France & Flanders

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 189, 19 January 1915, Page 5

France & Flanders

THE SOISSuXS FNCAGLMEXT RELATED IIY cKRMAX J'Kllsr.. FREXCII (H'T-MAMIKUYRED AM) SURPRISED. KAISEK OX THE RATTLEI'ILLI). Received IS. ]n.4(( p.m. Amsterdam. •Taminry IS. The German aivounl of the battle ■.'?' Soissoiis stiller flint Genera! vim Lochow «a< in eoimnand (if the Goriiiaes. Prior U flic liiiltl,. the opposin-- trm.ehos wo'!' '. < i: ' r nt tlic top of a woodee height overlooking Crouy. and wu.' also entrenched in quarries funning tl'.' western spurs nf Yivguy plateau. 'Pie French artillery was well posted on 11:■edge of tin- plateau. Officers sitting in the trees behind armored plntes directcd the French fire. Tlic worst execution was done on Christmas flay. Some Hernial! machineguns were buried by the. bombardment of the trenches on 7th January. The French then charged and occ-npied ih" trenches. Heavy fighting oceurrcd, man against, man, from daylight until the Ilth. The Turens fighting hravcly with rifle, bayonet, and knife.

The Germans on Hie 12lh. instead of attacking the wooded heights, stormed the observation posts. The French fire immediately slackened, and the trenches were captured. The French then occupied a fresh poistion half-way down They apparently expected further attacks from the German right The French brought strong reinforcements by rail and motor-ears. The Germans on the RHh, however, attacked Yrcgny. and completely surprised the evenmy. The attack commenced at noon. The first line of trenches was taken in three minutes, the next in ten minutes later, and tlic whole plateau was captured late in the afternoon.

The position of the French advancing against the German right was now (li-.-j----pcrale. and they surrendered on the 14tii. Finally the French wrve driven back by from two to four kilometres upon a front of fifteen kilometres. The Kaiser was on the battlefield, and decorated General von Lochm-w- with the Order of Merit

HOSPITALS AND AMBULANCES SHELLED.

Times and Sydney Sun Services. Received IS, 5 p.m. London, January IS. Refugees stat ■ that the Germans in their bombardment of Soissons did not spare ambulance or hospitals. Seventy five big shells struck the Cathedral. A GERMAN COMMUNIQUE. MAGNIFIES FRENCH LOSSES. Received IS, 5.50 p.m. Amstrdam. January IS. A communique from Berlin states that in the four weeks since General JofTre published his general order to attack, the. French lost 20,000 dead, 17,800 prisoners, 107,000 wounded, exclusive of sick, without any substantial advantage being gained The Germans lost a quarter as many in the same period. PROGRESS AT LOMBARTZYDE. OSTEND IN PARLOUS PLIGHT. SCARCITY OF FOOD. CONVICTS BURYING GF.RMAX DEAD Paris, January 17. A communique states: "We progressed two hundred metres in the Lombartzyde district. The advance in the Beausejour district, despite a ftorm, was continued. We progressed westward of Orbey."

Amsterdam, January 17. A Dutch correspondent at Ostend states that only COOO out of <5,000 inhabitants remain. Horse flesh Is the only meat, and there is little bread. The Germans plundered the stores of beer and wine. There are 04 heavy guns on the dunes, and -13.000 Germans guarding the boulevard at Jtariakirke, where poverful fortifications have been erected Tile Germans, by tlirr-lteiiing them with starvation, forced the population to dig trenches. Twelve thousand German eonvists have arrived at Ostend. and arc carrying the dead from the Yser line and the floating corpses from the canals and burying tlieni at Ostend.

ALLIES NOT EXPENDED YET. BULL-DOG TENACITY A VIRTUE. Times and Sydney Sun Services. London, January 17. W. Dcseheual, speaking in the French Chamber, paid that a virtue of the war is tenacity. The Dual Alliance lias put out its full effort, whilst the Triple Entente has not. but the decisive moment lias not yet arrived. CLERGY TORTUIIED AND SHOT. SACRILEGE IX UKLOIAN CHURCHES j Times and Sydney Sun Services. London. January 17. The Times publishes a list of -it Belgian clergy killed l.y (deem soldiers mi August. .Many were iorGiro.l and ■< score shot. Con-ecraled wafers and lelies were thrown (•> 'he wind-i and (redder, underfoot. KESTuUATIn., OF FUENcII ACItICULTUiIK. GOVERNMENT ADVANCES TO j FARMERS. I =*oek.

THE ItAID ON DUNKIRK. AXTr-AIHCRAFT GUNS PKOVE USELUSS. Times and Sydney Sun Services. London, January 17. A correspondent, describing the air raid on Dunkirk, sayf. that the Genua.-.', airmen took no nothe of aiiti-aircrai'i guns and dropped bombs and then contemptuously returned across the lire, thus proving that the gun., were as U-el'ui as peashooters were i'u!' shooting imisipiitos at. a, hundred yards range;