SEVERAL DAYS' BATTLE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 237, 16 March 1915, Page 5

SEVERAL DAYS' BATTLE.

lIOW THE FRENCH GAINED VAUIJUOIS: ALTBRN AT IN (V VICTORY AN.O DEFEAT. TENACITY BRILLIANTLY REWARDED. Received March 15, 9.55 ,p.m. Paris, -March 15. Ollicial.—At Yauquois the Hermans delivered a counter-attack oil the afternoon of the wSt'i, supported b\| artillery amijnaeliinc-guns behind the ruins. .Our soldiers made a heroic stand, but were unable to create si defensive posili wliiii! fighting. They were obliged to retire, but returned to the .assault, and drove the Hermans from the southern half of th t! village. Further German attacks were repulsed with great loss. Tin; Gfriuan?, however, were reinforced from (.'happy during the night, and Vampiois was finally lost. We attacked four times next day, and were driven back by a German planting . \Ye suffered si rious losses, but the morale of the troops was not destroyed, and the attack was resumed at dawn. Three regiments left the trenches and rushed the plateau, which was terribly cut up. The abrupt slopes were almost impracticable: nevertheless the enemy was forced to abandon the trenches and .ultiinat'ly withdrew from the village. ' Finally a splendid dash of .the three regiments pen. {rated llv ruins. Hand-to-hand fighting occurred in the streets. Four (iennan attacks were repulsed, and resulted in our installing ourselves securely in t'le high street dividing the town, after inflicting great 10.-s, capturing two hundred of the enemy.

, Tin; Germans did not attack on March •2nd or 3rd, evidently being worn out: but a violent bombardment at midnight enabled them to reach the plateau, where our artillery and machine-gum mowed down almost a'l the attackers. The survivor.; took refuge in hole.? in the earth, and then fled. Desperate attacks anil counter-attacks continued for days, the Germans each time bringing up frosli troons. Tli ( . prisoners belong to three army corps and one brigade of the Land well r. The French position is now secure. ENEMY BEATEN AND FLEEING. ■BRITISH WIPE OFT AX OLD SCORE. BRILLIANT DASH AT NEUVE CHAPEL!.!:. London, March 14. " Eye-Witness " at British headqnavters says: "Our offensive -it Neuve Chapelle was attended with signal success. The lire of the many guns and howitzers at the opening of the bombardment is described as the most tremendous, both in noise and effect, the army had ever seen or heard.

" Within half an hour after the signal for attack was given, almost the whole of the elaborate series of German trenches was in our hands, and hardly, except at one point, was there any resistance. Many of the trenches were blotted out and filled with the dead and dying partially hm ,: ed in earth and debris. The majority of the fill rvi v ors wore not in a mood for further fight-

"Meanwhile, on the right front, at Richcbourg, a similar advance was progressing towards the rectangular ivood a thousand yards south-cast of Neuve Chapelle. The resistance was slight and we reached a 'point four hundred yards eastward. The others northward were fighting long after darkness came. The enemy was then considerably shaken and was surrendering at some parts.

"Groups of Germans throughout the day held strung position, nicknamed Port Arthur, at the angle of the crossroads, southwards of tin l village, a perfect, net work of trenches and barbed wire. The struggle raged until 5.,'i0 p.m., when the position was stormed and carried by the bayonet. "The Britishers showed the utmost dash throughout, the operations. There was a consciousness tlirit an old score was being 'pa'd off, and that the enemy for tile time being, beaten and on the run. The fieid hospitals and ambulances were filled with the most cheery crowd of wounded men.

"Airmen desfmvei! a pier of (Tie railway bridge ;it Men'n n i»] another completely wrecked Courtrai station, both of vital importance to the enemy's communications."

THE VAUQUOIS VICTORY. AN IMPORTANT SUCCESS. Received March 15, 10.50 p.m. Paris. March 15. Official.—The capture of VaiiqiioM prevents the (Germans carnfing out masking operations north of Varenncs and readily revictualHiig their troops in Argonne and ( heppy wood. A aiMjuois is a regular fortress. The village is built on the sido of a hill three hundred metres high. The cellars of the houses are hollowed out of tlie rock, affording artillcrv-proof shelter. The Germans constructed subterranean passages between (lie cellars, forming a defensive system of the first order.

The brilliant attack on the lTta of ,!ebruary showed ihat ihe difficulties could lie surmounted, anil tlie attack was recommenced on the 2Sth with violent am) lieavv artillery fire. When tlie troops entered VaiK|Uois was a heap) of rniiH. The cellars had collapsed under the weight of the larjre projectiles, which hollowed out nits four metres deep and eight metres in diameler. (Eor ready reckoning a metre may be taken a ; a yard. Actually it is about 3(1 inches.)