The Western Front.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 291, 18 May 1915, Page 5

The Western Front.

GERMAN LINE BROKEN. BRITISH ADVANCE A MILE. ' SEVEBAI, TRENCHES TAKEN. Received May 17, 9.30 p.m. London, May 17. Sir John French reports tliat the First .Amy broke the enemy's line on a twomile front at Richebourg, and carried two successive lines of breastworks or :»n eight hundred yards front. Also further south they captured on a twelve hundred yards front a line of '.trenches and advanced nearly a mile into .the German line. ■MORE TRENCHES TAKEN. .BRITISH SUCCESS EXTENDED. FIGHTING FAVORS BRITISH. ALL QUIET AT YPRES. SK* ■ Received May 18, 12.5 a.m. 1 London, May 17. Sir John French reports that an at;tack was begun at midnight south of Bichebourg and another attack at dawn, a mile further south, where on a 1200fjards front a line of trenches was carried. iWe pushed rapidly on, extending the success 600. yards .further south by bombing along the German trenches. Here we crosesd the Festubert-La Quinque road and advanced nearly a mile on the enemy's line. J Fighting continues in our favor. Our brave troops throughout the day fought splendidly.' All was quiet at Ypres dialing the last forty-eight hours.

A ZEPPELIN DESTROYED. ■ CREW KILLED; GUXS DESTROYED. Keceivcd May 17, 9.30 p.m. London, May 17. The Daily Mail states that AngloFrench aeroplanes destroyed a Zeppelin .approaching Ypres. The Zeppelin's crew were killed and its guns destroyed. Thu pilots of two of the aeroplanes were killed. Received May 18, 12.35 a.m. . Amsterdam, May 17. The Zeppelin was quickly surrounded, <but fought jiluckily with machine-guns. The aeroplanes skilfully soared to a great height, and within fifteen minutes the Zeppelin, amid several explosions, fell shattered, between Brussels and iGlient.

cCREAT CERMAN LOSSES. FIXE DASH BY THE FRENCH. LOST GROUND RECOVERED. DAMAGE BY ALLIES' AEROPLANES. Received Mav 17, 10.10 p.m. Paris, Hay 17. The British, whose progress at Richcfcourg continues, inflicted great losses on the Germans. ' We gained two hundred metres on a ■spur descending from the plateau Lor•ette towards the sugar refinery and 'Captured more houses in the northern part of Neuvelle. We blew up the Germans' captive (balloon -east of Yiny. Our aeroplanes ?t"hrew bombs on the station at Somiun. We achieved a brilliant success in the 'Champagne district north-west of St. Ell. "The enemy on Saturday and Sunday lright exploded a mine behind our first line. Eight German companies rushed up and gained a footing on our salient. We twice counter-attacked. In the second attack we dashed out, carrying the bayonet and hand grenades, and recovered the whole position.

. . POSITION AT YPRES. BRITISH LINES UNBREAKABLE. BOMBARDMENT FROM. THE SEA. ' Received May 18, 12.5 a.m. Dunkirk, May 17. The Briti s h lines southward of Ypres liave heeu established on a strong utrategical basis, making them practically unbreakable. British ships on Saturday bombarded the German batteries on the front behind Ramscapellc effectively. FURTHER FRENCH ADVANCE. "THOUSANDS OE GERMANS IMPERILLED. Received Mav IS, 12.!5."> a.m. Dunkirk, Mav 17. The French further developed their advance in the, direction of Lcnz. where thee; hold all the i'idiies hut one. The British artillery co-operated on the Frenchmen's left, and the joint efforts imperil five tton=and men.

FIGHTING INCREASES IX VIOLENCE J , . Paris, May Li. A communique states that the G-r----mans made extremely violent attacks on I Steenstraate, but were repulsed ami lost heavily. The* a i so i ost six ma . I chine-guns and a mortar. The British , between Iticlieborg and La Quinque Rue captured several trencher after fien-hand-to-hand fighting on the slopes. A: Notre Dame de Lorettc w ; . pro"re.""d Tha Germans endeavored to retake \euville, but failed. . Official: We inflicted a reverse on the enemy northward of Ypres, and carried several trenches before Het Sas. We secured possession of part of Steenstraate, westward of the canal, and a hr.'dge over the canal. We captured three nmchineguns and took fifty prisoners AVe progressed northward of Arras. Our attack outflanked the sugar refinery at Souchez on the north and approached it on the west. AA'e repulsed a counterattack on the southern slopes of Notre Dame de Lorette, and continued the conquest of Neuville St. V'aast, where we carried "several groups of houses. Received May 18, 12.5 a.m.

Paris, iMav 17. The official report continues: The trenches and breastworks revealed enormous German losses. Over a thousand corpses were found, and we also made prisoners of nine officers, three hundred men, and six machine-guns. Berlin, May 10. Offieial: HVe progressed on the St. Julien-Ypres road, and captured three British officers, sixty men and a ma-chine-gun. Altogether 110 officers and 5450 men have been taken prisoner near Ypres since April 22, besides 500 wounded. AVe also took trendies southward of Ailly, taking prisoner 52 wounded and 100 unweunded Frenchmen. London, May Hi. The Eye-witness at headquarters states that the Germans on 'May 10 bombarded the Ypres salient more" violently than ever. They used poisonous gases, waited half an hour, and then attacked, expecting to find the defenders dead or stupefied, but the British are now provided with counteracting devices. A strange scene followed, as through the scattered woods and across the clearings streamed a loose disordered mob, some wearing "British uniforms. The British infantry suddenly lined the parapets and poured in a rapid fire from rifles and machine-guns. The Germans threw themselves on their faces, but the British guns seized the opportunity and poured in shrapnel. The ground was strewn in a few moments with dead and dying Germans along the entire front. 'London, May 10.

North, of the Ypres-Comines canal, while the fumes poured from the nuzzles for half an hour, bleaching the grass, and sandbags, the Germans did not at-, tack. Probably they suffered from the fumes and were forced to leave tlieii own trenches.

The enemy reopened the bombardmenfe of the Ypres salient on May 11. Two failed; then every German gun and howitzer within range blazed on the trenches for three hours and the infantry swarmed forward, manyi wearing kilts, and occupied a short trench. Tjlay were soon driven out. There were man} air duels, invariably in our favor.

The Eye-witness relates that a 'British airman on May 10, in a single-seatei monoplane, whilu pursuing a German, lost control of his .steering gear- in trying to reload' bis machine-gini;. TV aeroplane overturned and the airman almost fell out, but lie grasped ,i strut and hung head down with his legs entangled while the machine spun round like a leaf from B<XK> to 2500 feet. Finally he- disengaged his legs, righted the machine with his feet, and, looping the loop, regained his seat.