Heroic Defence of Port Arthur.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 286, 7 December 1904, Page 4

Heroic Defence of Port Arthur.

IC DESCRIPTION" OF RECENT FIGHTING.

'correspondent of the San Weekly Chronicle, writing headquarters of the Japanin front of Port Arthur, November 2nd,, gives a complete description of fighting by which the were dnabled to draw the around Port Arthur, Hfjxig which- only fragmentary been cabled. The «c- - fighting in front of Hta Forts and Metre Hill is ■Starry thrilling, especially in Hgthe fact that the news has of the fall Of

Keekwan, the corresponnews came along the Jatliat a general assault >.k>i»«e between midnight in We Wornlng. For hours ominous darkness and si.iirdken by an occasional /the Japanese batteries, Russians burst many starShuisbi village, where feint to sortie inunedioaptured forts. Here the anticipating |ani assault, strong counter attack. The Advance lines were driven forts, and were furiously tiy 1 &r r gP bodies of Russians, BBJjao worked'down on either side Banjusan forts to tie tin'attempt to cut o3 the tile Japanese from two fl&e Russian move was cleverand the artillery comwere well informed, for they fire with shrapnel on the adof the Japanese supports the valley, using l (starlight with good effect in on the Japanese

1' FIGHTING IS SEARCHLIGHTS' GLARE. :t division from the trenches of the Keekwan forts charg- i fortified hills. Part of the had gained the ' crests and "Banzai," when their trios cut short. Suddenly two searchlights of j the east hted up the Japanese lines, Russian rifles and machine ired a deadly hail into the visible ranks of the attackips. Despite the awful proannihilation the Japanese ilj held the position, and ns quickly located and quietlussian quickfirers. The Javere finally forced down the > the trenches below. On the ok the searchlights of Etze yaukow forts played along inese trenches, preventing the it ol troops. The Japanese men concentrated their fire searchlights, shells continualking the lights. Suddenly rt of Etze fort disappeaeed, ! light of Taiyankow fort The Japanese infantry on hit flank advanced on tne close to tho Russian lines he Etze light was flashed in s of the advancing ttoops, ssian machineguns, previousplaced, swept their fire along s, while the rifles Mazed with il rattle. As the' Japanese guns came into action they icated by the Russian starnd made more distinctly ,visthe searchlightt, ■■ but they the Russian quick-firers, e meantime the fight was the in the centre of the Shuishi The Japanese captured the n forts, outflanking the Rusccs, and slowly forcing 1 their ick, lp the foot of the fortiIs The Japanese, well suprushed forward furiously, and : the Russians, who hadgainralley, in an attempt to outle forts. Though the Japan--1 of attack was destroyed, by isian counter-attack, the Jajjoucoo fought with splendid deterJnmaticm. Slowly the Russians were ■Jlriven back up the slopes, fighting -Besperately with rifles. The Russian machine guns were used with : great effect when the Japanese lines "grere lighted up by the searchlights, [while the fort guns pounded the valley. .. JAPANESE BEWILDERED BY ' RUSSIAN'TRICKS.

The Japanese artillery was unable jto fire at this point, as the Japen- . ese forces i; were mixed. The successful,' wording of the. Russian starlights and searchlights was utterly unexpected and bewildering'. . They never failed to locate the Japanese lines, which > offered splendid marks lor the Russian rifles and machine guns, and rendered the Japanese ma* chine guns of little use, as they were located and silenced by quiekfirers (before they could do any execution. y- Sine Russians along the whole line k* fought in the blackest darkness, and tithe Japanese with the most damling light in their*,, faces. The rattle of and the thundering of the p-.JRussian guns, the bursting of starg- lights and the flashing of search- •• lights along the whole line was a * Eonderfully impressive sight. The fight lasted continuously for ; six hours till dawn, when the outflankers were forced back over the ,- captured fortified hills, and joined .their force from the valley. As the Russian outflankersi were driven in, . Keekwan fort fired. The previous Idlay, under cover of a tremendous g bombardment, the eastern fortified -*-«iSge, and later the East Uanjusnn fort, was set on lire by Japanese shells, and burned all day. The Japanese fleet appeared in the offing : and engaged the Russian seaward forts. There was a furious artillery ' Huel during the night, and the centre ; Bivision again assaulted Kast Banjusan fort, but was unsuccessful. The scene during the night, the bursting : Of starlight shells, the flashing of -..powerful searchlights from the Eastern. Golden Hill fort and Chair Hill fort, the roar of the big guns, and the ratUing of the musketry present- - eij .-'another weird and wonderful ; sight. ,-ThV'ranks of the Japanese were so ';r jßechnated by the furious shrapnel ; fire o*l the Russians that they were . retire to the valley below >toft |ap.tured' ( forts, and what" might . taws' been a successful general" as-

sault with the capture of tlfe fortified ridge east of Port Arthur was converted by the Russian, tactics into a repulae, redeemed in part by the wonderful fighting qualities of the Japanese infantry aiid their refusal to accept what seemed to be the inevitable. They fought with splendid earnestness and tenacity,. i though they fell by hundreds through the terrillc effectiveness of the search-. I lights. The Japanese casualties from the 19th to the 24th were 14,000. The centre division alone lost 0100, and a single regiment lost 2500. Only six officers and 200 men of this regiment were left alter the light. QIVE UP ASSAULT AND SETTLE DOWN TO SIEGE. For two weeks the Russians were unceasing in their efforts to recapture the Banjusan forts. Th«y bombarded and assaulted by day the bomb-proofs and trenches which the Japanese repaired by night. Despite artillery fire and infantry sorties the Japanese held the fort. There were 500 men and four machine guns in each fort. The field guns which were first mounted in the forts were removed. Though the Japanese resorted to unoccupied decoy trenches and bomb-proofs, the daily loss was 100 in each fort until September »th, when the Russians ceased their continuous efforts to recapture the FORT CARRIED BY A DESPERATE ASSAULT.

It was announced from headquarters: that the siege operations would ■be finished with a g.e™™l a^ ult , 011 m-h September upon the Nahaokayama ridge, the 203 Metre Hill that of the Moon -forts of the Shuishi Valley and the redoubt at the foot of the Rihlung Mountain. The Russians failed to reply until the alteinoon, which delayed the attacks until 5 o'clock in the evening. three ■battalions of the centre division advanced irom the parallels and attacked a redoubt at the foot oi the Rihlung mountain, which the Japanese twice before had tried to capture. The works were strongly built and surrounded by a ditch, perpendicular walls and breastworks. There was a>so a Steep distance to the top of the parapets, and at the bottom was a ditch 25ft deep. The interior of the redoubt was faced with heavy timbers, the trenches around were •fcomb-proof, and there were heavily constructed blockhouses loopholed for Infantry and machine guns. From the rear of the redoubt three lines of trenches extend to Rihlung forts. The main attack was made against the north-east corner, and simultaneously a Japanese battalion attacked the east line of trenches. The Japanese were met by a tremendous fuailade from the rifles and maebne guns, and "were forced to retire to their trenches, but at 4" o'clock in the morning the main attack was made, and the Japanese succeeded in, capturing the redoubt, entering it through a breach made by the artUlery. A fierce hand-to-hand encounter inside the redoubt followed, during which- nitrate and hand grenades were used to destroy the blockhouses whose defenders stood their gro»nd until their last man was bayoneted. The Russian trenches were captured and occupied by the Japanese, but the redoubt wasdostroyail. ANNIHILATION OF A JAPANESE DETACHMENT.

The attacks on 203 Metre Hill reSuited in terrible slaughter of the besiegers. After several failures at 11 o'clock on the morning of the 20th, a small party of the Second Regiment charged forward to gain the foot of the west slope. The Russian batteries were evidently waiting for the Japanese, as a most won- \ derful shrapnel fire was opened on them. Every man seemed to fall. Although at rifle range, the firing of the shrapnel continued for twenty minutes, until all the Japanese were mowed down. The artillery duel cuntinued until 5.30 in the evening, when the Third. Regiment, carrying its flags, advanced up the slope of the NoHaokayama to ,the dead ground which a single company had gained the previous night. The Russians retired to their first line of trenches during the night, and several lines of Japanese were extended along the slope, under cover of the ridge. They carried the ridge line on the crest of the hill.

The rush of the Japanese was a splendid spectacle, ending with a bayonet enoounter with the Russians on the full skyline. Stones, bayonets, swords, and hand grenades were used by both sides. The utmost ferocity j was displayed. When the Japanese had carried the east half of the ridge the Russians retired to the west. Before darkness the Japanese were in possession of the whole ridge, which they retained despite an awful shrapnel fire from Chair Hill, Tiger's Tail, and Liagti forts. ( At 10 o'clock in the evening the Third Regiment advanced on the south-west slope of the advance fort on Nabaotoa-yama Hill. A small party gained the fort on the crest, but was driven out by the Japanese during the next two days, but they were all* repubsedj The Third Rjekjdlmient was finally compelled to retire from the trenches at the foot of the hill by a concentrated shrapnel fire from the ;v.a|H»y bejow. The umtaccctfjlul attempt to capture the advance fort resulted in two thousand Japanese casualties. A hundred and eighty Russian dead were found at Nahaokayama, which was covered by a notwork of trenches and bombproofs protected by a steel plate covered with earth walls and surrounded by loopholes and sandbags. The corners of the forts were stretiigjtihened by steel plates, and there were triple rows of wire entanglements on the hill slopes.