The Western Front

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 212, 15 February 1915, Page 5

The Western Front

AIR RAID IN BELGIUM. TO DESTROY GERMAN SUBMARINE BASE. TI-lIRTYJOUR AEROPLANES ENGAGED. ONLY TWO MACHINES DAMAGED. London, February 1-2. J ho Admiralty states that tliirty-four aeroplanes attacked Bruges. JM, ruffle, ami Ostend. with a view of destroving tho RiiDmarinp base.

Ostend station was Burnt to the ground.

All the pilots are safe, but two machinos wore damaged. Flight-C'ommander Samson was ' in command of the raiders.

Tile combined r.eroplane and seaplane attack lasted twenty-four hours The railway station at Blankonberi* was damaged, and the linos torn un in manv places. Bombs wore dropped on guii positions at Middlekerke, also on the power-station and German minesweepers at Zecbrugge. The damage is unknown. No submarines were seen. Tbe attackers encountered heavv snow.

Flight-Commander Grahame White fell into the sea at Nieuport, and a J'reneh vessel rescued him. Although the attackers were exposed to heavy pun-fire by mitrailleuses, only two machines worn damaged.

OSTEXD RAILWAY YARD DESTROYED. A BLOW AT GERMAN MOBILITY, Received 14, 5.5 p.m. Dunkirk, February 14. Airmen's bombs completely destroyed tlie Ostend railway goods yards.

A RECORD AERIAL FORCE. TWENTY-TWO BRITISH CRAFT. CROSSED THE CHANNEL IN TWENTY MINUTES. Received 4, 5.5 p.m. London, February 14. Twenty-two aeroplanes on the southeast coast made a fascinating spectacle as they were leaving sea-wards, sing'y

strung across the Channel Ike a flight of wild duck. It is estimated that they crossed in twenty minutes. It is pointed out that this is the largest number of aeroplanes ever engaged in the same operations.

A BRICKFIELDS BATTLE. SUCCESS OF BRITISH ARMS. Received 14, 5.5 p.m. London, February 14. "Eye-witness" details the capture of the brickfield eastward of Guinchy. The British and French artillery concentrated a terrific fire on the enmy's defences among the brick stacks. The effect of lyddite shells was terrific and created great havoc amongst the enemy. British storming columns rushed the position on three sides before the Germans recovered from the effects of the bombardment. The Germans left seventy dead, but the British casualties were in-1 significant.

ACCURATE BRITISH ARTILLERY. A FEATURE OF RECENT FIGHTS. Received 14, 5.5 p ti>, London, February If. "Eye-witness," reports that the Germans early on the 7th advanced towards the canal bank shouting, "Don't shoot. We are engineers."

The British waited until the enemy was only a few yards distant, whe n a machine-gun opened lire. The enemy fled, leaving thirty dead. A great feature'of'all the recent fighting has been the accuracy of the British artillery.

ANOTHER HfLL CAPTURED. DURING A VIOLENT SNOWSTORM. Received 14, 5.5 p.m. Paris, February 14. Official: We repulsed the enemy near Arraeourt, and captured, hill 937, iiort.li-iKirth-west of Sudele. in Vosges, during a violent snowstorm. Our losses were, insignificant.

FRENCH AIRMEN'S SUCCESS. | GERMAN AERODROME DAMAGED. Received 14, 5.5 p.m. Paris, February 14. Five airmen bombed and damaged an aerodrome at Ilabsheim, near Mulhausen, and killed the keeper. GREAT ARTILLERY DUEL. Received 14, 5.5 p.m. Paris, February 14. Official: The Germans are violently bombarding from the sea to the Lvs. There is great artillery activity on both sides on the Somme, between the Oise and the Aisne.

BELGIAN ESCAPEES SHOT. AN AFFRONT TO TnE KATSRR. Amsterdam, February 12. Thirteen young Belgians were arrestid while trying to escape to Holland. Twenty-five were shot, between Tnmliolit and Maeseycli while making a similar attempt. A number of smugglers were sin it at the same lime. Times and Sydney Sun Services. Loudon, February 12. A French seddier in Germany has been rourt-martialled and sentenced to two years' imprisonment for lese majestc. for stabbing out the eyes of a portrait of the Kaiser in a German hospital.