The Western Front

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 258, 10 April 1915, Page 5

The Western Front

GERMAN REPULSE AT LE3 EPARGES. ENEMY DRIVEN ACROSS THE YSER. RETREAT IN DISORDER. CROWN PRINCE REAPPEARS. Paris, April 8. A communique states that a German regiment and a half counter-attacked at Les Eparges, but were repulsed with enormous losses, the corpses covering the field. Out of 300 who approached our lines none escaped. I'aris. April 8. Official: The Belgians have completely expelled the Germans from the western side of the Yser in the Driegrachten region with heavy losses. The Germans fled in disorder, abandoning machine-guns and ammunition. London, April 8. The Crown Prince has returned to command the Germans in the Verdun district. THE COMMISSARIAT. WONDERFUL ORGANISATION. London, April 8. The Eye Witness at headquarteers dscribes the bases through which troops and material pass to the front. The keynote of the handling of the vast amount of material is simplicity and labor saving. On arrival cargoes are stored in large sheds divided into sections from which one day's supplies for the troops dependent on this base are collected daily in pens close to the railways, each pen containing the quantity consumed by an army corps or headquarters. Next day the contents of the pens are loaded straight on the train. Medical comforts and petrol arc kept separately. Meat is retained on the refrigerating steamers until they are empty. ~ Bread does not pass through the sheds. Trucks containing these articles are v added to the trains when they are finally marshalled. The hundreds of field ovens for baking ninety loaves of llVilb. weight are being gradually supplemented by steam" travelling ovens capable of baking 4000 loaves a day. , An enormous staff is required to cope with the increasing stream of material. In one place 1400 men are working like a gigantic beehive. Despite its complexities, the work is regulated in the spirit of strictest order. When it is remembered that those employed have never before been subject to military discipline and are accustomed to live in an atmosphere of trade disputes, the smooth working speaks wonders for the cood spirit prevailing in all ranks. At the main ordnance base 1700 men sleep in wooden berths constructed in tiers in a large warehouse. SUCCESSES SINCE SUNDAY ENEMY'S HEAVY LOSSES. Received April 9, 9.30 p.m. Paris, April 9. Official.—Since Sunday we have inflicted severe losses on the enemy.between the Meuse and Moselle, capturing strong positions at I.cs Eparges, tiois de Lily and several villages elsewhere. We further advanced at Les Eparges on Thursday night and held the ground, despite three violent counter-attacks. We have already counted a thousand corpses. We wiped out a company during a lively infantry action near Lamorville, south of Les Eparges, and made prisoners of the ten survivors. GALLANT "TERRIERS." INCIDENT AT NEUVE CHAPELLC. Received April 9, 11.40 p.m. London, April 9. A London territorial regiment did fine work in the capture of the trenches at Neuve Cliapelle by frontal attack across two hundred yards of open country. Two companies quitted the breastwork in the face of a murderous fire and went straight across the awful open space with bayonets at the charge. When then reached the trenches the Germans surrendered. The territorials lost eighty men. They afterwards repelled a strong counter-attack.

"HINDENBURG IS COMING!*' BLAZING OIL AND POISONOUS GASES. GERMANS' MODERN DEATHDEALERS. Received April !), 9.30 p.m. London, April 8. Eye Witness reports: Wo blew up a hundred yards of the enemy's trenches on April 3. The Germans thereupon bombarded our defences round Guinchy, throwing over a thousand shells. It is reported that the Germans in Argonne pumped blazing oil or pitch into the French trenches. Prisoners state that the enemy is preparing a more novel reception, proposing to asphyxiate us if we advance by poisonous gas contained in steel cylinders. The gas being of a heavy nature, spreads on the ground and does not dissipate for some time. A notice is placarded at Nenve Chapelle: 'Hindenburg is coming with half a million men." THE ACE OF SPADES. THE TRAGEDY OF NEUVO CHAPELLE. HEAVY BRITISH LOSSES. Received April 10, 1.2} a.m. London, April 9. Two lists of British casualties at Neuve Chapelle contain 1877 names. The British bombardment at Neuve Chapelle created tremendous havoc in the German trenches. Whole traverses were blown away and most of the dugouts wrecked. A card party of five Germans were found sitting in natural poses, asphyxiated by lyddite fumes. One was about to play an ace of spades.

ALCOHOL PROHIBITED. ALONG THE FRENCH FRONT. Received April 9, 9.30 p.m. '■Paris, April 9. The French commander has prohibited the purchase and sale of alcohol in captured territory in the Vosges. under severe penalties.