VERDUN BATTLE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2788, 5 June 1916, Page 6

VERDUN BATTLE

FRENCH COUNTER-ATTACK j,'; TRENCHES CAPTURED t- "i,'v! ' " By Tfllegrarh-Presa AsEoolatlon-OoDyrieht Paris, June 2. }. A communique-states: Bv our counteri ..- attack we advanced a hundred metres in l- 'the enemy's communication trenches south i of Caurettes Wood. An enemy attack t; between the wood and Cumieres failed, i . , .. There has been an extremely stubborn . battle, day. and night, from Thiaujiiont ! • Farm to Vaux, and from Vaux Fort to Damloup. ; All tho enomy assaults in the Thiau- |' s /mont-Douaumont sector failed, but tho , enemy: penetrated the south portion of i: Cailette Wood and'the outskirts of Vaux ' I'ont. I'.v|Tha enemy attacks from Vans' to Dam- . 1 loup failed, with heavy'losses. ! AIR FIGHTS k A FOKKER BROUGHT DOWN > —— ' . / i : ■ . London, June 2, 4.30 a.m. i The High Commissioner reports ' At Courtcs Chaussees and la . Fille .'Morte, the French blew up several mines, j - "damaging the enemy's underground " works. '■ ■} On our right on the Douaumont front ■■all attaoks in the' region of Vaux and Damloup were broken against the resistance of our troops, who were influenc'e<l by the enemy's severe losses. .During ; tlio course of these actions the artillery • ■ fighting attained exceptional violence on j : tho whole front. ' French air squadrons'fought groups of. j; ;. . enemy, aeroplanes, .which sought to bomJ Bard Bar-le-Duc, competing one' group to flee. ... >•• : A'German aeroplane was brought down r . near. Etain, and a-Fokker was attacked j'..end descended jiear Bouconvillo. MASSED ATTACKS. ENEMY" BEATEN BACK EACH time ' .London, June' 3, 2.20 p.m. v .,T5« High Commissioner reports . On the left bank of the illeuse there .is hoavy artiilory fire in the sector Hill ; 804,- and between Morfc H Mime and the , . . Mouse. ■. -■ On the right bank there was a powerful German offensive all day. The con- . -tinuous attacks were led with compact enemy, masses, following unceasingly; A i . magnificent resistance was offered, by'our • troops, who retained the mastery. . Wei>t;of Vaux Fort our counter-attacks replied to each German attack. All enemy ['... progress was stopped ill, front of Fort vans, which the Germans sought to capture at all costs/ The struggle reached ; unprecedented ' violence. Storming, col'nmns were mown down by our guns anil ' . machine guns, and suffered enormous. {■\ ■- ■ "losses. Enemy masses of reinforcements 'C were caught by the fire of/our heavy V guns and driven back in disorder. ... ( , " VIOLENT FIGHTING ' REPEATED GERMAN; ASSAULTS 1 London, June 3, 4.25 p.m. ■ The High Commissioner repcrts:— • In the Champagne,'west of Monttetu, , some of the enemy elements, which pene- , trated our small advanced posts, follow- ' ing.an intense bombardment, waß dislodg- - ed by French grenade counter-attacks. •■ ' ■ In . the Argonne yesterday . evening a ; German attack on a salient of. our line, : ■ west'of La Fille Morte, waW repulse<i . after a lively .combat. A second attack ' launched at 8 o'clock in the evening ■ . equally failed. .. .. j' :/■ • left of the Mease, our positions - .on Hill I. . 301 and our second lines were submitted [ to violent bombardment ; % On the right bank fighting continued at Vaux Fort with the same violence. All attempts of tho enemy on ou,r trenches ■ west and east-wer» repulse-i The Ger- 1 i . . mans multiplied their flirio.is • assaults against tho fort, despite ravages, caused 1 , by our curtain and machine gun fire, but * . tie enemy were completely defeated. Dur- i ing the night fractions of the enemy penetrated a trench in our north work, I : ~. ..the interior of which we maintained our- ' : ."- : selves. - ■ < —-. i PRESSING FOR RESULTS j FRENCH VIEW OF VERDUN . . . (Rec. June, 4, 5.5 p.m.) Paris, June 3. A semi-official message says: "The I enemy at Verdun gives the impression-that-"he is obliged to finish as quickly as • possible in order to delay or prevent the : offensive by the Allies. No other explanation can be given for the stubborn- -- ness shown in several- days' continuous ... battle, despite the-terrific losses. ■ The • • .continuity of the offensive during the last • ..'twehty-fonr hours indicates that,' little - has been reached towards the oulminatiig point. The-result appears "clearly in our favour." INCESSANT FIGHTING "■. IN THE CANADIAN SECTOR , fV :. - CKec.' June 4, 11.10 p.m:) ' ■_ -j-London, June 4. ;. . " 'Sir Douglas Haig reports severe aWd in-' ' t ' leessant fighting between Hooge and the railway. Pursuing Friday's .] initial advantago in .this neighbourhood, | ' the Germans penetrated our defences to a i J: depth of 700 yards towards Zillobeke.. The ! Canadians holding this sector gradually f ' " recovered much of the ground, and behaved with the utmost gallantry in couni ' ' ter-attacking successfully after a, heavy : and continued bombardment. The enemy's i losses wore severe, many dead being abandoned on. the recaptured ground. Generals Mercer and Williams, of the ■ , -Third Canadian Division, who were inspecting (he front trenches during Fri- ; _ «lay's" bombardment, are missing.