France & Flanders

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 169, 23 December 1914, Page 5

France & Flanders

A WEEK OF SUCCESSES. ALLIES CONDUCTING A VIGOROUS OFFENSIVE. THE FLOODED AREAS PASSED. ] WOMEN SHOT BY GERMANS. < London, December 21. 1 T lie Daily Chronicle says that a week ; of successes for the. Allies followed the resumption of hostilities. Roulers was < captured after fierce assaults, the floods ] between Dixmude ai.d Nieuport were , passed and the Allies joined forces on ' the north-eastern of the flooded aiea. Bayonet attacks were pushed home, with the result that the Allies' J patrols arc within a few kilometres of "stend. The sweeping offensive has been 110 1 less successful in the' south. The French and British have arrived at the 1 gates of Lille and the withdrawal of ' the main German force to Tourcoing and Roubaix is reported. c The Paris correspondent of the Even- i ing Standard states that fresh stories a of German atrocities in Belgium are r daily coming to light. Sixty women at Lattour refused to bury the German dead. Thirty were shot and then the commander asked the survivor*?: "Will you obey?" They crossed themselves and were all immediately shot. Forty women were shot at Kossignol. Corporal Glen Rawlins, a New Zealander in the 2Sth London Territorials, was killed while cutting the enemy's entanglements, a task for which he had volunteered. Paris, December 21. A eommunii|ue states that the only ; important occurrences in Belgium yes- f terday were that some progress was * made in the Lombartzyde and St. Georges districts and south-eastward of f Bixschoote; also at Zwartzetm. southeastward of Zollebcke, and that the " enemy bombarded the Ypres Hospital. * We carried a wood and occupied the first c German trenches near Notre-Dame-de- f Loiette, wrecked this German trenches t and shattered two guns south-eastward I of Carnoy, which is e.«»tward of Albert. ( Our heavy-artillery had a clear advan- t tage on the Aisne and ill the Rheims c district. We won 1200 metres of the ( German trenches at Beau-Sejour, ill j Champagne, and progressed on'the re- . mainder of the front. J « THE POSITION NEAR THE s COAST. j ALLIES PREPARING FOR THE ' J ADVANCE. FIGHTING LESS SEVERE. IMPORTANT .MOVEMENTS AFOOT. Received 23, 12.20 a.m. London, December 22. A correspondent in North France says the fighting at Nieuport has diminished in intensity. f The Belgians are not attempting , more than to hold their own against | the German counter-attacks at .Lorn- F baertzyde and Saint Georges. There is no foundation for the rumour j that the Allies are within two miles of , Ostend. j The object of the Allies' recent move- , ment was to secure a footing on the , further bank of the Yser, in order to f make a later offensive easier. When we had no troops further advanced than Nieuport, a small German force with guns was sufficient to guard the bridgehead. The Allies' pushing forward will lengthen the front 1 , anil make the attack easier, as there is more room for manoeuvres. A second important movement is oc. curring to the north of Ypres, in the region of Bixsehute. Floods cover the remainder of the country. Thus the Allies' offensive resembles two claws. The finer weather is welcomed bv all the troops. THROUGH GERMAN EYES. FRENCH ATTACKS REPULSED. ANGLO-INDIANS DISLODGED FROM TRENCHES. Received 23, 12.20 a.m. London, December 22. A Berlin official message states that the French attacks at Nieuport were repulsed. We stormed and captured the Anglo-Indian trenches between Richcbonrg and La Bassee, dislodging the occupants with heavy loss, and capturing 270. We captured a post and trenches at Notre Dame and Delorette. The French fiercely attacked in the neighborhood of Sonain, and penetrated our outer trenches, but the attacks broke down under fire, and 310 were captured. Fierce French attacks north-west of Verdun failed completely. "SICK UNTO DEATH." CONDITION OF THE KAISER. Times and Sydney Sun Services. Received 23, 10 p.m. London, December 23. A subaltern, describing the life in the trenches, says that from positively authentic information, for the twentieth time, the Kaiser is sick unto death. When His Majesty eventually gets to Hades, he hopes that l'luto will put him into a fatigue party to carry a hundred pounds of bully-beef nightly through a j ten-mile communication trench 2 feet deep in mud, only to find, on arriving at the other end, that there is no tin. opener, his knife being a bayonet. HUNGER RiOTS IN BRUSSELS. Received 23, 12.20 a.m. London, December 22. Hunger riots are commencing in ' Brussels. v B FRENCH FINANCIAL POSITION. e ii London, December 21. d M. Ribot, discussing the financial r proposals of the Government, said the g Bank of France had certainly played as ii great a part in grappling with the situation as the Bank of England. Up to December 15 its assistance amounted to 3000 million francs at 1 per cent.