In the West

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 12, 14 May 1915, Page 5

In the West

, THE FICKT FCft YPRES. BRITISH LINE TEMPORARILY SAGGED. GERMANS IN DESPERATION. ALLIES’ EXPERIENCE OF PURE KILLING. London, May 13. “Eye-Witness” says the, Germans made a big concentration at Ypres on Saturday, under cover of a violent bombardment. The battle was commenced at 10 o’clock in the morning [by a feint on the Ypres-Poelcapelle road, the real intention being to break our front in the vicinity of the YpresRoulers railway. The Germans penetrated our front near Frezenherg. We counter-attacked between the Zonnebeke load and the railway, Imt machine-guns soon checked a gallant advance. Meanwhile the enemy attacked tlirough the woods south of the Meuin road, while fresh massed troops threatened our left north of Ypres. Most desperate fighting ensued. The Germans forced us back a short distance despite repeated coun-ter-attacks.

Fighting continued throughout the night with ever-increasing fury. It is impossible to say at what hour the line was broken, but at one time the enemy’s infantry poured through along the Poolcapelle road as far as Weiltje. There was also at 9 o’clock in the evening a considerable gap in our front round Frezenberg. Counter-attacks were quickly organised. At both points the’ Germans’ east salient was driven back to Frezenberg, where they made a firm stand. Our counter-attack on the north-east salient at 1 o’clock on Sunday morning sccessfully swept out the enemy from Weiltje with the bayonet, leaving the village strewn with German dead. We pushed on and regained lost ground northwards of Weiltje. The fight surged to and fro throughout |)ie night. The' sky wim lit-up by the flames. There was a comparative lull on Sunday,, which enabled us to reorganise and consolidate our new line. But the climax of the battle came in the afternoon when the Germans launched five separate assaults on the east salient. Masses of infantry were hurled along the South Menin Road in absolute desperation and were beaten off with corresponding slaughter. At one point five hundred of the enemy advanced from a wood, and not a single man escaped.

The Germans at 6,30 o’clock endeavored to storm the grounds of the Chateaux Hooge on the North Menin Road, but the attacks were broken under a hail of shrapnel. The 1 ground was literally heaped with dead, and finally the Germans wore' unable to renew their efforts. Germans were seen stripping the British dead in the abandoned trenches and were afterwards noticed dressed in khaki. The British losses were comparatively slight. The Germans presented such a target that the action resolved itself into pure killing. The Ypres attack was due to the knowledge that we and the French were preparing advanced attacks on La Bassee and north of Arras, and the Germans intended to forestal our offensive. Their failure was due to the splendid endurance the British troops who held the line under fire, which again and again blotted out whole lengths of the defences. Scores were killed, but the thinning of the bund of survivors always built up the parapets. We steadily awaited Die next onslaught. Meanwhile, attacks were developing at Quinchy, where the brickfields were in ruins. At Quinchy and Aubqrs the ridge bombardment commenced at daybreak' on Sunday. Soon the whole air was quivering with the rush of the larger shells, the earth shaking- with the concussion of tho guns. At six o’clock our troops advanced between Bois Grenier and Festuber and stormed tho first line of trenches north of Fromelle-s. There was hand-to-hand fighting with bayonets and hand grenades, but we held the position the whole clay, causing the Germans very heavy losses when they repeatedly endeavoured to recapture) the position. Our advance north of Festubert met with considerable opposition, and was not pressed. Meanwhile, tho French had remarkable successes north of Arras, advancing two or three miles in a few hours. The British losses were necessarily heavy owing to the nature of the fighting.

SATISFACTORY FRENCH PROGRESS. ENEMY SUFFER SEVERELY. (Received 9.40 a.in.) Paris, May 13. A communique states: An obstinate .struggle is proceeding southward of Notre Dame de Lorette. Violent coun-ter-attacks through the night were repulsed, the enemy suffering extremely heavy losses. We carried an assault on the entire village of Oareucy and a wood northward of Hill 25. The garrison holding the village and the wood comprised two infantry battalions and a battalion of Bavarian chasseurs, with six companies of pioneers, each of three hundred. These had transformed the locality into a formidable redoubt, and they offered a desperate resistance. One hundred were bayonetled and 1050 taken prisoners, including thirty officers, among whom were

the colonel and major of the chasseurs. We worn hundreds of metres of ground northward of Xeuville, .and seized the road leading to Givenchy. Besides the southern end, we carried the centre at Xeuville, while the Germans were thrown hack on the northern end, which we outflanked. LLOYD, THE INTERNATIONAL. (Received 9.10 a.m.) London. May 13. R. A. Lloyd, the well-known international footballer, was not killed. A FRENCH ACHIEVEMENT. THE OCCUPATION OF NEUVILLE. (Received 9.10 a.m.) Paris, May 13. Official.—Every house in Xeuville was found to be, loopholed and every cellar was transformed into a covered trench. The village was conquered house by house, and the Germans surrendered in hatches. Further north, the French, emerging from Berthonville wood, dashed through amid a storm of shot, traversed the enemy’s trenches, and dragged a section of the Germans out of their underground lairs. Then they scaled the entrenched slopes and the crest dominating the plain. Many French officers, fell. Of four battalion commanders, only one was left. Four kilometres were covered in ninety minutes. Xo such success has previously been achieved in this siege warfare either by the Germans or French. ' ALLIES FIGHTING AGAINST TREMENDOUS ODDS. FRENCH WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE OF LA BASSEE. , V i’.ii ' . V" ' ; Dunkirk, May 13. The British attack commenced on Saturday with a terrific bombardment of tbe German trenches and hills. Then right in the centre they carried the first lino of trenches on the Aiibers ridge almost without opposition. , OuV troops, including Indians, advanced to the second line camp under a withering lire of rifles and ma-chine-guns. The Germans infantry massed in great force had suffered little from shell-fire in their trenches, which were deep and made of reinforced concrete with underground galleries. When the British advanced the Germans tissued from the subterranean trenches and turned on massed machine-guns. Our men fought like heroes in v tlie face of tremendous odds.

Our left also reached Haubourdin, but great numbers were debouched from Lille. We were slowly driven back. We are still holding a footing on the Au'bers ridge. The French now command a plain extending from Douai to Lille, within n ,stjjiki{!g .distance,. f Lcns f ,arjd La Bassee. They made better progress, but the British "had 1 a harder task. Our repeajtfth rushes on the outskirts of La Bassee cost terribly. Our men encountered entanglements in the most unlikely .spots. The Germans largely relied on machine guns. The number appeared unlimited and the supply of ammunition inexhaustible. The trenches under the walls of La Bassee are made of concrete and are shielded with thick steel plates against artillery fire. Our troops returned heroically to the assault again and again. Tim battle is now diminishing in intensity. GERMANS’ THIRD FAILURE. Times and Sydney Sun Service. London, May 12. A correspondent in the north of France says the third battle for Ypres commenced on Saturday. The enemy massed heavy artillery on the Ypres .front, and was confident of the effect of the cleavage of our lines. Heavy losses taught him how formidable was the task. Still, Ypres at all costs was the prevailing order, and a furious bombardment took place. The air was filled with gases, and there was a hand-to-hand fight. The Germans sacrificed lives in i< most reckless manner. The British held the avalanche with difficulty. There were glorious and terrible features recalling Mons. There were welcome British reinforcements on Sunday, at a moment when the most violent attacks by the enemy were exhausted. Our line was re-set, and this was made possible by a vigorous Allied offensive. Further south the Germans were defeated. Our losses were heavy, but theirs were,, heavier. Ypres is not taken, and the door opening the way to the coast remains barred.

OFFICIAL FRENCH REPORT. Paris, May 13. Official: The French • success between Loos, Xeuville and Saint Vaast was one of the most notable episodes in, the western fighting area. Carency, Lafayette and Xeuville are enormously strong, especially Careucy, Which is really a heap of ruins converted into a strongly fortified position, and connected with Watargetto and Xeuville by a labyrinth of strong trenches and defensive works. As a j re,suit of Sunday’s victory we captured the whole of Latargette and half Xeuville. ! Official: Engagements north of Arras continue with extreme violence. I ; The enemy was reinforced at night and delivered several counter-attacks 'without result, but there were particularly heavy losses at Xeuville St. Vnust. where over two hundred dead Germans were found. We progressed east of Corency and took 5(10 prisoners making 1000 since Sunday.