In the West.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 99, 1 April 1916, Page 5

In the West.

AVGGOURT REDOUBT. [UWITBIJ Ptilfe* IMOOIaTIOW I Pans, March 31. The redoubt aotured by the Ifreucli at Avocourt wood was massively consvucted, with a cement foundation aucl bomb-proof shelters 12 feet thick. It was armed with revolving machine guns that were protected by steel hoods. It has since proved invincible in French hands, as wave after wave of German infantry found to their bitter cost.

GENERAL HAIC'S REPORT. London, March 31. Sir Douglas Haig reports:—Hostile bombers reached the easternmost eraters at St. Eloi. A small enemy force south of Boesinghe, .after bombardment, tried to leave the trenches, but our fire drove them back. ENEMY AEROPLANES BROUGHT DOWN. Paris, March 30. A communique says: Our special guns brought down an aeroplane westward of Nouvion the occupants being killed. Another German aeroplane was brought down in the German lines in the Champagne district and five were similarly brought down in the Verdun district.

USE OF LIQUID FLAME. Paris, March 30. The Germans eastward of the Meuse. violently attacked the positions at the approaches to fort Douaumont, accompanied by discharges of liquid flame. The attack was completely repulsed, and a second attack met with the same results, costing the enemy appreciable losses. A GERMAN REPORT. London, March ; 30. A Berlin communique says: Repeated all night long French attacks, made with the object of recapturing the wood north-west of Avocourt, were repulsed. Jmmelmann, the aviator, downed a British biplane, his twelfth.

THE PARIS CONFERENCE. EIGHT NATIONS AS ONE. London, March 30. ; The Paris press declares that eight nations are solemnly bound to complete unity in diplomatic and military actions. The Allies will henceforth conduct negotiations with neutrals and the enemy as a single power. TRADE AFTER THE WAR. Le Temps, commenting on the French exchange of ideas with the Allies, says it shows that no one sought to change into a pi-oteetionist movement the perfectly legitimate campaign against Germany's commercial encroachments. The paper is of opinion ■ that the destruction of German commerce during the war should be succeeded by a state of things which will prevent the enemy pursuing a disloyal economic struggle.

FOUNDATIONS FOR PEACE. Le Matin says that the Paris Conference has laid the foundations for a permanent peace. VERDUN'S LESSON. Mr Lloyd George, interviewed by the Paris Journal, said that the persistent efforts to develop the production of guns and munitions had borne fruit. The progress was remarkably increasing, but it was a mistake to suppose that the task was ended. Verdun had shown that though much had been done we must do more.

THE AWFUL WORK OF WAR. CERMAN SOLDIERS BREAK DOWN UNDER THE STRAIN. (Received 8.30 a.m.) London, March 31. Swiss frontier reports state that 1500 unwounded Germans arrived at Blotsheim from Verdun, their nerves having been shattered, and they were unable to longer sand the strain. Deaf and speechless automatons had to bo carried from the train.

OFFICIAL NEWS. DESPERATE [MZfAY FIGHTING. The High Commissioner reports:— • London, March 31 (4.10 p.m.) In the Argorine the Allies have repulsed two grenade attacks directed on our north of Avocourt. West of the Meuse, the bombardment was redoubled in violence in the course of the night. The Germans launched a series of masked attacks, debouching from three hills simultaneously on a village forming an advanced salient of our line, and now hold the advanced position. .After a desperate fight lasting the whole night, during which a considerable number of the enemy were sacrificed, oul- troops evacuated the ruined village, but hold the.egress from it. In the Woevre, the Germans attempted three reprisals for our blowing up of their work east of Houdermont, but all were repulsed.