THE FAIL OF BAGAD

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 13 March 1917, Page 5

THE FAIL OF BAGAD

REJOICING IN ENGLAND AND ERANCE THE CAPTURE OF IRLES. GROUND DEVASTATED SY ARTILLERY THE CONDITION OF GERMANY DEPRESSION AND DESPERATION.

V IN MESOPOTAMIA.

THE FALL OF BAGDAD.

FRENCH PEOPLE DELIGHTED.

Received 10.5

PARIS, March 12

The Matin states the capture of f&gdad is the Entente’s greatest success in the war period, and reduces to nothing German plans for the defence of Mesopotamia. The Petit Parisien says the capture •wrecks the Kaiser’s whole oriental

programme. The Figaro comments on the immense moral effect, whiich will reecho throughout the world.

BAGDAD CAPTURED ON SUNDAY.

LONDON, March 11

Militaiy critics point out that there is, a first rate road behind Diala, which, together with the marshes, should enable the Turks to make an almost impregnable front between the Euphrates and the Tigris, The British victory leaves the Turkish army in Persia in the air, and only precipitate retreat will save it. The city of Mosul, on the upper Tigris, from whence the Turks are operating, is a magazine comparable to city of Sivas, in Asia Minor, and Damascus in Syria. Mosul must now feed the Turkish armies facing their opponents on its two sides. The junction of General Maude with the Russians at Hamadan will be the next dramatic development.

REJOICING IN LONDON AND PROVINCES.

LONDON, March 11

The news of the fall of Bagdad has caused widespread rejoicings in London and in the provinces.

TURKISH ARMIES’ SUPPLIES THREATENED

MORAL EFFECT ON THE PERSIANS LONDON, March 12. The main Russian force is now 186 miles from Bagdad, as compared with 2& before the advance from Hamadan. Another column is at Senne, 72 miles north of Kenmanshah. The northernmost column has reached Beroye, 94 miles from the Mosul-Bagdad road, by which the main Turkish supplies come from the north. Meanwhile General Murray is pushing along the borders of Palestine, while the Grand Duke Nicholas is advancing in Armenia. It is now aparent that General Maude smashed the Turkish army at Kut more Completely than was disclosed at the 'time. Throughout the laborious operations extending over many days he inflicted terrible losses upon the Turks, who were often found dead in heaps. A thousand prisoners were taken when the Turkish army fled from Bagdad, and only the remnant remained. The fall of Bagdad means more than the rout of the Turkish army in Oriental eyes, and therefore it is doubly important. India has played a great and worthy part in General Maude’s triumph, as a very large proportion of the troops are Indians, who are the pursuing cavalry. The taking of Bagdad was especially welcome to the Persians, as half a million of the inhabitants of the Bagdad province are adherents to the Persian form of Islamic faith. It is questionable as to how long Turkey will be content to continue an alliance which takes her men to fight on the Russian front while she has failed to

save her zdeli eastern possessions,

GERMAN DESIGNS IN MESOPOTAMIA

AMSTERDAM, March 12

German engineers are busy upon projects for improvements to the Bagdad nailway with a view to obviating the ferry across the Bosphorus. They preparing plans for-tunnelling the Bosphoitus, alternative to the construction of a bridge of six hundred metres from Eumeli Hissar to Anoto3issa.

ON THE WESTERN FRONT.

MARSHAL HAIG’S REPORT.

GERMAN ATTACKS REPULSED,

LONDON, March 11

Sir Douglas Haig reports: Our artillery crushed attempts to attack west and north-west of Lens. Our artillery is active in the Somme, Ancre, ’Armentieres andYpnes fronts, and southward of Arras.

THE CAPTURE OF IRLES.

,GROUND DEVASTATED BY ARTIL-

LERY

LONDON, March 11. Mr Philip Gibbs states that Irles village, which is standing on the high

ground beyond Pys, was captured by a

brilliant attack on the morning of the tenth. Before the attack the British howitzers Swept the ground so that nothing could live above ground. Our men followed close upon the hurricane of shells, pne force swinging from the south and another swinging northwards in order to cut off the enemy’s retreat. A third party attacked the German fusiliers who were holding a sunken : road with machine-guns. There was little fighting, as when the enemy saw the Britishers they surrendered quickly.

IN THE CHAMPAGNE,

HEAVY ARTILLERYING IN PRO

GRESS,

LONDON, March 12,

A French official message says there is the liveliest reciprocal artillerying north of the Aisne. Attempted enemy coup de main north-west of Rheims and right of the Meuse failed completely.

A FRENCH COMMUNIQUE.

ENEMY ATTACKS REPULSED

Received 10.5. LONDON, March 12,

A French communique states: The enemy surprise attack in the region of Paissy,. between Soissons and Rheims, was completely repulsed. The enemy sustained losses and left prisoners, We re-progressed towards Maisons de Champagne, and successfully raided the German trenches north of Sucheprey and Woevre. Patrol encounters took place in the sector at Auberve and Lorraine, in which we took prisoners.

GERMAN INTRIGUES

FACTS COMING TO LIGHT.

GERMANY BEEN PLOTTING FOR YEARS

Received 9.20

NEW YORK, March 12

Guanta, a Hindoo student, admits von Papen financed the trip in 1915, when

Guanta endeavoured unsuccessfully to purchase arms for shipment to India.

The New York World publishes documents showing that Germany two and a half years ago supplied Huerta, the Mexican leader, with guns and munitions for use against the Americans and Carranzists.

Five arrests of pro-Germans disclosed a far-reaching plot in which the crews of the Kronprinz Wilhelm and Prinz Eitel (two German interned ships) are implicated. Evidence showed that articles were smuggled from ships on which were messages written in invisible ink. It is believed these related to mlitary secrets sent to New York, and thence to Mexico, whence they were wirelessed to Berlin.

CANADA’S DOMESTIC WAR LOAN

Received 10.5 OTTAWA March 12. It is announced that a Domestic and War Loan of 150,000,000 dollars at five per cent., in twenty year bonds, at 96, will be issued.

THE ROUMANIAN CAMPAIGN.

REORGANISING THE ARMY

ARMIES UNABLE TO MOVE UNDER

SNOW

LONDON, March 11

A correspondent at the Roumanian headquarters says that the severest winter ever experienced in the Northern part of Roumania suspended the campaign, the temperature falling to 30 and 45 degress of frost in the mountains where the troops were entrenched. There were frequent deaths from cold the enemy suffering most. General Avcrscu, taking advantage of the inaction, reorganised the army, the discipline being made very strict. He tried and shot a young cavalry officer for retiring from’ h position without permission. General Avcrscu and General Poizan put new spirit into the men and removed the majority of the generals who were in charge during the autumn campaign, replacing them witn young men. They have done everything to prepare for a successful spring campaign. The food question is difficult. The majority of the civilians are now living in Moldavia and the authorities have ordered abundant ’ sowngs and arc doing their best to prevent a shortage.

THE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN

GAS ATTACK ON GERMAN LINES

PURSUING THE TURKS IN PERSIA

LONDON, March 11,

A Russian official, message states — We made a gas attack south-east of Tukum, in the Riga sector, and eastward of the Mitau Road.

We repelled an. attempted Turkish offensive on the Sivas Road, in Armenia. As a result, of fighting in the llamadan region, in Persia, wo occupied Sakhne and pursued the enemy, after stubborn resistance, to Basutun. '

RUSSIA’S INTERNAL TROUBLES.

DISORDERS IN PETROGRAD.

PETROGRAD, March 12

The military commandant, in a proclamation regarding the disorders of the last few days, the acts or violence and the attempts against the soldiers and the police, forbids all assemblages in the streets, and wmrns the ■ inhabitants that the troops have been ordered to use their weapons, necessary, to preserve order. The newspapers have ceased publication and ,the tramtvays have ceased running.

GERMANY AND THE NEUTRAL POWERS.

DISCUSSING

A RUPTURE WITH

GERMANY

Received 10.5. PEKIN, March 12. The Premier explained in the Cham

her cf Deputies on Saturday that Germany- had not replied to the Chin-., cst Note. Meanwhile many have perished by submarining.. He asked the deputies for a definite decision. An overwhelming majority, voted for the breaking off of relations. The Premier made a simifar' explanation in th e Senate, which had not reached a decision when they adjourned on Sunday.

ENEMY’S FOOD SHORTAGE.

WANT TO KNOW THE POSITION,

Received 10.5

AMSTERDAM, March 12

Doctor Hein, the Bavarian peasants leader, writing to newspapers, says it is better for Germany frankly to tell the truth about , the food situation than to continue to work on a wrecked system. There are still one hundred and twenty days before the new harvest. Even if hunger brought peace to-morrow, there are many months before the people could get corn owing to bad crops.

THE CONDITION OF GERMANY,

DEPRESSION AND DESPERATION. LONDON, March 12. The Daily Chronicle’s Amsterdam correspondent says there is no doubt that Germany fears the worst, internally and externally. The speeches made in the Prussian Diet indicate that the people’s condition is desperate. They prepare the world for the most terrible events. The “Handelblad’s” Berlin correspondent says that when the products of last harvest become exhausted in the spring, the home workers will have a struggle against the lack of food, and the situation will become a paroxysm of misery -with which all the former aspects of the war cannot compare.

The Daily Chronicle’s correspondent adds: “The German leaders fear the collapse of their internal organisation, forcing the army and navy to most desperate actions.”

AMERICAN AFFAIRS.

ARMED GUARDS ON AMERICAN SHIPS.

ARMED MERCHANTMEN NOT WARSHIPS.

Received 5.55.

WASHINGTON, March 12

The State Department has notified foreign diplomats that armed gauras will henceforth be placed on all American ships sailing through the danger zone, and American navy gunners are provided in both passenger and mum-, tions ships.

The State Department makes a complete' change of front regarding the status of merchantmen, now holding that they do not become warships in any sense though armed.

HUMAN PRICE OF THE WAR

THE COST TO BRITAIN.

Received 10.5

WASHINGTON, March 12

It is estimated from tabulation reports that ten million men have been killed, wounded, captured, and missing in the European war. Russia is the heaviest loser. Mr. Price estimated Britain has lost 205 thousand dead, 702 thousand wounded, 107 thousand captured and missing.

IMPERIAL CONFERENCE

LONDON, March 12. India’s representatives at the War Conference have arrived.

MILITARY SERVICE

ABUSE OF TRADE CARDS

LONDON, March 12,

The Government has decided upon immediate action to stop the abuse ot the trade cards which the trade ua ions distributed to prospective members, thereby exempting him frqm miliary service. The membership of, certain- societies has greatly increased, but' the results are most unsatisfactory and have led to quarrels between the unions in regard to the exemption of a great number of men who should be in the Army. :-.>r

INCIDENTS OF THE WAR.

COUNT ZEPPELIN'S BEQUESTS

Received .10.5.

GENEVA, March 12

Count Zeppelin bequeathed to the nation all his rights tor his scientific discoveries and patents.

A MATTER OF HOPS.

LONDON, March 12.

Herefordshire and Worcestershire •hop-growers have resolved to ask the Governnment to prohibit the importation of hops. It was decided the imposition duty to be not less than 9d .per lb. on any imported by licence. They suggest an enforced reduction of the acreage of fifty per cent.

TO SAVE FALLING DYNASTY

GERMAN DESPERATION

LONDON, March 1

Reuter’s correspondent at headquartersin France emphasises the growing process of German attrition on the British front owing to our raids, bites, and unceasing gunfire. He instances what lias occurred in the valley of the Ancre, which is one-twentieth of the front. There,, from February 1 to 19, we took prisoner 32 officers and 1634 men. The writer continues —An enemy that hopes to go forward does not expend its energies thus. The German rank and file realise this, hence the declining morale, which is accentuated by the increasing difficulties of supplying food to the men in the front line, owing to the heaviness and precision of our gun fire. A captured order directs that rationing parties must be smallen, and maintained throughout the night. Moreover, the order refers to a part of the line where the British artillery concentration is comparatively not very heavy. Nevertheless, the Germans fruitlessly wasted successive waves here. The High Command aparently intend to revert to. the early appalling sacrifice of man power, regarding the lives of common soldiers as valueless compared with a final attempt to save the falling dynasty. Therefore there is hard fighting ahead. 'Activity, except at Miraumont, has been mostly in the form of raids, which have been too numerous to describe in full. The bravery, audacity, coolness,, and heroism of our soldiers arc shaking the nerves of the One night a sudden eruption of bombing and firing in the enemy’s lines aroused us. Tommies crowded the papapets, and witnessed the Germans wildly bombing their own front lines, which they believed had been raided. Germans joined in, mistaking the wild S.O.S. signals. A British officer loughingly remarked, “Fritz has short circuited his own hate.” The Tommies shouted with laughter, declaring it was as good as a cinema.