FURIOUS ATTACKS ON VERDUN FRONT

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2761, 3 May 1916, Page 5

FURIOUS ATTACKS ON VERDUN FRONT

: GERMANS REPULSED WITH HEAVY LOSS XJAS ATTACK ON THE BRITISH FROF? ±nk High Gominissioner -reports :— ■' , ; v . ■ ■■'";■ . ■-■-/, V ■'■' -A'■■:■■ -' ■ • London,' April: 29, 3.5 p!m: : . _ lnthe. Argonne a coup-de-mam was, executed during the course of the north of I-our de Paris, enabling us to take a German trench; and canture several men. * "On the left, (west),bank of the Meuse/ at 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon the Germans, massed m the trenches north of Hill 304, intending to begin an potion : . Our lines were .attacked with grenades, but: the enemy was unable Jo. debouch, and dispersed. Our artillery blew up a munitions depot in the jamo region. ~;-'■:.■■.. .i■•....-.■ .-...■ .'■''■'"■'■. ' "At night there was a bombardment of the Whole sector, particularly jvely in the region of Avocourt, Esne.s, and' Hill 304. .' , ■ - "On.the right .(east),Hank yesterday evening after a violent artillery preparation directed on our first lines, and a most intense curtain of fire the Germans, attacked our trenches at Douaumont Farm, employing liquid flames They werejnown down by artillery and machine-gun fire, and repulsed with heavy loss?);. Simultaneously an attack between Douaumont and Vaux was equally stopped by-our fire. ; ~ , "In Lorraine wb repulsed a strong reconnaissance before the Wood of Banal, south of Domevre (15 miles east of Luneville).",

' ..-nr % '"* /ii • "' ■ .'■■■Londonr May 1, 3.10 p.m. West of. the Meuse, following upon a violent bombardment, -the enemy • yesterday, evening directed a powerful attack in dense' formation against trenches which had been taken by us north of Mort Hommo. ' Our curtain of sheUs and machine-gun nro caused enormous losses, all enemy assaults being- .'■ "North.of Cumieres, two: counter-attacks at the same time, *on trenches taken by us yesterday,: were equally repulsed.' In course of a third attompt / ; the enemy set foot in our lines, but w as unable to maintain himself, and was thrown out with serious losses. . . "There has-been a violent and continuous bombardment at Hill 304 and •in the region of Vaux. , "During Saturday night our bombarding air squadrons dropped numerous i fa bombs on the station, food depot, and munitions storo at Sebastol, south of | : ! Thiaucourt, on the roads about Etain, tho bivouacs near Spiiicourt, and the k, stations at Aprcmont, Grande Challerange, and Vouzieres. Numerous exploit sions and fires are reported.?' . \ ; 'London, -May 2,12.30 a.m'." \ "West of the Meuse our-first and second lines in the region of Mort \ Homme havo been violently bombarded. I . "North of Cumieres our troops o arricd a German trench, and took thirty ' prisoners. .-" ' ■ ■■' . ' ,' l ."One of our aeroplanes attacked two Fokkcrs above the German lines iui the region of Roye; oiio crashed to the earth from a height of 1500 metres, liut the other Fokker was able to land. Two other Fokkcrs were beaten riliwn by our battleplanes. Five of the enemy aeroplanes threw bombs in too region '. south of Verdun. Our chaser aeroplanes beat down two;a third .'■ ps brought down by our special guns."

\ '".-.' •". FRENCH OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUE. / 1 By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright r .... ' . Paris,.May 1. yA French official communique states: —"We brought down two Fokkers in ttie region of Roye and two others at Les Eparges and Douaumont. We punned five aircraft which were dropping bombs south of Verdun, and brought flow;a- three of them." i . ACTIVITY ON THE BRITISH FRONT . \ . ' ' ,1 ■•.. ■ ' '.•''■■■■' V - GAS ATTACK RECOILS ON.THE HUNS. Tib High Commissioner reports:— V ,'"" .London, April 30, 1.5 p.m. "Ejritish Headquarters'reports considerable; activity about the Souchez ' rieighbViurhood and in the air. A, German gas attack recoiled on the ciiemy, / driving ithe Germans back 700 yards, and causing considerable German casualties fro ii their own gas and our crtill ery." ' '\ . ~ ■ ', HIGH COMMISSIONER'S REPORT. The i-High Commissioner reports:— London, May 1, 11.30 p.m. "Gen iral Headquarters report that last night the enemy showed . some activity. : Near Fricourt they unsuccessfully raided our trenches, after explosion of ',a mine and a heavy bombardment. "Nort h of the Messinos-Wulverghem Road they liberated gas on a front of two thousand yards, followed by an attack of infantry, which was broken tip by our artillery fire. At only one point the hostile party entered our trenches, but t lioy were immediately bombed out. Simultaneously, tho enemy, after a. hea'jvy bombardment, attempted a bombing attack near Hollands-Ches-chuur, whi rh was equally unsuccessful. "To-da; r we carried out an efFective bombardment of hostile works astride •jf tho YprL ivPilkem Road." MORI i' RUSSIAN TROOPS ARRIVE AT MARSEILLES .'--'. London, May 1. A third ckmvoy of Russian .tioops has landed in Marseilles. ■: '■ 4,440,000 GERMANS UNDER ARMS ' ("Times" and Sydney "Sun" Services'.) I (Rec. May 2, 5.30 p.m.) 1 London, May 1. Tho French? Staff has identified the 111 th German Army Corps at Vcraun. The strength of the corps is 40,000, and the enemy must therefore have 4,440,000 ntjeii under arms at the present tima.