The War News.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 23 March 1916, Page 3

The War News.

THE WEEK'S SUMMARY.

FRIDAY

New Attack on Verdun — French Con'ident of Success—Roumania Takes Warlike Steps—Resignation of Yon Tirpitz

; The third act in the drama of Verdun is commencing. The enemy's whole efforts are directed at the sector fronting Mqrte Homme Wood, north of Verdun, the pillar of the French resistance in that region. General Petain, the defender of t^dun, informed a party of t ench' delegates that he was certain of final success. r The French losses at Verdun are computed at less than 12,000 men and 84 pieces of artillery abandoned after being rendered useless. In Mesopotamia General Sir Percy Lake, in command of the British operations, turned the Turks out of an advanced position on the Tigris. The Russians, continuing their pursuit of the Turks in Armenia, captured 3200 prisoners south, of Van. The Roumanian Government is requisitioning vehicles, horses, and boats. Germans and Austrians are leaving Butharest, where the French resistance at Verdun has been celebrated by demonstrations and flag-flying.

General Yon Tirpitz has resigned the command of the German navy. The French Budget shows that the war to date has cost France £1,456,000.000, the present daily expenditure being £3,480,000. SATURDAY Fruitless Assault —Massed Attack at Verdun—New Zealanders in Egypt—Dutch Liner Torpedoed— Italy Seizing German Ships General bombardments are reported on the Verdun front. A powerful German attack on the French positions at ' Morte Homme Wood was repnlsed, the enemy falling back on the Bois dcs Corbeaux. West of Douaumont the enemy is digging in, and the French artillery is violently bombarding the position The French bombarded several supply columns in the Woevre region' The creditable part played by the New Zealanders in the recent operations in Western Egypt is described in a cablegram from the New Zealand war correspondent. The New Zealand losses were one killed and two officers and 30 men wounded. The, Dutch liner Tubantia, 13,911 tons, has been torpedoed by a submarine in the North Sea, The vessel sank in three hours, a great hole having been rent amidships. All the passengers and crew were saved, and taken to Amsterdam. A New York message also records the attempted torpedoing of the French liner Patria, 11,885 tons, off Tunis, with 900 passengers aboard. The Austrians made a desperate but fruitless attempt to recover the positions captured by the Italians in the San Martinb zone, Two impetuous attacks were vigorously repulsed, the enemy leaving the- ground covered with dead. Italy is requisitioning 36 German liners. MONDAY The Cost of Verdun — German Losses 300,000—Combats in the Air— Senussi Campaign Smashed .—Another Dutch Liner Sunk . (fi'he German losses at Verdun a^iiow'estimated by the French d "#00,000. Five successive attacks by the Germans on Vaux fort and village proved futile. The French fought 32 aerial combats in the Verdun region on Friday. Seventeen bombarding aeroplanes dropped 40 bombs on Conflans stations and 14 on Metz station, causing fires. The Italians are conducting a general attack with the idea of relieving the pressure at Verdun. The Russians have occupied •j^agehatan, 60 miles west of Erzeroum, capturing five guns #,nd a convoy.

The capture, of Sollum, in Western Egypt, k sgid to have concluded the campaign against ike Senussi. The remnants of $fr§ enemy's forces have been drivei> beyond the Egyptian frontier «tfft]tiout artillery. The conclusion <vf {t]? v e campaign was prilliant, armoured <?.ars dashing into the camp west qi §pHum, ewttering tne emen?y in ail direetiQt^s, and rescuing the shipwrecked sajlotsf who had been made prisoiiSFs % $}& Senussi.'

Another Dutch steamer, the Palembang, has been torpedoed. She was bound from Rotterdam to Java. It is now believed that several lives were lost in the sinking of the Dutch liner Tubantia in the North Sea. Affidavits have been sworn by ship's officers and the lookout that the vessel was torpedoed. TUESDAY Air Raid on Kent — German Seaplane Brought Down—Activity on British Front — Attacks Waning at Verdun — French Destroyer Sunk Four German seaplanes flew over five Kentish towns on Sunday afternoon last, and dropped 48 bombs, killing nine and injuring 31 persons, besides doing material damage to several houses. Flight-Commander Bone,i in a single-seater aeroplane, chased one of the raiders for 30 miles out to sea. There, after a-quarter of an hour's action, the enemy was forced to descend, the observer being killed. Commander Bone hit the machine several times. One of the raiders dropped a bomb on the Canadian Hospital at Ramsgate, damaging the building, but causing no casualties. Artillery activity is reported at Arras and on the British front northward of Armentieres. There have been many air duels at Wytschaete, midway between Ypres and Armentieres, where two hostile machines were brought down. A fairly lively German attack between Vaux and Damloup was hurled back,by a curtain of fire, the offensive being completely checked.

The French destroyer, Renaudin, of 750 tons, has been torpedoed and sunk in the Adriatic. The commander and 46 men are missing. A report from Athens states that a British cruiser captured a German hydroplane and its aviators at the Turkish island of Thasos. WEDNESDAY The Fight for Verdun — Enemy Using Flaming Liquid—Violent Engagement on Isonzo—Successful Allied Air Raid A German attack on the Verdun front west of the Meuse was repulsed with heavy losses. The enemy used flaming fluids. The Times correspondent in Paris states that the enemy continues to squander men in further attempts to penetrate the French positions in the Vaux region. A Rome communique states that a violent engagement developed on the Isonzo front on March 18 and 19. The Austrians though reinforced by men and guns, were completely arrested. Fifty allied aeroplanes and seaplanes, accompanied by 15 fighting machines, raided Zeebrugge and Hourtade, on the Belgian coast on Monday. Considerable damage was done, and all the machines returned safely, one Belgian officer seriously wounded being the only casualty reported. The Dutch Government has sent a very sharp Note to Germany concerning the torpedor ing of the Tubantia in the North Sea. A British submarine captured the Norwegian steamer Konginge which was bound for the Grerman south-western Baltic port of Lubeck, and a prize crew was placed on board to take the vessel to Leith, THURSDAY Effective Air Raid — Chaos in Zeebrugge Harbour — German Torpedoers Driven Out—Chased by British Destroyers—Continued Fighting at Verdun A combined allied air fleet bombarded and reduced the harbour to chaos. Two submarines and three torpedo-boats left the harbour. The submarines submerged and the torpedo-boats weip w fi^.ase4 back by British destroyers,

Another report, possibly referring to the latter part of the same incident, says four British destroyers chased three German destroyers off the Belgian coast on Monday hitting two in the ensuing running fight.

.AU the French newspapers declare that a foi?ma). aßguvange has been given that 3-rance has now broken Germany's offensive at Verdun. A German aeroplane was brought down in flames near Douaumont, and French airmen bombed railway stations near Yignevilles.

The Paris Figaro states that the allies? force.s aji _§a).qivik*a ai*e preparing for action. "