The Western Front

Taranaki Daily News, 21 June 1915, Page 5

The Western Front

I GERMANS ABANDON TRENCHES. PRESSURE OF BRITISH FORCES. FRENCH CARRY POSITIONS. VILLAGE TAKEN AFTER WEEKS OF FIGHTING. THE ADVANCE IN ALSACE. Received June 21, 12.35 a.m. i London, June 20. | Sir John French reports: We occupied 250 yards of German trendies north of Hoge, which our successes forced the enemy to abandon. Wo captured 21.') prisoners, three machine-guns, a cylinder full of gas. In the Hoge region we exploded several mines, and north-east of Armentieres we indicted casualties on the enemy trying to escape after tho explosion. Airmen successfully bombed an electrical power station at La Rassee. June 20. Official: After a very sharp struggle, we invested on all sides and carried Inassault, Bnvalboltom, which the enemy has obstinately defended since May (I. We captured some machine-guns, biit only ten prisoners, as the German resistance has been desperate. We captured several trenches on the slopes east of Lonette, and took three hundred prisoners. We hold the slopes of Hill 110, where our troops cling to ground beyond the last German trenches. Despite the enemy's attacks south of these slope*, our line was advanced to north-east of the "labyrinth." The German battalion at Embcrmenil captured a small post. We immediately counter-attacked, and tliMiL'h our forces were numerically inferior, we reoceupicd the whole of the position and put our assailants to flight. Our advance in Alsace on both banks of the Feclit continues, despite dense mist and torrential rain. We bombarded the station at Minister and blew up ammunition depots. We completely invested Metzcral, which the Germans set fire to before evacuating. "

'- I ■ e FRENCH PRESSURE FELT. ■t . ' e LARDI'I UERMAX RKIXFOROEMEXTS. [. I MAGNIFICENT BRITISH SURPRISE. KXKMY'S PLAXS SMASHED. e Received June 20, :S.f)o p.m. Amsterdam, June 10. During the nine days closing below Hie Dutch frontier 400,000 German troops traversed Belgium, of which 300,000 have been sent into the lighting line, when; the French pressure is dangerous. .A hundred thousand with two hundred heavy guns were held in reserve at Courtrai and Roulers, hoping for an opporr tunity to break through, but in the hut L> three days they were hurriedly sent to defend the trenches at La Bassee ami " Vpres, where the British attack in °> force was a magnificent surprise, and l(; | the enemy's plan. 1. " ' e TERRITORIALS IN ACTION. c A STORY OF GREAT DEEDS, n ,! PRAtSK FOR lyth L(L\IXKNKhS. e "YOU HAVE WOX IMPERISHABLE P GLORY." K _ Received June 20, 4 p.m. j London. June ]O. officer of the ThirteentJi London Territorials describes its share in the : advance at Boisgreiiicr and Festtibert r and in the operationse at Riehebour" in J the middle of May. He says: "What official and unofficial [ reports dismissed witli a few lines was to us fifteen and a half hours of desper- ' ate and bloody lighting. Our battalian r was on the extreme ;eft and the pivot of the whole attack, and was the only . battalion that succeeded in doiii" the : work allotted to it. The moment our r bombardment ceased we went over the , parapet, and chargii,- right through, captured three lines of trenches w?th t the bayonet, while two companies, turn- ( iRg to the right and to the left, bayoneted and bombed the Huns back along the _ trenches for two hundred van's on either , side. ' ''Then we settled down down to hold our ground. Some regulars should have '. advanced in the same way, for their } front was connected with us, but th"v , were unable to get through. In the ] meanwhile we held against steadily in- , creasing counter-attacks, and we stuck , to it grimly. For eight hours euns on , both sides carried on a deafonin" bom- [ bardment, shells pitching everywhere. r We received a nastv enfilade fire from - machine-guns which we were unable to I locate, and from snipers. 'Then we got , a promise of reinforcements, and saw , them approach and fade awn v. "The Hermans advancing in force on our flanks, we were ordered to retire, . and had to fight our way through to ~ our trenches across ground raked with [ a_ withering cross fire. Major-General . Sir H. S. Kawlinsou. commanding the , Voiiril. Army, declared: -|!v y„ur splen- , did pluck and dogged endurance vou and , your fallen comrade, ha\e won impcrisi- - » »!e glory for the thirleenlh battalion. ; Us leat has been surpassed bv no battalion in this great war.' " THE BRITISH REPORT. SLIGHT ADVAXCIO AT FKSTUMEKT. EFFECTIVE ARTILLERY FIRE. Received June ]f), g p.m. London. June IS. Sir John French reports: Fighting on the northern ami southern portions of our front was continued Ihiruighoul (he Kith. In co-operation with our allies we made an attack about Arras. All the first line trenches captured about Ypres remain in our bands', despite two counter-attacks, which we repulsed wilh heavy loss to the enemy. ' r\y ( . 1V( .,. p however, unable to retain |),e enemy'-' second I'nn of treiwhe- wupiod in (i.i< morning. We slightly advanced eastward of ! Festubert as a result of further attacks. I and judging hy the number of dead in ! the. German trenches our artillery, fire i ' was yery effective. ' I

VIOLENT ARTILLERY DUEL

FRENCH HOLD KNKMV CoMMCXfCATIONS. Received June 2;1, 3.30 n.m. London, June 10. Official: There was a violent artiller.y duel northward of Arras, where oar front is unmodified. We reached the outskirts of I'Mi'tgernl, [and hold the enemy's communication; between Metgeral and Minister under artillery and infantry fire. AVe have taken more prisoners, and have captured machine-guns and a large quantity of rifles and cartridges. A COMBAT WITH KNIVES. THE FRENCH CAPTURE TRENCHES. Received June 20, 3.50 p.m. Paris, June 10. A French oliicer, describing the combat southward of Hebntcrne, says: A battalion on our right was ussaiied by hand grenades and knives. That settled it. Our comrades rushed across a space four hundred metres deep v and twelve hundred long, and took the first trenches by the use of knives. TREACHEROUS BELGIANS. DEATH FOR SPIES. Received June 20, 3.50 p.m. Paris, June 10. Lnule Kauvelier, wife of a Belgian, and Henri Ganrearedt, a native of Dun' kirk, who were conducting a potato business at Chapelle, have been sentenced to death for spyin". Thev were found at Hcrseek in possession of luminous fuses, which thev used for the purpose of signalling the Germans. Tliev confessed after forty-nine witnesses had been heard. UEKiMAX BATTERY DESTROYED. London, June IS. The German recapture of a portion of the Festnbert trenches was largely due to the use n f machine-guns and'hand prenades. It is stated that in some parts of the German front there is one machine-gun for every twelve men. Amsterdam ~lime IS. The. Allied airmen's bombardment of the Belgian coast destroyed a German battery on the dunes.