Battle of Ypres

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 290, 17 May 1915, Page 5

Battle of Ypres

THE BPJTiSH REINFORCED. NOW STRONGER THAW EVER. DARIXH OF TIIK OFFiCIOHS. PLAIN* HF HERMAN DEAD. Received Jlav ](i, 11.50 a.m. Paris, ,\lav in. The British are strengthening their liold on Hill (il), which litis been the stumbling bloek of the (lonium plans (luring the last three weeks. 'l'lie plain before Ypres is a eharnel house of Herman dead. The British line \v,is recently reinforced, and is now stronger than ever. The British are astonishing their own officers by their coolness and during. A French officer declared their bearing to be miraculous.

BRITISH PASS YPRES. A YIHOROL'S ADVANCE. THE ENEMY WEAKENING. HOOD WORK BY THE FRENCH. Received May Hi, 11.50 a.m. Amsterdam, May 15. Telegrams from Bruges state that the Herman wounded assert that the situation at Ypres is critical. They reached within half an hour's walk of the town, but the British drove them back. The butchery was terrible, and the streams of (ierinan wounded arriving at Courtiai and Holders are enormous.

Many civilians at Klevdinghe, Boisinghe, and Xamortinghe have died of hemorrhage of the lungs, due to tin; poisonous gases.

Though the kittle of Ypres continues bloodily, the enemy now shows signs of weakening. They are also giving before the Allies' vigorous attacks further south, and are also exhausted .by the ferocious efforts of the British.

The British vigorously advanced past Ypres and recaptured some ground lost earlier in the week. Orders were givn for it bayonet charge. One rush carried these trenches, and then the second line, with a suddenness of onslaught that bewildered the Germans. Most of them fled in terror before the bayonet, and the remainder were swiftly despatched. The French swept onward and breasted the hill.

When half-way up, the dreadful riflefire from the crest checked the chare-, and the French sought cover. little, however, they suffered terribly, but the 75's reopened, silencing the enemy's fire and tearing up the entanglements. The charge was then resumed under a murderous flanking fire to the ruined entanglements, where a fresh terror awaited. Holes had been dug every yard, and in each was a bayonet. The French paused after it weary' four hours' uphill struggle, and the enemy rushed up masses of reserves.

The French artillery made gaps, but the Germans swarmed on the hilltop. The French carried another trench ami pressed on for a hundred metres, when a fresh storm broke from the enemy's mitrailleuses. The French fell hack and rested for the night.

They re fought for the hilltop on Monday all day, and victory came on Tuesday, when a double turning movement reached the goal.

A MONOPLANE'S ESCAPE. Received May Hi, 4.10 p.m. Paris, May ]."). During the Ypres battle, a French monoplane while neonnoitring was struck by shrapnel, but contrived to reach the French line, where it fell. Rescuers found the observer dead and the pilot fainted from his wounds The pilot related that a s-hell' burst, and he was blinded when the machine was at a height of six thousand feet. The observer was liad'y wounded, but directed the pilot to the French lines and gave his last, order to volplane. When nearing the landing place the observer expired. GERMAN OFFENSIVE DESPERATE. MEET DISASTROUS RESULTS. Received May Hi, 11.50 a.m. Paris, May 15. The German offensive has reached a desperate phase, and continues to burl reckless attacks with disastrous results from our rifle-fire and machine-guns. FIGHT ON HILL 165. GERMAN TRENCHES BATTERED. Received May 10, 11.55 a.m. Paris, May 15. An ollicer wounded north of' Arras states that when the troops at sunrise on Sunday received warning of the projected attack on Hill Kin, shouts of jov were raised. Artillery battered the German trenches with terrific effect, hurling men and earth high in the air. The advance was ordered at seven o'clock. The French erept to a wood on the outskirts of which were the first German trenches. A hail of bullets from mitrailleuses burst on the attackers.

FRENCH GO FORWARD. OERMAX TKKXCIIKS TAKIOX. Received .May Hi, 11.5:, a.in. Paris, Mav 15. Oflicial: Our offensive mirth of Anas continues. We utlackwl south west of Andrea, on the road from Aixonlcttes to Nonchez, carrying trenches a kilometre long, also a defended wood and a second line trench, where we found four hundred Gorman dead. We have captured twenty guns llI1( i one hundred machine-guns ' since Sunday. Received May Hi, :ui) ]i.m. Paris, May 15. Oflicial: The struggle continues north of Arras. We progressed five hundred metres in the direction of the sugar refinery at Soiitliez.

THE FIGHTING CENTRE. FRENCH OFFICIAL REPORT. Paris, May 14. A communique states: There has been ceaseless rain since yesterday. Wo carried several trenches south-westward of Souehcz and maintained {rains on the Loos-Arras front. Several German blockhouses and trenches in the Aisne valley were destroyed.

A TERRIBLE BATTLE. BIHTISIt PALI, IX HEAPS. ON TO THE TEETH OF DEATH. MEN (10 OX UXIUIJXTI'I). Received May 15, (i p.m. London, Mav 15. The Daily Mail publishes a spectator's account of the light at Aubern jii Sunday. It was Xeuvo (hapelle on a greater scale. There was a long unbroken uproar of artillery from tin Herman lines, which were hidden by drifting clouds of white, black, and greenish yellow pull's of smoke.

The Hermans were forced hv a hasty advance to take to the ope,, in many places in order to reinforce the front lines. A whirlwind of shells met them.

A bombardment of three quarters of an hour crumpled the front parapet at various points, but the harrieai"s were stoutly built. The British infantry's advance was the signal for a murderous rifle and machine gun lire, which rent the battered British lines, which soon became a series of disjointed links of a chain, wdiose remnants pushed onward to the teeth of death.

Men fell in clusters. The dead were lying crumpled up and the wounded wen? staggering hack to shelter. Some British reached the foot of the parapet, but wore driven buck. But the attack had been clucked.

Huns on both sides fired furiously (ill late in the afternoon, when the British launched another attack. The infantry again fell in struggling heaps, .kit they swarmed over the parapet and captured a section of a trench, lr.it the (ieruian lines on either side wire strong and unbroken. Apparently the prize Was considered wortli the cost of sending reinforcements which would be swept by the tempest from the fire. The line was ordered to retire, and the British were dismayed at the order. They leapt the parapet and doubled towards the British trench, some fast and some slow. They were reluctant. They carried the wounded amid the shower of bullets and bombs.

Tim narrator points out Hip sacrifice was not wasted, for tlic guns tinned on the British weakened Hie Herman ■!»- fence against the French, who were enabled to brak the line a few miles luvav.

FRENCH CAPTURE TRENCHES. IMPORTANT LINK BROKEN. Received May 1(1, S p.m. Paris, May 15. Official: Two thousand Hermans were taken prisoner at Carcncv, which was defended liy four lines of trendies. Every lnm,e was fortified and there were subterranean passages connect in-; with cellars. Carency has been a dangerous siilicut throughout tlie winter. 'Prior to the infantry attack on the nth, 2!),0H(I projectiles shattered Carencv. The French rushed up with furious elan and captured three lines of trenches. \Ac attacked again on the Kith. Companies cleverly advanced in small groups but carried away by ardor tliov advanced beyond the. 'distance ordered. They crossed the Soucliez Road and lost rather seriously, being unable to maintan themselves on the border road. The problem on the 11th was to"uentroy the trench which enabled the Germans to ,pass any locality with absolute security. After a feht the French captured a wood east of the village preventing the Germans using the trench.

FRENCH DETERMINED. A WIN AT ALL COSTS. Received May HI, 5.15 p.m. London, Mav 10. Oflicial: A review of the fighting at Careney adds that the enemy' stillheld the Aplain Road, but we gradually encircled Careney by converging attacks from tin- east, via Hill ]■>;,. all ,l tlic west where we came against a vast quarry -)() feet deep, containing a complete fort with casemates, a cave und -hollers Here the enemy resisted for two hours with reniarKable obstinacy. The French are aflame with determination to win at any cost. Heavy losses on the. slopes were finally crowned by a thousand Bavarians. Saxons and Saddlers surrendering All were tired and dejected, but hostile. The officers, however, remarked: "Your firing was so mathematical and your infantry advanced so quickly that it was'impossible to resist."

ANOTHER GERMAN HORROR. A CANADIAN CRUCIFIED. Received May Hi, 5.5 p.m. London, if ay 15 Trooper Xceds, of the 2nd Life Guards, states that two Canadians were found dead nailed to doors. This confirms the widely prevalent rumor that a Canadian sergeant was crucified during the Ypres fighting in April. It is possible the corpse wa-'. pinned with a bayonet to a fence aftc,death.