The Western Front

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 300, 28 May 1915, Page 5

The Western Front

GERMAN AERODROME DAMAGED. GERMAN AEROPLANE BROUGHT DOWN. Received May 27, 9.5 p.m. Paris, May 27. Official: The Germans by desperate efforts recaptured positions at Angres, fighting with extreme violence throughout the day. Ail aeroplane flying towards Paris threw bombs on Meaux. In the meanwhile the air squadron at the front were Warned, and awaited the return of the enemy aeroplane and brought it down at Soissons. Both German aviators were killed. Our aeroplanes dropped fifty UO-milli-metre shells on the Douai aerodrome, hitting the hangars and aeroplanes. (Douai is in FranCe, 17 miles south of Lille.) DAMAGE BY AEROPLANES. Received May. 27, 11.40 p.m. Rotterdam, .May 27. The aeroplane raid on tile St. Pierre railway station at Ghent tuude a great hole in the railway bridge over the Scheldt, which carries practically all the traffic from Bruges to Osteinl, and also the Berlin and Vienna expresses.

THE FRENCH ADVANCE. THE DIFFICULTY OF AmtOACU Received May 27, 11.10 p.m. Paris, May 27. Angres is a big mining village where the Germans have hidden among the houses great guns with which they hindered the French attacks on the Lorette slopes. The French are approaching Angres from the. west-north-west, through (lei man fi:-ld\vorl<s constructed among mini's and slag heaps.

VIOLENT GERMAN ACTION. IMI'UKSSIOX (IF Till-: HIiITISII. l'aris, "ijiiv 2G. A eomniuiiiipie states that tin: mvnt checks have driven the Uenuaits to evtreiucly violent action. On the 2"d:i and 2'ith they counter-allti.-l.ed the works ca-ptuied by the, French noi'Uiwest of Angres. T'jo JbYwirli, despite a bombardment of except ional intensity, retained the whole of the new positions and. gained ground on the cre-t- northeast of Xotre Dame de Lorette. French aviators oil the 2-Vth were active along the whole front, and dropped •203 projectiles, of which S2 were bombs

■weighing ten kilos (2211).), anil 14 shells 1 weighing 43 'kilos (051b). They set fire to the shed and an aeroplane at the aviation depot at llewilly, and hit tho petrol depots in the reserve park lor aircraft at Grandpriel. Four shells at Douai set fire? to the goods station. 'i'iie engine of an "English aeroplane exploded near Hazehrouck and thu machine took fire and fell. Jiotli occupants died. Amsterdam, May 2'c). A Oerman communique states: i\Ve repulsed a night-attack against our newlyeonqucred positions West of Belleward'e. The number of machine-guns captured from the British wa.s increased to ten. North-east of 'Givenchy colored British troops succeeded in capturing a salient of onr advanced trenches. North of the Soucbez-Bethune Jine the enemy, who yesterday penetrated our trendies, was ejected at night. Paris, May 20. Lord Charles Beresford had a narrow escape when visiting the French lines, it is presumed ill Alsace. A Taube dropped bombs over the house where Lord Charles Beresford wa s staying and killed a man. The Taube returned next day and dropped three bombs, partially wrecking the house after Lord Charles Beresford lmd gone out. London, May 20. The Times' correspondent at the British headquarters says that what strikes an observer of the British army in the field is its homogeneity. It is all one quality:—the best, known. The German ranks are of twenty grades, extending front veterans of the Guard to the rawest cannon fodder. Even in crack corps like the 17th and 15th regiments the gaps are filled with questionable material. Some of the British 'battalions and brigades have long been famous, while others are just winning- their spurs, but it is rash to say that the actual fighting value of one is higher than the other. Never in the history of Britain have there been such proofs of tho mettle of our pasture. We are manifestly man for man superior .to our foes. Reports all tell the same tale. When the German infantry attacks it does so haltingly and half-heavtedly, like dazed, dragged men. All the strategy and tactics of the war depend today on one burning fact. The enemy has got an amazingly powerful machine, and unless we can provide a machine equal in power he will nullify the. superior fighting quality of our men. The machine consists of a great number of heavy guns and machine-guns, and apparently an unlimited supply of high explosives. The French rec?ntly( at Artois made a great artillery concentration, with the result that they advanced untroubled for four miles. High explosives in sufficient quantities will annihilate the hostile high trenches, parapets and entanglements. An authority states that with sufficient artillery preparation we can take several miles of country with a walkirig-stick. This is no time for scolding and criticism. We are all to blame except the soldiers in the field. Our business now is to redeem our miscalculations and get a counter-machine without delay.

BRITISH CONTINUE ADVANCE. THE GERMAN LINK BROKE jN. Received May 27, 4.30 p.m. London, May : X. Sir John French reports the army continue to advance east of Vsstuocrt. A territorial division last night, captured a group of German trenches. Since the Kith the Frst Army has pierced ilie f-'er-nian line on a front of over three miles, taking prisoners eight ollicera and 7fi7 men and capturing ten machine-guns.