jha weather has improved, s»4 the river has not risen sinee April 7, It 1 .has been fto« w. two days."- f

London, April 10, 9.10 p.m. "General Sir Percy Lake reports that the attack' on Sannaiyat position was made at dawn yesterday, but failed to get through the enemy' 6 lines, "Operations wore much hampered by floods, which are extending." TURKISH .VERSION OF THE FIGHT AT FELAHIE, Bs Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright , London, April 10. 'A Constantinople communique gives a distorted version of the fight eastward of Felahie, on April 5 and 6. claims that 1500 British were killed or wounded, and some made prisoner. . STORMING OP UMM-EL-HENNA AND FELAHIE MILES OF SAPPING AND DASHING ATTACK,,.' (Rec. April 11, 8.5 p.m.) London, April 10. Mr. Candler (the British Press correspondent), in a description of the storming of Umm-el-Henna and Felah io on Wednesday and Thursday,. says:' "The preparations for the attack were most thorough. Nothing was left to chance. The rains checked the advance on Uram-el-Henna on January 21, when we advanced in the open. Since then we have been continually sapping up to the enemy's position. After the completion of sixteen miles of complicated sap work, the British firing-line was within a hundred yards of the lurks first line. The bombers, amid cheering, crept over the parapet at dawh, and in a few seconds rifle and machine-gun 'fire showed were in the enemy's trenches, the entanglements of which had been broken down by our bombardment. The first line was captured with a quick rush, and the artillery then opened fire on the third line. . "There was no serious resistance until we searched the Felahie position, two miles and a half behind the Turkish front. Here the communication trenches were wide and deep, adapted for pack animal transport. The position was two miles in.depth, with flanking trenches thrown out north and south. The attacking brigade came in for heavy rifle and machine-gun fire, while advancing over uncomprising fiat ground. "We assaulted and carried the trenches on the right of the river. The rest of the trenches were rushed after dark, the Turks being cleared out by bayonet work. "Our casualties were not heavy, considering the stubborn resistance and the nature of the ground." TURKS CONFIDENT IN DEFENSIVE POWERS. ~ (Rec. April 11, 8.50 p.m.). ' m London, April 10. telegrams from Constantinople state that the Turks express confidence in the situation in Mesopotamia. They have concentrated over one hundred thousand troops at Mosul, ten miles from Bagdad, and are feverishly constructing defence works.. They v be]i eve that they will thus withstand the combined offensive of the British and the Russians. THE ADVANCE OP THE RUSSIANS (Rec. April 11, 10.15 p.m.) .. „ . m. , '. ■, . Petrograd, April 10. ** A Russian official communique states:— \' "Our troops in the Caucasus_ attacked in deep snow, crossing a large number of crevasses m the direction of Diarbekr, and closing in on the snemy in the region of the Goinukov V a ]l e y. > "Wo repulsed several attacks near Bitlis, and fought numerous ■ engagements with large hordes of Kurds, supported oy Turkish regulars, south of Lake Urumia. -