In the West

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 54, 9 February 1916, Page 5

In the West

1 THE GREAT OFFENSIVE. PREPARATIONS BY THE ENEMY. YPRES AS THE STORM CENTRE. ' OnITK" s-.« *OI ATION. I Amsterdam, February 7. The Telegraaf’s Belgian correspondcuts agree that the C.’eruiaiis arc proparing for a Western offensive. Enormous stores, artillery, ammunition, and guns are arriving. As a result of months ol preparation every place in centra! Belgium amt southwards, close to the main railways, is full of stores and troops. The. organisation has improved, and apparently is now working smoothly. Engineers, with a. great quantity of machine-guns, have been sent c’ose to the tiring line. The recent fighting around Armontieres resulted in a small German gain, but there were heavy losses, including many officers. The Germans persist in fighting in close formation, and, owing to the admirable calm and accuracy of the British shooting, twelve hundred Germans were killed in one day. The British artillery and machine-guns mowed down the German lines, hut the German eomniand-

ers pay no regard to sanguinary sacrifices when an objective is de-

[fu'red. I The correspondent assert that Yprcs is likely to be the location of the of(fensivo. A great hospital is being erected, and graveyards have been marked out. FIERCE ARTILLERY BATTLES. GERMAN TRENCHES FLATTENED. London. February 8. Communiques reveal increasing activity on the western front, i A German communique alludes to fierce artillery battles between La Bassee-Canal and Arras and also south lof the Somme. The enemy artillery violently bombarded Lens during the Hast few da vs.

General Haig alludes to the enemy’s artillery activity at Loos. The British bombarded the trenches near the

yprns-T?onlors rfiilwav. Tho Daily Mnilhr, Rotterdam pomleut says there is grot activity from Vpres to Xienport. following tlio German eonee*»traGnn s in that region, especially at La Rassee, where the German trenches wore flattened hy bombardment. The Germans have brought many ik"" gn”s opposite Yores.

The German newspaper., profess to forsep a renewed Ailed attempt in f,, e near future to break through. The signs of this are increasing more and ijyore. especially hy ( thej . .:pT’’lory activity at Lens'amf Aitrois The activity of the Bn||sl\, patrojs is most tiotieeahle.